Auto Driven: Mitsubishi Outlander
09 February 2007 Price as tested: £24,749 Range price: £19,499-£24,749 Insurance group as tested: 12 Insurance group range: 10-12 Tested: February 2007 On the road: March 2007 Road tester: Adrian Higgins
Mitsubishi is launching the all-new Outlander and have radically overhauled the Shogun.
We drove both cars on and off road to find out how they coped on tarmac and up to their axles in mud.
Read on for the Mitsubishi Outlander review and follow the link to the Mitsubishi Shogun review.
Some cars show off all their good qualities in the space of a one hour drive.
During our 60 minutes on the road, the Mitsubishi Outlander increased the breadth of our smiles in direct proportion to the length of our drive – and left us eager for more.
It’s a good-looking car which stands apart from its rivals.
The rear light clusters suggest a much more expensive luxury manufacturer while the overall impression is of a modern, dynamic fun and practical SUV. Pretty much bang on the money then.
Inside it’s a similar story. The interior appears contemporary, classy and simple with swathes of tasteful, durable materials. Though the air conditioning controls look a little old-fashioned.
The 138bhp 2-litre diesel has plenty of pull and hits 62mph from a standing start after 10.8 seconds with the potential to hit a top speed of 116mph.
Ride and handling are both good in a non-showy sort of way – the longer we drove the car the more we enjoyed it – and there are plenty of great practical features.
Choose the top of the range Elegance and you also get a new 30GB hard disk drive navigation system with touch screen controls, DVD and the ability to hold up to 150 CDs’ worth of music.
While even the entry-level Equippe specification features a good selection of features with climate control, CD/MP3 player and electric windows and mirrors all standard.
All models also feature a three setting all wheel control, active stability and traction control as well as anti-lock brakes.
And we put those to the test on an army training ground on Salisbury Plain.
Pitting it against similar obstacles to that which the Shogun faced clearly left its little brother looking very much the junior partner – and this reviewer struggled at times without the hill assist feature which many 4x4s boast.
But it revealed itself to be very comfortable coping with all but the most demanding tasks.
Mitsubishi claim the Outlander boasts class-leading green credentials and we were impressed by an average fuel consumption of 42.8mpg for the Equippe version and 40.9mpg for the other models.
The Outlander has plenty of off-road potential should you need it.
But in a mirror image of the Shogun it is most at home on the tarmac. Rivals: Compare prices for the Mitsubishi Outlander with Auto Trader's New Car Search Auto Trader Links |
The tailgate design can be used as a seat for changing muddy shoes while there is plenty of storage to accommodate bottles, CDs and cups and more.
They also point to the fact that in terms of dimensions it covers less road space than aPage 1
