Mitsubishi Outlander review

In fairness to Mitsubishi, it has bucked the trend in avoiding any claims that the Outlander has sporting credentials or car-like characteristics. The soft suspension and high-sidewalled tyres mean it rides surprisingly well, and you sit high over the road with three separate 4WD options at your disposal; ECO for – you guessed it – maximum economy, AUTO for normal conditions and LOCK for tougher terrain. It feels like an old-school 4x4.

The payoff for that though is an almost disconnected feel to the steering (although it’s well weighted for town driving) and plenty of body roll in corners.

That might not sound too bad at all, but it’s the drivetrain that really lets the side down. That 2.0-litre engine grumbles away noisily and fails to provide any real sense of urgency, and the traditional CVT experience of rising revs that fail to correlate with rising speed is present and correct, especially when trying to get a move on.  

For reference, 0-62mph takes 13.3 seconds (over 2 seconds slower than the old diesel Outlander) and it’ll top out at 118mph. 

There is a ‘manual’ mode for the CVT ‘box, meaning you can change gear with the plastic paddles behind the wheel, but you’d never use this around town and a proper manual gearbox would be far more welcome.

It’s not the most refined among its class either, with plenty of wind and tyre noise at motorway speeds.