BATTLE CLAN
INWOOD FAMILY STRUGGLES FOR SEATING SUPERIORITY
MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER EXCEED
Price as tested $48,629 (+ORC) This month 1136km @ 8.6L/100km Overall 2207km @ 9.2L/100km
SO FAR WE’VE established the newgeneration Mitsubishi Outlander is handsome, richly equipped and significantly better to drive than its predecessor (hefty thirst and occasionally terse ride not withstanding) but this month the Mitsu faced its sternest test to date: the Inwood clan.
They stood, shoulder to shoulder, like an ancient tribe prepped for battle, waiting for me to park the Outlander so they could clamber aboard. There were five in total and one wielded a pram, its driver slowly pushing it forward and back in a movement that somehow seemed malevolent.
The Outlander seemed unperturbed but I was worried on its behalf. We’ve loaded it to the gunwales before with bags but we’ve never had more than four people aboard. This was our first chance to deploy the third row of seats, which is one of the Outlander’s main advantages when compared with popular rivals like the Toyota RAV4 and Kia Sportage that can only seat five.
My concern wasn’t without cause. Having sat behind my own driving positioning previously, I knew the Outlander’s second row was surprisingly tight on knee room. And having eyeballed the gap behind the second row once it was folded and slid forward, it seemed slipping into the very back seats would be a struggle for anyone who was over six-foot or lacking in flexibility and agility.
Still, things started positively. When not in use, the third-row seats stow folded flat into the boot floor and are easy to manually flip up, although you do need to remove the enormous headrests from a cubby and install them yourself.
We directed the clan’s most youthful member towards the back pews and she hopped in gracefully but then we hit a snag. We had hoped to keep one of the back seats folded and to slip the pram into the remaining boot space but that was proving tricky.
Things were also worryingly squishy in the second row. The sliding seat had to be inched forward to give the youth behind some semblance of leg room but this in turn compromised knee room for those in the middle row. “Can the front seats be moved forward a bit?” quickly came the request.
With some juggling we soon had
everyone aboard but no-one felt they had an ideal amount of space. It was quickly agreed it’d be fine for short journeys but that our leisurely two-hour jaunt into the Victorian countryside might be a stretch…
At least those in the middle seat felt looked after. They had their own air vents, temperature control, a USB-A and USB-C port, and window blinds. The seat itself is set fairly high and offers a deep cushion so under thigh support is ample, and headroom is decent, too, thanks to a scalloped section behind the panoramic sunroof.
Things are significantly more grim in the third row. I tried to hop in to see what it’s like but a lack of headroom and zero space for my legs meant it’s strictly a kid-only zone. And given there are no child-seat mounts, or curtain airbags, it’s a kid-only zone for kids of a certain age and size. There are no air vents or USB charging ports, either, meaning the Outlander really is more of a 5+2 than a genuine seven-seater.
So the Outlander has hit its first real stumbling block. While the Inwood clan generously agreed the overall experience was deserving of a pass mark, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the Mitsu sits in something of a no-man’s land when it comes to packaging. Its third row isn’t as roomy as bigger rivals and its second row also lacks for knee room, even when it’s slid all the way back. And even with the third row folded away, the 478L boot can’t compete for load lugging ability when compared with a RAV4 (542L) or even the upcoming Nissan X-Trail (560L), with which it shares a platform.
It’s an unfortunate misstep that turns what should be a competitive advantage for the Mitsu into something of a weakness. There is one silver lining worth pointing out, though. Even with six of its seven seats filled, the Outlander’s fuel economy dropped from 10L/100km to 8.6L. Thank extended stints on quiet country roads.