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By
EWAN KENNEDY
31 March 2008
Mitsubishi’s latest Outlander 4WD isn’t as adventurous in its
body shape as the model it replaced. But buyers seem to like the
new shape and sales are cruising along at a pleasing level
according to Mitsubishi. Having just spent a few days re-testing
an Outlander we can understand why.
To start with Mitsubishi’s variable valve (MIVEC) 2.4-litre
four-cylinder engine provides good grunt and does so over a
pleasant stretch of revs. Indeed owners will seldom find
themselves operating the engine at much short of its peak torque
figure. However, steep hills can be something of a challenge,
mainly because Mitsubishi has given us a genuine off-road 4WD, not
simply a toy. And that means extra weight.
There's also a V6 engine which is a 24-valve SOHC unit, again
with MIVEC variable valve timing. Displacing 3.0 litres, it has
maximum power is 162 kW at 6250 rpm with peak torque of 276 Nm at
4000 revs. Naturally, this V6 has more performance than the four,
but we’re not sure that many buyers actually need anything more
than the punchy four-cylinder unit.
The four-cylinder Outlander we tested used a continuously
variable transmission (CVT) with six preset ratios as manual
overrides, however, the V6 uses a conventional six-speed torque
converter auto.
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.
Though not a full-on off-road vehicle, Outlander is pretty
handy in the rough stuff and a good driver will be able to go a
lot further than they might realise. The family that likes to stay
together at the weekend to explore new corners of this wonderful
country of our will be most impressed.
However, most will spend almost all their time on the road on
endless school/shops/station/suburban/etc jaunts. Noise
suppression is excellent and the Outlander has a nice refined feel
on the road that makes travelling pretty relaxed.
Standard features on all Outlander models include air
conditioning, cruise control, a CD player and handy roof rails.
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.
Mitsubishi in Australia has been strong in the safety stakes
for quite a few years. Disc brakes, with ABS and EBD on all
models, are fitted to all four wheels to cope with the added
engine output of the latest Outlander range.
Outlander comes with Mitsubishi’s five year,
130,000-kilometre warranty that includes free roadside assistance
throughout the warranty period.
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Marque Publishing Company
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