Mitsubishi Outlander Car Review

Facts At A Glance
Car: Mitsubishi Outlander range
Prices: £19,999-£27,999 – on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 10-13
Emissions: 174-222g/km
Performance: [2.0] 0-60mph 10.8s / Max Speed 116mph
Fuel Consumption: [2.0] (urban) 33.6mpg / (extra urban) 51.4mpg / (combined) 42.8mpg
Safety: Twin front, side and curtain airbags, ABS with EBD, AWC
Dimensions: Length/With/Height [exc roof rails] 4640/1800/1680mm

IN AND OUT

Our Rating: 7.4 / 10

Choosing a Mitsubishi Outlander is a good deal less outlandish these days. Andy Enright explains why

If Mitsubishi’s Outlander is a compact Freelander-sized 4x4 you’ve never come across, then you’re not alone. Not many people bought the first generation version but that should change with the latest model we’re looking at here. Unlike its predecessor, it looks great and, even more significantly, comes with advanced diesel power. It seems this is a car we should now be paying attention to.

First shown in Europe at the 2006 Paris Show, the ‘Outlander-Concept’ gave some unsubtle hints as to what we could expect from a production-ready vehicle. Pride of place went to a diesel engine developed by Volkswagen, the 1,968cc, turbocharged and intercooled, DOHC, 16-valve, EU-4 compliant powerplant which might also be familiar to Mitsubishi customers as it’s fitted to the Grandis Di-D people carrier. Mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox, it produces 138bhp, 310Nm of torque and is good for a top speed of 116mph. If that’s not quite enough, there’s also a 2.2-litre DI-DC unit available. This one’s a common-rail injection engine sourced from Peugeot that produces 154bhp. Torque is measured at 380Nm and the top speed is 124mph. Petrol-fanciers have a 2.4-litre automatic option.

The two diesel engines allow Mitsubishi to tap into the 67 per cent of potential customers who want a diesel engine in a 4x4 instead of targeting the 23 per cent who prefer something that drinks from a green pump. The 158bhp 2.4-litre MIVEC engine isn’t a bad unit per se but it certainly likes a drink especially with the standard automatic gearbox marshalling its power. The 2.0-litre diesel will return combined economy figures in the region of 42mpg and the 2.2-litre manages 38mpg but you’ll be lucky to get 30mpg from the petrol.

Quite what Mitsubishi were thinking when they signed off the final design for the original Outlander is open to conjecture but it would nevertheless have been intriguing to see what the company rejected. The latest car is a far cleaner, less extreme design than the first Outlander and will sell better as a result.

Plugging straight into the main vein of the fastest growing 4x4 segment in Europe, the Outlander is a crucial vehicle for a company that’s following a roadmap back to profitability. The total sales for vehicles of this type across Europe were 325,000 in 2001 and are now standing at just over 500,000 units with growth estimated at a further 35 per cent betwe

There are definite RAV4 design cues about the Outlander, especially around the rear pillars, but it has to be one of the best looking cars in its class now - composed and athletic where its predecessor was boxy and wilfully weird. The rising window line gives it a dynamic stance while the front grille is a whole lot happier looking, conforming to Mitsubishi’s so-called ‘Mount Fuji’ family look. I didn’t come up with that name, by the way.

For the off road stuff, Mitsubishi can call on seventy years of 4x4 heritage so the engineers should know what they’re doing. The All Wheel Control (AWC) technology utilised by the Outlander forges a closer link between the four-wheel drive system and the Active Stability Control program, so that it will switch smoothly from two wheel drive (for better fuel economy on road) to a locked four-wheel drive mode when it gets really slippery underfoot. The transition is controlled by the driver by means of an illuminated dial between the two seats.

Lacking the heavy-duty transfer case of vehicles like the Shogun, the Outlander is sensibly equipped for its target market and aims to offer a car-like ride. Mitsubishi has worked at developing an optimal compromise between the ground clearance and raised seating position of a proper 4x4 and a low centre of gravity that makes a car handle well on road. One of the tricks the company has used to achieve this end is to fabricate the roof panel entirely of lightweight aluminium – a trick borrowed from the Lancer Evo.

The Outlander certainly seems to offer plenty of versatility. At 4640mm long, 1800mm wide and 1680mm high (1720mm with roof rails), it casts a smaller shadow than many traditional family estates, while still offering a  spacious and well proportioned five-seater cabin with decent head, leg and shoulder room. A split tailgate, capable of supporting 200kg, provides easy access to the large and regularly shaped 541-litre boot, which can be extended to a vast 1691-litres with the secon