This year, the Outlander has been upgraded in almost every way possible, and it is probably one of the best vehicles that Mitsubishi has ever offered. After driving it for a week, we were very impressed, not only with the looks, performance and amenities that the automaker has included, but, most importantly, with the price tag of under $40,000.

This point was driven home as we were watching a series from the History Channel about how the automobile has shaped our society during the past 100 years. When autos first appeared, they were only available to the uber-rich, costing as much as $7,000 (the equivalent of $100,000 in today’s money).

Henry Ford wanted to find a way through which everyone could own a car and take advantage of the mobility it offered. Up until that time, most people did not travel more than 50 miles from their home during their entire lives.

He came up with a way to make the automobile affordable for all, and, in the process, he opened up a whole new world for exploration. To this day, the automobile is an incredibly important part of everyday life.

After a week in the newly refreshed Outlander, we were of the opinion that for under $40,000 it is one of the best deals out there on the market today. It had more bells and whistles than we would normally see at a much higher price point.

Families would be hard pressed to find something that fits them better than this three-row SUV. Our only complaint — if there was anything to complain about — was the smaller engine coupled with the continuously variable transmission. This made the SUV seem a little underpowered.

However, there was a point to this setup from Mitsubishi: The automaker was trying to get as much mileage out of every gallon as possible. With that in mind, the 2.5-liter engine did a fine job of getting us around, and we averaged just over 28 miles per gallon during our mostly around-town adventures.

We even had the opportunity to use the Outlander’s back seat. It was Craig’s mom’s birthday during our week with the SUV, so we took his sister Marci, her husband, Todd, and Grandma Pat out for dinner. Deanne chose to sit in the rear seat, allowing Pat to be up front.

The second row of seats slides forward and back, which allowed for more space in the rear — but perhaps not quite enough. Deanne thought a long drive for a full-grown adult would be somewhat cramped back there. Kids, on the other hand, would fit perfectly.

The two rear bucket seats easily tipped and slid forward for Deanne, who is generally very nimble when climbing into the third row. Entering proved to be easier that exiting the SUV, however, as she later got a bit stuck while trying to climb out.

The Outlander proved to be very attractive on the outside. It features all kinds of new design enhancements that give it a very modern look. The SUV continues to grow more into the mainstream of the auto world, and we were impressed with the new additions.

The interior is where the Outlander really put forth its true colors as it was loaded with safety, technology and comfort additions.

The seats and steering wheel were all leather-clad and heated, which we would love for those cold winter days in Utah. The doors and other trim pieces were also clad with the same beautiful brown leather, giving the SUV a very upscale appearance inside.

Did they stop with that? Of course not. There were also three new LED screens, and the driving display was all digital. At 12.3 inches, it was a great addition and very customizable for the driver as it displayed driving information and navigation directions.

There was also a 9-inch infotainment screen with wireless Apple CarPlay, something we would not have expected at this price point, and a wireless charging station for our phones.

However, the really awesome addition was the full-color heads-up display that also included directions and would display safety additions like lane keep assist and adaptive cruise control.

Through the use of the onboard navigation system and road sign recognition, the vehicle would also slow down and speed up when road signs changed or even when we were approaching a city road at a fast speed with the cruise control set. Again, this is the technology we have only seen at a much higher price point.

Safety-wise, the Outlander had it all. As we mentioned before, it had adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist that would keep the SUV centered in the lane of travel. Also included are blind spot monitoring, forward collision mitigation with pedestrian detection, rear cross path detection and mitigation, and automatic high beam headlamps.

We could really think of nothing else we would have wanted in the realms of safety, comfort or technology. The designers and engineers had already checked all the boxes for us.

Every system in the Outlander worked as advertised and impressed us along the way. For the money, the new Mitsubishi is one of the best values out there at this time.

Base price: $33,745

Destination charge: $1,195

Price as driven: $37,995