By ALISTAIR KENNEDY
4 December 2006

Despite its otherwise excellent 4WD credentials, Mitsubishi hasn’t been a major player in the rapidly expanding compact 4WD market in Australia. Now it hopes to do better with a new Outlander that is larger in all dimensions than the previous model, and comes for the first time with the options of V6 power and seven seats.

The styling of the new Outlander has been softened from the controversial chiselled look of the previous model.

The 2.4-litre MIVEC engine used in the previous Outlander has been upgraded with a slight increase in power (up 5 kW to 125 kW) and torque (up 6 Nm to 226 Nm). Weight has been reduced by the use of resin components to improve fuel consumption – down from 10.2 litres per 100 kilometres to 9.5 L/100km according to ADR 81/01 testing.

The new V6 engine is a 24-valve SOHC unit and also has Mitsubishi’s MIVEC variable valve timing system. Maximum power is 162 kW at 6250 rpm with peak torque of 276 Nm at 4000 revs.

No diesel engine is offered although one is available overseas and likely to be added to the Australian range later.

There’s a rather unusual mix of transmissions with the four-cylinder Outlander using a continuously variable transmission (CVT) with six preset ratios as manual overrides, and the V6 having a six-speed torque converter auto with tiptronic.

All but the lowest spec model have paddle shift tiptronic controls mounted behind the steering wheel. A five-speed manual gearbox will be added to the list of choices during the second half of 2007, but only with the four-cylinder engine.

Outlander’s 4WD system is an on-demand setup with the choice of 2WD through the front wheels, full-time adaptive 4WD and locked-differential 4WD. Switching between the three modes can be done while the car is in motion and is simply done using a dial on the centre console.

We drove the new Mitsubishi Outlander during its press launch on a 350-kilometre route around north-east Tasmania. While the four-cylinder CVT was competent enough in most situations the V6 was clearly the better performer especially on the moderate gravel roads that were included on the test.

Noise suppression has improved noticeably and the new Outlander has a lovely refined feel on the road. Especially with the larger engine it cruises effortlessly and quietly on the highway. The smaller engine can labour a bit on steep hills. Mitsubishi expects around 56 per cent of drivers to choose the smaller engine. We’d definitely be among the other 44 per cent.

Four Outlander variants are offered; LS and XLS have the four-cylinder engine; VR and VRX the V6. All four models come with the seven-seat option. As befits its family focus, safety in the seven-seat Outlander models is enhanced with side and curtain airbags as standard. Apart from the Outlander VRX, all five-seat models come with front airbags only although the extra airbags are available as a $1500 option. Lap-sash seatbelts are fitted to all seats.

Other standard features on all Outlander models include air conditioning, ABS brakes with electronic brake-force distribution, cruise control, roof rails and a CD player. The V6 models get the added safety of automatic stability control.

The lower specced LS and VR models have 16-inch steel tyres while the XLS and VRX come with 18-inch alloys. All models have space-saver rather than full-size spare wheels.

The centre seats have a clever folding function operated by pushing a button on the side of the cargo area which retracts the headrests, folds the seat backs, slides the seats forward and then rolls them flush against the rear of the front seats.

The two rearmost seats are suited to children only and fold manually under the load area. With both rear seat rows folded there’s a very useable 2056 litres of storage space.

Outlander comes with Mitsubishi’s five year, 130,000-kilometre warranty which includes free roadside assistance throughout the warranty period.

The new Outlander range with prices (excluding on-road costs) is:
LS 2.4-litre CVT automatic: $31,990 (five-seat), $34,790 (seven-seat)
XLS 2.4-litre CVT automatic: $37,490 (five-seat), $41,540 (seven-seat)
VR 3.0-litre V6 six-speed automatic: $37,890 (five-seat), $40,690 (seven-seat)
RX 3.0-litre V6 six-speed automatic: $43,190 (five-seat), $47,990 (seven-seat)