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Mitsubishi Outlander |
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Compact SUV Is Good Value, High Quality Hard To Believe There’s No Diesel Who needs an SUV anyway? *** out of 5 The new Mitsubishi Outlander is a stylish, high quality newcomer to the increasingly crowded compact Sport Utility Vehicle segment, which includes the likes of the Honda CRV, Toyota Rav4, Land Rover Freelander, Hyundai Santa Fe and Nissan X-Trail. The Outlander scores with its classy interior, quality construction, and rugged looks. But it is hard to believe that in a market where diesel power is the place to be, the Outlander doesn’t have an oil-burning option. That does seem to be a reckless marketing decision, although Mitsubishi says that the Outlander design was set in concrete at a time when the passion for diesels in Europe wasn’t so apparent. In mitigation, Mitsubishi offers what it calls a “Dual Fuel” option (price £1,000/1,400 euros), which allows the Outlander to run on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and in fairness I should point out that the highly successful Honda CRV doesn’t have a diesel option either, although the Hyundai Santa Fe, which I have recently driven, does. Cheaper, But Distance Penalty The Dual Fuel set up allows the driver to choose between petrol or LPG power at the touch of a switch. There is a second fuel tank (10 gallons/45.5 litres) on board for the LPG, which entitles the driver to an exemption from London’s congestion charge. The price of LPG at the pump is around half that of petrol. But the distance travelled per litre is approximately 20% less than for petrol. And the price advantage remains at the whim of a capricious Labour chancellor of the exchequer, who has proved himself eager to invent new, stealthy ways to tax us, so this price plus may well not last very long. Performance using LPG is not markedly different from petrol. The Outlander is priced very competitively, at £17,000/24,200 euros) for the base Equippe model which includes much kit – including ABS brakes, EBD (electronic brake distribution), driver, passenger and side airbags, climate control, central locking, keyless entry, and integrated roof rail. The Sport model (£18,000) adds an electric sunroof, black wood-effect dash panel, and integrated front fog lights. The range-topping Sport SE gets leather seats. Hyundai Cheaper The Hyundai Santa Fe based model is about £1,000 cheaper (for the 2.4 litre petrol version) and also offers a lot of standard equipment for the money. All Outlanders are powered by the same 2.4 litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine which develops 158 bhp, and moves the metal from rest to 60 mph in 11.2 seconds and a top speed of 112 mph. Economy is claimed to be a combined 28 mpg/8.4 litres per 100 kms), so expect that to be at least 25% worse in the real world – about 21 mpg/11.2 l/kms. There is a 4-speed automatic transmission with no manual option. On the road, the Outlander performs adequately, although it is a bit noisy under heavy acceleration. The auto box, which has a manual override, works well. The auto box controls are set in centre of the dashboard, like the Honda Civic, and this frees up space for the front seat passengers. Handling is fine. Cruising is probably comfortable, although the launch was based in the Ashdown Forest area of Sussex, so motorways were not available. |
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High Quality The quality of the cabin and instrumentation was high and very attractive. There was plenty of room. The cabin quality puts the Outlander into a different class than the Hyundai, which felt cheap and nasty. Although to be fair, the Santa Fe drove and performed admirably. I drove the 2-litre diesel Santa Fe and this provided plenty of performance. It was a bit noisy, but not annoyingly so. Handling was good, with no rolling in corners. The manual 5-speed gearbox was easy to use. The Santa Fe also offers a 2.4 litre 4-cylinder and a 2.7 litre V6 engine. All Outlanders have permanent 4-wheel drive, which works well on fairly undemanding wet grass. Full-scale mud-plugging is probably outside the resume. But the whole idea of a versatile, off-road vehicle seems pointless, in the real world. Surely, a better buy for the school run would be an MPV. Mitsubishi Outlander Equippe Engine – 2.4 litre, 4-cylinder Power – 158 bhp Gearbox – automatic Drive – 4x4 Acceleration – 0-62 mph/100 kph 11.2 seconds Top Speed – 119 mph/191 kph Fuel consumption – combined claimed 28 mpg/10.1 l/100km Expect 21 mpg CO2 – 240 g/km Length – 4,545 mm Width – 1,750 Height – 1,670 Suspension – front: Mcpherson strut Back: Independent multi-link Warranty –3 years, unlimited miles Price £17,000/24,200 euros Competition - Honda CRV, Toyota Rav4, Land Rover Freelander, Hyundai Santa Fe, and Nissan X-Trail Would I buy one? This is a section of the market I would avoid, but if push came to shove, I’d go for the Nissan X-trail diesel. Rating - *** out of 5 For - classy interior and quality build Against – no diesel; who needs an SUV? Hyundai Santa Fe 2.0 CRTD Engine – 2.0 litre, 4-cylinder common rail diesel Power – 115 bhp Drive - 4x4 Acceleration – 0-62 mph/100 kph – 14.9 seconds Top speed – 103 mph Fuel consumption – combined claimed 37.2mpg 7.6 l/100km (expect 27.9) C02 – 202 g/km Length – 4,500 mm Width – 1,820 Height – 1,730 Suspension – front: McPherson strut Rear: double wishbone with coil springs Warranty – 5 years unlimited mileage Price £17,000 Rating - ** out of 5 For - great engine, gearbox, warranty Against – poor quality interior, needs to be cheaper to compete Neil Winton - January 1, 2004 |
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