Mitsubishi Shogun

People love the king-of-the-road driving position you get in big off-roaders, and that’s all present and correct in the Shogun. You’re perched up very high indeed, even compared with other big 4x4s, and your view of the road is excellent thanks to huge windows, slim pillars and a flat front end you can clearly see the extremities of. That’s when things start to turn a little less positive, though. Your rearward view isn’t nearly so clear because the thicker rear pillars and the large number of rear headrests get in the way. And, while there’s loads of adjustment for your seat (electric on all but one model), there’s no reach adjustment on the steering column, which might make it difficult for some drivers to get comfy. The trip computer unit at the top of the centre console looks very dated indeed, and the touch-screen infotainment system that’s standard on all but the entry-level SG2 model is pretty confusing to use.

The biggest disappointment with the cabin, though, is the quality. These days, most large 4x4s are rather luxurious in the way they look and feel, but the Shogun feels really low-rent by comparison, with hard, scratchy plastics on show. They feel a bit flimsy and unsubstantial in places, too, and they mark and scratch very easily. All in all, sitting in the Shogun feels like sitting in a bygone age, and when you’re paying such a considerable amount of money, that’s not really on.