Mitsubishi Outlander twins

These cars run forever

WE LOVE Mitsubishis. Sirish’s (white) car has run over 47,000km and all it has needed is a set of new tyres, besides the regular maintenance. My car (gold) has run in excess of 90,000km, trouble-free, some of it on pretty rough terrain. The interiors and exterior show little signs of wear. The beige seats on Sirish’s car needed cleaning before the monsoons, but the black ones on my car are still in pretty good shape.

Crossovers drive like hatchbacks rather than SUVs and shrink around you. Their comfort quotient can rival (or even better) luxury sedans in the same price bracket, while the extra space and better ground clearance are a boon on our roads, especially during the monsoons. The compliant ride, tactile steering and good brake feel enhance the experience. The higher centre of gravity doesn’t affect the handling either, since its underpinnings are shared with the Lancer Evos. Handling is crisp, the steering sharp and the turn-in precise with little body roll. The Outlander is easy to drive on the twisties and you don’t feel as though you’re wrestling with a bulky SUV. The term ‘crossover’ isn’t marketing hype as far as the Outlander goes.

It’s really rugged and tackles slushy terrain in 4x4 mode without much trouble. The ground clearance isn’t as much as other SUVs however,

The biggest irritant is the sluggish CVT gearbox. The paddles (fitted on the steering column and not moving with the steering wheel) help get things moving, but cannot hide the slow nature of the gearbox, despite the responsive engine. The economy barely nudges 10kmpl but one can live with that.