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Mitsubishi Outlander makes middle-of-the-road motoring an attractive proposition

Mitsubishi was 47 years old when the first automobile rolled off the assembly line. It had started life in 1870 as a shipping company and, during the intervening years, diversified into mining, shipbuilding, electrical equipment and chemicals, as well as banking and real estate.

Given Japanese propensity for plagiarism during those early industrial years it should come as no surprise to learn that the first Mitsubishi motor car was the Model A. It wasn't until fifty-three years later that the Mitsubishi Motors Corporation was created and charged with focusing solely on the automotive industry.

The Galants and Lancers that followed brought considerable international rallying success culminating in Tommi Makinen claiming four successive World Rally Championship titles. While those successes turned the Lancer - later the Evo - into the company’s poster boy – particular among testosterone-fuelled young men who had only two things on their minds, and one of them was cars – the technology and know-how filtered through to the rest of the range.

The new model is 100kg lighter than the car it replaces
The new model is 100kg lighter than the car it replaces

One of the models to benefit is the Outlander, which launched in Japan in 2001 as the Airtrek. Now in its third incarnation the range includes a plug-in hybrid version alongside a solitary 2.2-litre diesel options (there’s no petrol-only model).

The latest Outlander is smaller than the model it replaces and, more markedly, 100kg lighter. The styling is clean and tidy, bordering on the unremarkable. It's well proportioned, however, with a well-defined shoulder crease helping to disrupt the slab-sidedness. It’s a car that tries hard not to offend anyone and, in that respect, it’s bang on trend.

The diesel engine is cleaner but, while it offers more torque than before thanks to changes to the valve timing and turbocharger, power is down to 147bhp from 174bhp. The trade-off, according to official figures at least, is 52.3mpg and CO2 emissions as low as 140g/km for the manual and 48.7mpg and 153g/km for the automatic version I drove.

The Outlander has simple, clean lines
The Outlander has simple, clean lines

The interior, like the outside of the Outlander, is uneventful, functional rather than fancy. Even the full leather seats and metal inserts in the GX4s struggle to lift the excitement levels above indifference but that functionality does have its benefits because the big buttons and gated gear selector make life simple and, let’s be honest, simple is good.

Unfortunately, that simplicity isn’t carried over to the Multi Communication System, which has small fiddly buttons and a far from intuitive user interface. There’s Bluetooth to connect your phone for hands free and music playback but, for a reason I’ve been unable to fathom, it can’t find my phone and my phone can’t find it. It’s only fair to point out that I am one of the enlightened few who use a Windows Phone so this issue might well be OS-related.

The front seats are heated – and having found out just how cold leather can get in the heart of winter, I would argue that it should be standard on ALL cars – and provide a comfortable driving position and an excellent all-round view.

The cabin is functional, rather than fancy, but the build quality is excellent
The cabin is functional, rather than fancy, but the build quality is excellent

Legroom for the second row of passengers is excellent, particularly with the seats in their rear-most position but, even sat as far back in them as I could, they lacked depth and, consequently, taller people could find the lack of thigh support tiresome on longer journeys.

The third row of seats, 50/50 split sprung chairs, are easily accessed and, thanks to the 250mm of slide adjustment in the second row, provide a favourable amount of legroom compared to its rivals but, as is often the case, it’s probably only the younger members of the family who would want to travel in them.

Like everything else about the Outlander, performance is about average. It’s not slow, by any means, reaching 62mph in a commendable 11.7 seconds but, the simple fact is, if you’re buying this car, how quickly it accelerates is not something that’s going to concern you a great deal. However, the fact that it can tow two tonnes on a braked trailer thanks to that ample low-end torque might.

There is room for seven passengers
There is room for seven passengers

Under acceleration there’s no mistaking the engine for anything other than a diesel and, initially at least, I feared that the noise would make conversation at motorway speeds difficult. I was, however, pleasantly surprised at just how quiet the Outlander became once it had reached cruising velocity. The first four ratios are surprisingly short but a taller fifth and sixth go some way to softening the engine soundtrack.

There are steering wheel-mounted paddles should you wish to change manually but, given how seamless and intelligent the gear changes are in automatic mode, I can’t really imagine an occasion when you might be inclined to do so.

The ride is civilised enough, although there can be the odd unwelcome thud as you negotiate larger potholes. There’s plenty of feedback through the steering wheel but translating it into rapid progress on testing B roads is nigh on impossible. Despite its relatively low kerb weight, the Outlander wasn’t overly keen on quick direction changes, quickly becoming flustered and threatening to overwhelm the rather modest grip available.

There’s a rugged honesty about the Outlander that’s hard not to respect. It struggles to match the very best in its class in many ways - ride, handling, cabin aesthetics - but I really enjoyed my time behind the wheel. It has its flaws, but it’s efficient and has excellent towing capacity and off-road ability. If you’re thinking of pitching up with a caravan at a saturated campsite in the middle of November, then the Outlander is the car for you.

Mitsubishi Outlander RE 2.2 DI-D GX4s

Prices: From £33,999

Engine: 2.2-litre four-cylinder 16v diesel

Transmission: Six-speed automatic

Power: 147bhp

Performance (0-62mph): 11.7sec

Maximum speed: 118mph

Urban: 39.8mpg

Extra urban: 55.4mpg

Combined: 48.7mpg

Emissions (CO2): 153g/km

For more details about Mitsubishi cars click here.

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