Mitsubishi Outlander Road Test Drive Review

[Zinam]

Car Tested : Mitsubishi Outlander
Variant : 2.4 MIVEC
Fuel Type : Petrol
Launched On : 3rd October 2008
Price : Rs. 20,69,000 Ex Showroom
Official Website : Click Here
Official Press Release : Click Here
Download E-Brochure : Click Here


About Mitsubishi Motors

Mitsubishi - The name which has become synonymous of Motorsports in world of Automobiles.

Mitsubishi Motors is a Japaneese car-manufacturer founded on 22nd April 1970. The carmaker is much popular for its award winning MIVEC Engines, because of its help many 3 Red Petaled cars have won rallies such as dakkar which counts as one of the toughest Rally in world.

Speaking Specifically About the image in our country, Mitsubishi is currently in collabration with Hindustan Motors, The producers of good old Ambassador.

Mitsubishi started the Indian journey by introducing the van called "Voyager" In tie up with Mahindra, Which was however a flop.

Later with Hindustan Motors, Mitsubishi released some selected products such as Lancer and Cedia sedan,The Pajero, Montero and Now the MIVEC Powered Outlander SUV last year.

The Outlander

The Outlander (originally known as Airtrek earlier) is a Compact Cross-Over SUV which was first introduced to world in 2001 and made its official debut in India last year on 3rd October 2008.

The Outlander was quite an anticipated model in India from home of Mitsubishi Motors. As being modern Mitsubishi, The car is high on features at price of Rs.20.69 Lakhs which makes it a direct competitor of Honda CR-V, Chevrolet Captiva, Fortuner and likes.

As we all can clearly notice that the competition in this specific segment is becoming tougher with dawn of every new day, That is why The Automotive India Team Planned to take the Outlander out for a spin, Which most of the Media has missed to cover and provide the buyers looking for a SUV in 20Lakh range, A detailed and honest Test Drive Report.

 

[Zinam]

Mitsubishi Outlander TAI Road Test.

Exteriors Looks, Design & Styling

The looks of Mitsubishi Outlander are subjective. If we speak about, Then its a whole fleshy car and doesn't only looks good in images but on the road as well.

From front, The car is extremely good looking and modern and also it is more conventional than the competetitors.

To start with, The mesh work done on the front grill and on the bumper straight away gives you an idea that it belongs to rally pedigree. The front metal sheet under the bumper helps this SUV to tackle the rugged terrain if you plan to take it out for an Off-Roading Adventure, Just like we did.

The Headlamps are pretty big and design matches to the one found on Evo-X, The headlamps comes with powerful Xenons which converts the dark into daylight and makes sure that any small bit lying on road doesn't gets un-noticed by you.

The side angle of outlander is simple without any lines here and there which we mostly see on the cars in these times. The thin waist line provides more classy feel than looks of an agressive SUV. Wheel arches bulges out into big propotions. Outlander's roof line starts from stretched A-Pillar and slowly slides down at rear giving a hatchback like proportions.

We moved to the rear and kept drooling at those unique L.E.D Tail Lamps which are not yet found on any car at this price.

We received another surprise when we saw the unique BMW X5 like split boot door feature which can prove to be very much useful when loading heavy and big objects.

The lower split door can hold weight upto 200 Kilo-grams and you can enjoy a sheer off-Roading moments or a scenic drive with your family and friends by making it use another way, For Eg; Using it as a Pic-nic tray or maybe for capturing videos by keeping the tripod on it?

Talking about the Alloys, We were quite disappointed with their size and design. 5 Spoke alloys are very simple and 215/70 R16 tyres looks small when compared to size and heaviness of vehicle.

 

[Zinam]

Interiors Luxury & Comfort

You can literary feel the luxury and quality of plastic at the very next moment you sit inside the Outlander. Getting inside and out makes convenient because of wide opening front doors.

Finding an ideal seat position is easy and just at your finger tips. The Driver Seat is motorised which can be adjusted high so that you don't miss any chance to feel like king of the road, Sometimes Even the Heavy Vehicles mey stare at you for few seconds because of the quickness of over-taking.

