| A Week at the Wheel | Cambs, England | Mitsubishi Outlander 2.0 DI-D Elegance |
Mitsubishi's
previous generation Outlander impressed us with the design of its interior and also its ease of use. It was easy to imagine it being a member of the family for all occasions, but it looked a little frumpy and its lack of a diesel engine was a significant shortcoming. The new car addresses these latter two issues and builds further on the talents of the outgoing model. It has the potential to be a very successful car.
Externally, the new car is striking and purposeful. Based on the 2002 Pajero 2+2 Evo concept car, it is perhaps the most modern looking SUV on the market right now. Unmistakably a Mitsubishi, with common themes shared with the Shogun and the Lancer saloon, it also takes cues from cars such as the Lexus RX and integrates them into a design that not only looks good, but also offers good accessibility and modest off-road ability.
The interior is very good in terms of execution, materials and quality. Ergonomically sound, it is also airy and light, much more so than is typical in this class. It is also hugely roomy and offers a third row of seats, to give a total of seven pews, which many rivals do not. Given the relatively small footprint of the car (smaller than a Mondeo) interior space is generous to say the least and while the two extra seats are really only useful for children for extended periods of time, the fact they are there, and the ease with which they can be stowed or deployed, is a seriously appealing benefit, as are the rake of airbags and safety measures that ensure those seven occupants are protected as much as possible should the worst happen.
The new Mitsubishi Outlander features a split tailgate similar to that found on the
Volvo XC90, which allows unrivalled access to the rear load space (a volume that verges on van size if the seats are stowed and folded), as well as providing a perch for picnics and the like. It is this kind of feature that reinforces the fact that Mitsubishi really has thought about this car and sought to give it as many extra practicalities and every day functionalities as possible.
Developed to be at its best on-road with decent off-road capabilities to be called on occasionally, the Outlander offers a fine blend of both attributes. The platform, shared with several DaimlerChrysler products (not that such a company exists anymore...), carries out this intended role perfectly. The Outlander boasts car-like dynamics in terms of ride and handling that compare favourably with the competition (Mitsubishi lists the
Nissan X-Trail and Honda CR-V as the key rivals).
The 2-litre diesel, sourced from VW, could be judged to be excessively vocal, particularly when compared to the most refined of the competition, but it matches those of a similar price such as the X-Trail in terms of muscle. Its 138bhp, produced at 4,000rpm, is backed by a solid 228lb.ft of torque at a usefully low 1,750rpm, ensuring that the Outlander will have the towing ability many Mitsubishi customers would be expecting to make use of.
On the road it drives nicely, delivery strong performance somewhat at odds with its two-ton plus mass, through six well judged gear ratios with a 'shift quality much more akin to a car like experience. In all honesty it would benefit from a newer common rail unit and all of the benefits that would bring, and this will arrive in the near future along with the option of a 2.4-litre petrol engine, but in the short term this engine does a very decent job and returns good economy with an average in the mid 30s for day to day driving.
The transmission features selectable four-wheel drive that can be switched on the move when the going gets tough, but most people will find the two-wheel drive configuration fine for everyday use. It also pays dividends in terms of fuel consumption and emissions, two very worthwhile enhancements.
One addition to the Elegance model tested is a music server hi-fi unit from Rockford Fosgate of a type we've not encountered before. Featuring a 30GB hard drive, the stereo actually saves any CD that is inserted, much the same as an iPod would, allowing thousands of songs to be stored in its memory with zero clutter in the car in terms of discs and their boxes. In addition to this marvellous functionality it works really well via an intuitive touch screen display and offers excellent sound quality. We very much believe this to be a setup you can expect to see in many other cars in the near future and another clear example of the amount of thought that has gone into the Outlander.
This is a very significant car for Mitsubishi. It shows the marque has looked long and hard at its strengths and those of the opposition and taken the learning on board. The Outlander is an impressive package that takes the core ability and appeal of something like a Shogun and combines them with the range of talents in the Lancer saloon. The end result is a car that has the attributes to trouble cars like the Freelander and
BMW X3 as well as the X-Trail and similar it was obviously developed to compete with.
Evo nutter variants aside, this is the best "normal" Mitsubishi we've tried by a significant margin. A car that is hard to ignore for anybody looking for a soft-roader or large family estate has to be applauded, particularly for a brand that has struggled to deliver quality product consistently. The added hidden benefit of this is that it gives rise to the hope that the new Lancer and Evo models could be very good indeed.
2007 Mitsubishi Outlander range overview
| Model | UK (£ on-the-road) | Ireland: (€ on-the-road) |
| Mitsubishi Outlander 2.0 DI-D Equippe | £19,466 | n/a |
| Mitsubishi Outlander 2.0 DI-D Warrior | £22,016 | n/a |
| Mitsubishi Outlander 2.0 DI-D Warrior Leather | £23,016 | n/a |
| Mitsubishi Outlander 2.0 DI-D Elegance | £24,766 | n/a |
| Mitsubishi Outlander 2.0 DI-D Invite (5-seat) | n/a | €35,995 |
| Mitsubishi Outlander 2.0 DI-D Intense | n/a | €38,995 |
| Mitsubishi Outlander 2.0 DI-D Intense+ | n/a | €41,995 |
