Ten Point Test

Auto Trader Ten Point Test rating: 78%

The Outlander represents Mitsubishi’s end of a collaboration which has seen Peugeot and Citroen producing its first compact SUVs. But unlike the French duo, Mitsubishi has a strong track record in the SUV market – and the Outlander name has been around since 2004.

It’s the most sober looking of the three, but does the handsome Mitsubishi have what it takes to compete with the likes of the Land Rover Freelander?

1. Looks 8/10

Mitsubishi has finally cemented its own identity with a family look across its range. The Outlander shares plenty of styling cues – like the front ‘Mount Fuji’ grille – with the Shogun and L200 pickup. It’s certainly a rugged-looking piece of kit, with pumped-up wheel arches and cosmetic panels which give the appearance it could handle itself off-road. It has a lofty stance, and although it’s sizable, almost looks like an estate car with jacked-up suspension.

2. Looks inside 8/10

The Outlander’s interior is the best Mitsubishi has created in a long time. The dash is well built and the controls are very well laid out. The seats offer plenty of support and proved to be very comfortable on long journeys. Our test car had leather seats, with ‘Warrior’ logos and seemed like quality products for the £1,000 asking price.

3. Practicality 9/10

With more SUVs offering MPV-like flexibility with a third row of seats, the Outlander needed to step up to match them. Opening the split tailgate – which has a lower half which drops to boot floor height to make loading simple – reveals a double seat which pops out of the floor. It’s strictly a child-only affair with minimal legroom but is easy to fold out and retract by a system of straps. There’s plenty of room for second row passengers, and the seats slide back and forth for a compromise between bootspace and extra legroom. With the rearmost seats in place, boot space is 220 litres, increasing to 541 litres with them stowed. With the rear seats folded space rises to 1,691 litres – enough for a pair of full-sized mountain bikes.

4. Ride and Handling 8/10

The Mitsubishi Outlander rides superbly, soaking up bumps without fuss. It’s also one of the best handling SUVs on the market, with responsive steering and minimal bodyroll – often the Achilles heel of SUV’s on-road application. The flip side is limited off-road ability, but should be more than capable of traversing fields or muddy tracks. The Outlander has a dial between the seats which switches the car from front wheel drive to variable four wheel drive. This mode splits power 70:30 between the front and rear wheels, but will transfer power when grip is lost. For tougher off-road driving there’s a 4WD Lock mode which splits power 50:50 between the front and rear.

5. Performance 7/10

Powered by a Volkswagen-sourced 2-litre turbo diesel, the Outlander offers respectable performance from the 138bhp unit. It also packs 228lb/ft of pulling power at just 1,750rpm, meaning there’s plenty of urge from low engine speeds. The Outlander will hit 62mph from rest in 10.8 seconds before heading to 116mph – more than fast enough to keep up with other traffic. A more powerful 154bhp 2.2-litre diesel will join a 168bhp 2.4-litre petrol engine later.

Used Mitsubishi Outlander

6. Running Costs 8/10

At less than £20,000 for the entry-level Equippe model, the Outlander undercuts the most basic Land Rover Freelander by almost £1,000. Mitsubishi says the Warrior and Elegance will cover an average of 40.9mpg, while the Equippe covers almost 2mpg more. Similarly the Warrior and Elegance emit 183g/km of CO2 – 9g/km more than the Equippe model. They all fall into tax Band E, which currently costs £165 a year. Insurance is affordable, with models ranging from groups 10 to 12.

7. Reliability 8/10

First impressions are good, with typical Mitsubishi robustness. The engine is a proven Volkswagen unit and Mitsubishi generally scores well in the Reliability Index for the cost and frequency of repairs.

8. Safety 7/10

The Mitsubishi Outlander has achieved four out of five stars in the EuroNCAP crash test programme – lower than some of its rivals such as the Freelander and Volkswagen Tiguan. All models come equipped with stability and traction control systems, ABS with brakeforce distribution and front airbags. You need to upgrade to the Warrior or Elegance models for side and curtain ‘bags.

9. Equipment 7/10

All models come with front airbags, an MP3-compatible CD player, air-con and electric windows, which isn’t the most impressive spec sheet for a £19,600 car. Step up to the Warrior level, which costs an extra £2,500 and it’ll come with 18-inch alloy wheels, the third row seats, side and curtain airbags, a Bluetooth hands free kit and tinted windows. Spend another £2,750 and the Elegance range-topper comes with leather seats (a £1,000 option on other models) which operate electrically and are heated; a touch-screen sat-nav with DVD player, a Rockford Fosgate stereo with a 30GB hard drive and an electric sunroof completing the line-up

10. X-Factor 8/10

If you’re looking for an attractive compact SUV which has impeccable road manners, then the Outlander is a great choice. Whether you go for its siblings, the Citroen C-Crosser or Peugeot 4007 is entirely a matter of taste.

Key facts

Model tested: Mitsubishi Outlander Warrior 2.0 D-ID
On the road price: £22,214
Price range: £19,664 – £24,964
Date tested: November 2007
Road tester: Stuart Milne

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