High on the highway: The powerful engine of the Mitsubishi Outlander makes overtaking smooth and stress-free Photographs by Ashley Baxter

IT’S finally here. The Outlander is the car HM-Mitsubishi hopes will give it a leg up in the small SUV segment. After all, there is a huge market for soft-roaders; just look at the Honda CR-V. It’s been nine long months since Mitsubishi first made a formal announcement of plans to launch the Outlander.

STYLE FILE

Mitsubishi is assembling the Outlander at its Chennai car plant, a good idea because it can be priced competitively in comparison to the imported, hugely expensive Honda CR-V.

This October saw the launch of the Outlander in the market. It looks good and has the right size. It looks like a big SUV, without the bulk and the associated parking nightmares. That big chin, the angular headlamps and the smart grille make it look far better than the gawky CR-V. From the rear, the blacked-out LED tail lamps make the Outlander instantly recognisable.

At 4640mm, it is longer than the CR-V too. But the real advantage it has is the 50mm longer wheelbase, which means more passenger room. Overall, it’s a pleasing shape, that’s designed to appeal to everyone.

INSIDE STORY

Like all Mitsubishis, the Outlander’s cabin is a very well-thought out and functional place. The twin glove-boxes, the felt-lined cubbyhole on the dashboard, useful door pockets which can carry full-size bottles and controls that are big and easy to use — this is a cabin that makes you feel at home very quickly. Dashboard quality is good too. All the controls function solidly and feel built to last. However, the design does look a little bland and lacking in flair.

You’ll like the driving position. The front seats are very supportive and the driver’s seat is powered. The steering wheel feels nice to hold and the steering-mounted controls are easy to use. But it only adjusts for rake and not for reach. There’s good space too.

The 2670mm wheelbase makes for tremendous legroom at the rear. However, the seats could have been slightly more contoured. But, they do make up by splitting and folding in more ways than a ballet dancer. The rear seats slide back and forth by 80mm to improve legroom too.

The Indian Outlander is only available as a five-seater. You get a huge, well-shaped boot with some really clever touches. For example, you can open the lower part of the split tailgate to easily load heavy luggage. You can even get the rear seats to fold by pressing a button near the tailgate.

UNDER THE HOOD

The Outlander is powered by a 2.4-litre petrol engine putting out 170bhp. Under normal conditions, power is sent to the front wheels via a six-step continuously variable transmission (there is no manual gearbox on offer).

You can shift to four-wheel drive via a switch near the gearlever, but this system’s trick is the lockable centre differential (it ensures that equal power is sent to the front and rear axles, irrespective of grip available), and this gives the Outlander reasonable off-roading prowess.

DRIVER’S DEAL

Start the engine and you’ll be surprised by how quiet and smooth it is. At low speeds and when cruising, the engine remains hushed. But the surprise is short-lived. Accelerate hard and, past 4000rpm, the engine gets noisy and thrashy.

Despite its 170bhp, it doesn’t feel terribly quick in a straight line either. But that’s only when you go flat-out. In most situations, this engine has enough power to make overtaking easy and stress-free. Use the paddleshifts to get even more overtaking power. Worth mentioning is the very obedient and responsive gearbox. It will downshift when you order it to and the shifts are reasonably quick too. A good thing is that the paddles remain independent of the steering wheel, so you never get confused when twirling the wheel on a twisty road.

The Outlander uses an aluminium roof panel. This helps reduce that top-heavy feeling you get in SUVs and it improves handling too. The steering is well weighted and there’s just a hint of body roll. There’s good grip from the tyres and the four-wheel-drive system helps get you out of trouble when weather and road conditions turn bad.

FINAL VERDICT

The suspension is independent all around. Like all Mitsubishis, the ride and handling compromise is very good. Low speed ride is absorbent, with a slight hint of stiffness over sharp bumps. At higher speeds, the ride is good — you don’t get thrown around, the springs and the tyres absorbing most shocks. The suspension works silently too.

The Outlander is impressively specced. There’s a fantastic nine-speaker Rockford Fosgate audio system with a sub-woofer producing sound that’s truly astounding. There are two airbags, ABS with brake-force distribution, paddle shifts, a trip computer, climate control, keyless entry and go, alloy wheels, High-Intensity Discharge headlamps, leather seats and an engine immobiliser.

The Outlander is available in only one variant, but you have the option of choosing black or beige interiors. As of now, the Outlander does look like a better value alternative to the CR-V.

spec check

mitsubishi outlander

• Price: Rs 23.51 lakh (On road), Mumbai
• Engine: Petrol, 2360cc
• Power: 170bhp at 6000rpm
• Torque: 23kgm at 4100 rpm
• Gearbox: 6-speed Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT)
• Length/width/height: 4640/1800/1680mm
• Wheelbase: 2670mm
• Weight: 1550kg
• Suspension: (Front) MacPherson Struts, coil springs; (Rear) Trailing arm and multiple links
• Fuel tank capacity: 60 litres
• Brakes: (Front) Ventilated Discs; (Rear) Discs