Front windows are wide enough and airy, The front pillars are placed in a well-manner so that there are no blind spots.

The model we Road Tested came with classy matt black & silver interiors combination. Cockpit of outlander is roomy and well lighten up. Also, There is loads of storage places to carry your gadgets if your're a gizmo freak and your other personal items.

This Mitsubishi boasts useful features including heated leather seats which can prove to be comfortable for those long drives and it can be guaranteed that you will not feel tired or lack of excitement when sitting inside a spacious & roomy cabin. The car also features an Automatic Climate Control system (1.2tonnes) which is powerful enough to cool up the cabin quickly with in seconds. The leather wrapped steering comes with default buttons for controlling the audio & cruise control, Paddle shift makes city driving a blaze. However, Mitsubishi missed to add a "Mute" button, Which is useful in a country like ours where on every turns people ask for way to destination - "Arre Bhai Raasta Kya Hai?", So what if you are sitting in 20+ Lakh car?

The insrument console is placed at a convenient location where there are no chances of distractions. Gear console is placed well and center console is supported by armrests to provide comfort for your elbows.

Outlander is equipped with a high end popular Rockford Fosgate Music system which comes with 10 inch Sub woofers & 650 watts amplifiers. Just tune in to your favourite track & get amazed because you will feel sitting in a live music concert. Though the absence of USB & Aux in Ports was missed.

Mitsubishi Outlander is 110mm longer than its rival CRV, So the rear seat has a adequate Leg room but can be short for tall people because of rear lower roof line.

Rear seat have a 64:40 split which operates at the touch of a button in the boot and can accomodate 3 average sized adults, Packing full size 3 adults will result in a congetion. Generous boot space of 880 litres allows you to prepare for a great long drive or good picnic with family.

 

[Zinam]

Engine & Transmission

Under the hood of Outlander lies a 2.4 litre MIVEC (Mitsubishi Innovative Valve timing Electronic Control).

MIVEC basically alters the intake and exhaust valve timing & helps in optimizing the torque across different ranges. To make it simple, It helps you deliver a lower end grunt as well as aggressive high speed drive.

Just turn the Drive system to 2WD & enjoy serious city driving while the 4WD lets you enjoy some Off-Roading as long as the Ground Clearance doesn't interupts the party.

Its fun to drive with the 6-Speed CVT Transmission. Just move the gears from P to D, take off the foot from brake & you are ready to rock & roll on roads. MIVEC becomes aggresive in manual mode rather than Automatic. Paddle shifts are placed well behind the steering and makes city driving a sheer pleasure. The shifts are just lighting fast which makes a terrible mark & you will not realize the speed until you turn your eyes to the speedo.

We managed to reach 0-100 in just 12+ seconds which is impressive compared to the size & weight of the vehicle.The Automatic (D) mode feels quite sluggish hardly pushes forward in a U-trun.

Drive Handling & Performance

We didn't missed the chance to enjoy this Beast in rugged terrain. Just turn the knob to 4WD mode & you are ready for fun. The car offers 2 modes - Auto Mode and Lock Mode.

The 4WD Auto mode helps you drive through most of the terrains where as the 4WD Lock mode helps in delivering 1.5 times more torque to the rear wheels than in 4WD auto mode for steep mountains & slippery terrains.

Outlander has 215 mm of Ground Clearance which helps you take up any speed breakers in the city but not adequate for serious off-roading adventures.

We tried to put outlander under a regression test and expected quite some fun. To say we are bit disappointed with the off roading capabilities of Outlander.

It really finds hard to climb some extreme terrains where its brother - Pajero easily makes it own way. We would say Outlander to be a great city driven SUV rather than a good Off-Roader.

Outlander has All-Wheel Independent MacPherson coil springs with Stabilizer bar at front & Multi-link Coil Spring with stabilizer bar at the rears. The suspension setup is based on Mitsubishi's GS platform which is currently doing its duty on the Lancer and the Evo-X.

