The Outlander at last makes sense as a family SUV. The big petrol engine is now replaced by a more practical 2 litre diesel. Seven seats are standard on all but the entry-level version and it will do 40 to the gallon!
Japanese giant Mitsubishi has delivered a very interesting car with the new Outlander. Built using an all-new ‘global platform’ co-developed by the French giant PSA, it shares its underpinnings with the yet to be launched Citroen C-Crosser and Peugeot 4007.
The exterior is rugged, well proportioned and quite like an evolution of the very good looking but crude driving ‘Pajero Sport’ (which ceases this year). The corporate front end is curvy and smart while the rear features LED lights and a split opening tailgate that allows easy low loading. On a trip to the local garden centre I was able to throw in ten large bags of compost without breaking a sweat. Once home I was able to take to a grassy slope at the side of my house and deposit the bags in an area only accessible by Lamas!
Inside you’re clearly in a Mitsubishi as there is an abundance of black plastic trim that produces a general feeling of gloom despite the modern looking dash layout. A niggle concerns the poor stereo illumination that is near invisible on a bright day with sunglasses on and the lights on. That aside the cabin is spacious and the first and second-row of seats are comfortable, while the rear pop up bench is strictly for kids.
All Outlanders bar the base ‘Invite’ model have seven seats. The base model is expected to account for 70% of sales but ‘Intense’ or ‘Intense+’ are the versions to go for. When the rear bench is down the boot is massive. The standard six-speed manual gearbox is a little notchy in first and second but otherwise tight and easy to use. An ‘Auto’ will be available later in the year.
Outlander is comfortable and planted on the road. Power for the moment comes from a slightly noisy 2-litre DI-D turbo diesel sourced from Volkswagen. The 140bhp unit is initially slow to pick up speed but once the turbo starts spinning the car shifts impressively. Pulling power is notable at 310nm. 0-100km/h comes up in 10.8 seconds. Fuel consumption is impressive as are emissions so the anti-SUV brigade can look elsewhere.
Outlander feels tight thanks to the new rigid platform. Power goes to the front wheels in normal conditions but with the twist of a rotary switch near the handbrake you can select ‘2WD’, ‘4WD’ or ‘Lock’. 2 wheel-drive does what is says but you’d be nuts to leave it in this configuration or in dire need to conserve fuel when 4WD automatically engages four-wheel drive only when extra traction is needed. ‘Lock’ is for use in very slippy conditions.
The very popular Santa Fe from Korean car maker Hyundai is the only seven-seat rival to Outlander but Mitsubishi has a more impressive off road heritage.
Outlander is the number one selling SUV in Japan and gets the thumbs up for practicality, rugged looks and a sub forty grand price.
By Michael Sheridan
