Mitsubishi Outlander
We see whether last year’s update to diesel versions has kept SUV competitive
MODEL TESTED: Mitsubishi Outlander 2.2 DI-D 4 Auto PRICE: £34,055 ENGINE: 2.2-litre 4cyl, 148bhp
IN spring 2017 the Outlander diesel range was updated with more equipment to bring it in line with the popular PHEV plug-in hybrid model. Here we’re testing the top-spec Outlander 4 2.2 diesel in automatic form, which starts at £34,055.
Design & engineering score 3.2
ALTHOUGH the Outlander was updated early last year, it’s still based on the same architecture as the previous version, but there were some tweaks to the suspension set-up to improve refinement and handling.
Like the Koleos, Macpherson struts are used at the front and there’s a multi-link rear axle. The chassis tweaks added some new bushes, while the dampers were tuned to help reduce vibration. Mitsubishi also increased the level of sound insulation to improve the car’s refinement on the road.
From an engineering standpoint the Outlander feels solid and robust, but when you get inside it really falls behind its rivals for perceived quality. The materials are hard-wearing but ugly, and feel cheap to the touch. Although it’s a little lighter inside than the Ssangyong, the design of the dashboard and centre console looks old-fashioned now and it’s well behind the more interesting but functional Renault.
Still, there’s loads of equipment on our high-spec 4 model. You get sat-nav, Bluetooth, DAB and LED headlights as standard, along with cruise control, heated seats, parking sensors and a 360-degree camera, giving it a comparable level of kit to rivals.
Driving score 2.9
THE Outlander has the lowest kerbweight on test, which helped it in our performance tests, as it beat the others for straight-line speed; it was quickest from 30-70mph through the gears, taking 9.1 seconds.
It is the only car of the three that you can hold a gear in when in manual mode, which was partly why the Japanese model performed well in this test, but it’s slow to actually change between ratios.
Despite the car’s acceptable turn of speed, the Outlander’s engine is noisy as well, rattling at higher revs where the Rexton feels smoother in comparison. The Mitsubishi’s 2.2-litre diesel produces 148bhp and 360Nm of torque from just 1,500rpm, which makes it the least powerful here and therefore its performance more impressive.
Those numbers mean that there’s acceptable performance to tow the Outlander’s maximum of 2,000kg, which is significantly lower than the Rexton’s impressive 3,500kg figure, but more than the Koleos’s 1,650kg rating.
The slow steering will also be helpful when towing and off-road, but it means the Outlander isn’t as precise as the Koleos, and while there’s less body roll than in the Rexton, it’s not a long way ahead of the Korean newcomer in terms of handling.
Bumpy roads are where the Outlander loses out to both of its rivals in this test, because potholes thump through the suspension and into the cabin harshly compared with the Renault and Ssangyong.
It’s about as settled as the Rexton on the motorway, but the Renault is the runaway winner here for both ride and handling, where comfort counts more than anything else.
Practicality score 4.2
THE Mitsubishi has 128 litres of boot space if you’ve got all the seats up, but with the third row folded flat that increases to 591 litres, a little behind the Rexton’s 649 litres. It’s not as practical as the Ssangyong because the rearmost seats are tighter. The Rexton’s bigger body also means it’s easier to climb into the very back, while the folding mechanism for the Outlander’s middle row of seats is slightly more fiddly.
However, a low loading lip means it’s easy enough to lift bags into the boot, aided by the standard power tailgate, matching the Renault. This is only standard on the top-spec Rexton Ultimate. The Mitsubishi’s 360-degree camera helps with parking, and the 10.6-metre turning circle means it’s easier to manoeuvre than its rivals as well.
Ownership score 3.8
RENAULT was the only brand here to rank in our Driver Power 2017 satisfaction survey, but it didn’t perform well, finishing 22nd out of 27 in our makers’ chart. Even so, the company’s garages came 11th out of 26 in the dealers’ table. Ssangyong and Mitsubishi didn’t feature at all.
The Outlander’s five-star Euro NCAP rating was awarded back in 2012, and while the test has now moved on, standard safety kit including blind spot warning, autonomous braking and rear cross-traffic alert is good. It’s on par with its rivals for kit.
The Mitsubishi has to be serviced every 12,500 miles or one year, which is the same interval as the Ssangyong. On the Renault, an 18,000-mile interval will be helpful for higher-mileage drivers.
Running costs score 3.7
BUSINESS users will find that the Outlander is the cheapest company car option here, because it has the lowest CO2 emissions of our trio, at 154g/km. This is only 2g/km less than the Renault, while the Ssangyong’s extra weight means it’s nowhere near as clean, at 218g/km. Higher-rate taxpayers will stump up £4,288 a year to run the Outlander as a result, while Koleos buyers will pay £4,441 and Rexton owners £4,846.
As we’ve seen, the Outlander was also the most economical car on test, and while this means it’ll be cheaper to run, it gives the Mitsubishi the greatest cruising range of this trio, too, at 535 miles. This is well ahead of the Renault’s 422-mile distance and the Ssangyong’s 502-mile range between fill-ups.