It also has aluminium roof which helps in increasing the centre of gravity and also decreases the overall weight by huge 40 Kgs than rivals.

The maximum we drove the car was at 160 kmph and all can be said is that its rock stable even at such speeds, Steering is pretty accurate and sharp. However, We found steering to be bit tight in city driving which makes city driving boon.

Front wheels are equipped with Disc Brakes and behind the rear wheels, Sits a combo of Disc+Drum brakes which helps a clean stop when driving at higher speeds.


Safety & Fuel Efficiency

With a extremely heavy weight coupled with 2.4 Automatic petrol engine, A great Fuel Efficiency cannot be expected but when we saw the figures, It was even lower than the expectations.

Outlander returns back an average of only 6.5kpl -7 kmpl in City and on highway journeys, Expect increase to 10kmpl.

However, If you're a true sprinter with heavy foot, Dont expect this meaty beast to deliver more than 8kmpl even on highways. Considering the 60 litres of tank, You will run out of gas in just 460 kms.

Considering the safety aspect, The Outlander comes with dual front SRS Airbags, ABS with EBD, Pedestrain Safety impact bumpers and Security Alarm & Engine Immobilizer which ensures that you and your family are safe in the car.


Do check out TAI's Exclusive Video coverage of Outlander :


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[Zinam]

Things We Like in Outlander

• Fantastic Rockford Fosgate Music System
• Best Handling & Cornering & very tight City Radius.
• Build Quality & Ergonomics
• Lots of Storage Spaces everywhere
• Paddle Shift Gears are lighting fast.
• Twin Split Boot doors are useful.
• Headlamp Washers

Things We Dis-Like in Outlander

• No option for Pairing Phones with Audio System.
• No AUX IN and USB
• Wind & Tyre Noise levels are on higher side
• Fuel Economy
• Tyres could have been bigger
• No Sunroof - Even As an Option.
• Rear Shoulder room could have been much better.

The Automotive India Ratings

Design & Quality -

(4.5/5)

Comfort Levels -

(4/5)

Performance -

(4/5)

Ride Quality -

(4/5)

Handling -

(4.5/5)

Fuel Efficiency -

(3/5)

Safety -

(4/5)

Value For Money -

(4/5)


The Automotive India's Verdict

Mitsubishi Outlander is a good performance filled, Fun to drive SUV.
The people who prefer the combination of sports and luxury should have a look at this. Unfortunately, There is an issue of concern, That is the dealer network. Hindustan Motors still doesn't have enough of wide spread dealership network which has become one the cause for this good SUV not selling well.

The News of New Mitsubishi Outlander coming up is in the Air, The new model gets exact Evo-X design headlamps and some new bits.
Some questions remains un-answered about it - What will be the pricing of new model? Will the new Outlander result in higher sales of model? Will the FE be improved? What all advanced features car will have? Only, Time and Mitsubishi Motors knows the answers to these questions better.

 

[Zinam]

Variants & Pricing

2.4 MIVEC : Rs. 20,69,000*
(*Ex.Showroom price)

Quick Tec. Summary

Engine :
4 Cylinder, 2,360cc, 2.4 Litre MIVEC Engine (Mitsubishi Innovative Valve-Timing Electronic Control System) producing 170 Brake Horse Power and 23.05Kgm Torque.

Transmission :
6 Speed Automatic, Paddle Shift.

Suspension :
Front
All-Wheel Independent MacPherson coil springs with Stabilizer bar

Rear
Multi-link Coil Spring with stabilizer bar.

Brakes :
Front
Discs

Rear
Combination of Discs and Drum

Tyres :
215/70, R16

Vehicle Designed By :
Olivier Boulay

Dimensions :
Length - 4640mm
Width - 1800mm
Height - 1680mm
Wheel Base -2670mm
Ground Clearance - 215mm
Boot Space -
Fuel Tank - 60litres

 

[Zinam]

From Where To Bring Home An Outlander?

