Mitsubishi Outlander: Test Drive Review

Date: 26 November 2013   |   Author:

Category: Large 4x4 P11D price: £33,999 Key rival: Hyundai Santa Fe

The new Outlander also features a large, tough cabin and a pair of collapsible seats in the boot add to its practicality. The interior is also more refined and less plasticky too. Most of the materials are smooth rather than hard and abrasive to the touch, but the Mitsubishi still isn't as well finished as rivals such as the Hyundai Santa Fe, which has also been recently refreshed and has moved upmarket. Anyone used to the likes of an entry-level VW Touareg will still be disappointed too.

The ride and handling aren't class-leading. It can be lumpy when cornering over rough surfaces and the steering is a little vague, but it's fine given that it's designed to be more of a workhorse than anything else.

The Outlander stacks up well on costs next to its core rivals. The top-spec GX5 model tested here might scare a few business buyers off with its lofty £33,999 price tag, but it's actually a close-run thing next to equally kitted out rivals - you're looking at £34,485 for an equivalent Santa Fe and £32,110 for a Chevrolet Captiva. It's also highly competitive in terms of cost per mile, as the GX5 costs 76.7ppm next to 81.2ppm for the Santa Fe and a whopping 85.3ppm for the Chevrolet, despite the latter's lower price tag.

The lion's share of this is down to the fact that the Mitsubishi has significantly lower CO2 levels than its competitors. At 153g/km, it's streets ahead of the competition (178g/km from the Hyundai and 208g/km from the Chevrolet). Head further down the range to the more affordable variants and the entry-level GX2 gets as low as 138g/km, which is seriously impressive given the size and weight of the car. The firm's efforts in this area have also helped to bolster residuals over those of its predecessor.

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