On the Road With The Outlander
After three months with the Mitsubishi Outlander, Daween Maan learns that some cars take time to grow on you, and become hard to let go when they do
The Mitsubishi Outlander is a solid pick for city drives and even out-of-town sojourns
Looking back, it’s hard to think of any automotive review I have ever written and consider them a ‘proper review.’ One can review a movie because you watch it from start to end; you can review food, because you can chart its course from ingredient to belly; but to call an impression gained from driving a vehicle for only a few days if not hours—instead of the many years one actually owns a car—a review hardly feels like a fair comparison. So after three months with the Mitsubishi Outlander, driving it daily, I can probably say this is the first ‘real’ review I’ve done. My first taste of the Mitsubishi Outlander came when it was released in the first quarter of last year. Back then it was the All-new Outlander, and I got to experience a fair amount driving it from Kuala Lumpur to Johor and back over a couple of days. Back then I thought it was a solid vehicle from Mitsubishi as they looked to push further into the Crossover SUV market. And with the 2017 model that I had this year, I can wholeheartedly say my opinion hasn’t changed. The seven-seater Outlander is available in three basic colours: Metallic Red, Pearl White and Metallic Grey, and the car looks more sleek than imposing, having an understated chrome grille, slim LED headlamps and completed with 18-inch dual-toned alloy wheels. Its looks might not appeal to everyone at first glance but it will surely grow on you.
The interior is fitted with leather seats and all the tech we’ve come to expect in our cars: touchscreen centre console, USB and Bluetooth connectivity, voice activation and sunroof. All that while delivering adequate legroom and comfort in any of its seats. It is when being driven and used like an SUV that the Outlander proves to be best, as the 2.4 litre, 4WD vehicle drives like a beauty—with the 4WD settings coming in three modes: Eco, Auto and Lock. Flooring the gas pedal receives a smooth response as the continuously variable transmission (CVT) roars the car to life and sends the speedometer on a fairly quick climb. The Outlander hits 160km/h with ease and, you can accelerate up to 180km/h without worrying about pushing it too far. The steering is incredibly light and responsive, ensuring proper control at all times. Also for an SUV of its size, the Outlander possesses an incredible turn radius that can put some German sedans to shame. From the driver’s seat, every aspect of the infotainment system is easily controlled and managed from the steering as well as the touchscreen, which in all honesty sounds like a redundantly obvious observation, but very few carmakers actually pay attention to the little details like being able to control the music synced from my phone via bluetooth straight from the steering wheel, so Mitsubishi deserves credit for its attention to the little things. Also worth the credit is the Outlander’s audio system which, despite not being a big brand tie-in, does an exemplary job and certainly pleased this audiophile. Given that the Outlander is more suited as a family car, Mitsubishi has gone the extra mile with safety. Child seat anchors are present on all seats but the real life savers are the seven airbags positioned all over the car. In terms of space, Mitsubishi claims the Outlander performs the best in its class, and in terms of real life usage, you can easily fit a single mattress into the rear with both seats folded if you ever wanted to go camping without a tent. Perhaps the biggest compliment I can give the Mitsubishi Outlander is that after three months, I was reluctant to part with it. While it lacks the glamour of an Italian car, the stature of a German vehicle and the reputation of some of its Japanese rivals, the Outlander manages to create a bond with its driver through sheer simplicity and all round good performance, and that’s something very few carmakers are able to do.