Impressed with our detailed report and Mitsubishi Outlander? The Automotive India will help you to locate the dealers in your area!

Gurgaon :

Chankya Motors
92, IDC, Mehrauli Road
Phone: 0124-4008174

Mumbai

1) Autodrome
Shop No.6 , Ground Floor, “Link House”(Club Link) Situated at CTS No. 1058-C & CTS No.1063, Behind Chincholi Bunder Bus Stand Link Road, Malad (W)
Phone: 022-40782525

2) Metro Motors Auto Division (Sales & Service)
Bansal Estate, 682, Saki Vihar Road, Chandivali Naka, Andheri (E), Mumbai - 400 072
Phone: 022 - 42132751

Kolkata
Austin Distributors Private Limited
19,Jawaharlal Nehru Road,
Phone: 033 - 40014997

Chennai:
Maya Motors
79,Lattice Bridge Road, Adyar
Phone : 044-39153366

Living in some other location? Contact Us and our team will help you to locate a dealer or take advice to choose a right car for yourself! Also, When enquiring from a dealer, Please mention "www.The Automotive India.com" and help us to spread the word!

Once you've bought the car, We're still here to assist you. Post your queries in our forums and many members out there will be happy to help you!


Credits:
Road Test & Photography : Adam Aniz (Zinam)
Text & Format : Vibhor Tyagi (350Z)

(C) 2008-2009, The Automotive India(www.theautomotiveindia.com), All Rights Reserved. Don't copy this article without owner/author's written permission.

 

[350Z]

It was the first day of month in which TAI is going to celebrate 1st Anniversary, So we decided to start giving our members some surprises. Here is the Full Blown Detailed Road Test Report of Mitsubishi Outlander which most of the media has missed out to cover.

Let's know your views on it.

Note: Please don't get confused with the date/day of posts as they are re-arranged and in different order.


Drive Safe!
350Z

 

[vijay]

great going guys, good to see you up with a different Td report of outlander.
No doubt mitsubishi missed this car to appeal more in market as this segment is getting hotter with all players coming out with their SUV's, honda, toyota are hard to beat, and now with fortuner around, mitsi's charm has definately outgone .Dont see much of this 20L + car on road, and now with chevy offering some cool discounts on its Captiva, what do you guys see its future?

Features wise yes it has all that one needs but having said that nothing so special as well to appeal a 20Lacs spending buyer.Nissan Xtrail, Fortuner,Honda CRV are some leading segments and to beat them, is a question also now Audi's are selling as well and seeen on road.

Good efforts guys and hope to see you coming out with such TD reports of more cars as well.

Raj, saw your post, petrol offering and to compete with honda is a tough thing in Indian market and buyers, also now with diesel options having a tough fight in this segment, do you think just adding diesel would do wonders, i dont think so.

 

[raj_5004]

Zinam strikes back again! a great review buddy. kudos to zinam & TAI! what the outlander misses is a diesel engine now.

 

[Neil.Bhujbal]

Another great report ZINAM

I am just loving this car. As you said a perfect city SUV

Just the mileage thing makes it a bit

 

[RSM]

Great Review buddy. Keep it up.
It is nice to read your report, it gives all the details one need.

Below things should have been present in my view -

• No option for Pairing Phones with Audio System.
• No AUX IN and USB

 

[type-r]

Superb work Zinam!
this is a good report on the outlander
it looks good to me but not a CR-V beater to me (personal opinion)

 

[cooldhaya]

Superb work Zinam!
this is a good report on the outlander
it looks good to me but not a CR-V beater to me (personal opinion)

Even i agree with you!! the CR-V i feel is better than this one!! the interiors look outdated in outlander!! you have mentioned in your report that you got a black and silver interior coloured vehicle , any other colour option available other than this??

nice report by the way!!

 

[350Z]

you have mentioned in your report that you got a black and silver interior coloured vehicle , any other colour option available other than this??

nice report by the way!!

Yes, Outlander also has an option of Beige Interiors with Wooden Finish.

Drive Safe!
350Z