Say GSR to any Pinoy car enthusiast, and it'll likely conjur up images of a two-door coupe. More specifically, it's the two-door Mitsubishi Lancer sold fom the mid-'90s to the early '00s.
Since the Lancer GSR's discontinuation, the Philippine market has yet to see another Mitsubishi model with that tag. But the thing is, the Japanese automaker never dropped that iconic three-letter combination.
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These days, the GSR badge is slapped on a wide variety of models, particularly in Japan and Australia. One can even see it on the Triton's tailgate, depending on where it's sold. More recently, it has been made available in the practical Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV.
The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV GSR (quite a mouthful, eh?) has been introduced in Australia. Serving as the new top of the line model, it remains true to what GSR stands for, a sportier variant of an existing model. So, what sets it apart from the standard model?
These days, GSR is a bit like the 'black edition' trend we've been seeing these days. In the case of the Outlander, all of the exterior chrome bits have been replaced with a gloss black trims. At the front, its grille and lower apron are finished in the aforementioned color. The side mirror caps are also painted black, along with the wheels, tailgate spoiler, and roof.
Inside, the cabin is dressed up in, you guessed it, all-black. There is a hint of contrast, though, namely through its silver constrast stitches. These can be found on the dashboard, door trims, and seats. And in case there's too little black inside, the gear selector is finished in that color, and the same goes with the headliner.
This being the top-spec version, it's fully loaded. It has expanded functions in the inforainment system, a 10-speaker sound system by Bose, power seats and various convenience features, and advanced driver assist systems.
Its engine is also carried over from the standard Outlander PHEV. The 2.4-liter MIVEC engine is mated to dual electric motors, giving it a combined output of 248hp and 450Nm of torque. The two-motor setup also gives this crossover all-wheel drive dubbed Super-All Wheel Control (S-AWC) by Mitsubishi. And if you're curious about range, the PHEV's electric range is up to 84km before the engine charges up the batteries again.
