Mitsubishi Exceed 007
Mitsubishi Exceed 003
Mitsubishi Exceed 002
Mitsubishi Exceed 004
Mitsubishi Exceed 005
Feann Torr11 Jan 2017
REVIEW

Mitsubishi Outlander 2017 Review

The Outlander is very impressive at what it does, and very boring too

Mitsubishi Outlander Exceed AWD
Road Test

The Mitsubishi Outlander looks schmick. But driving it reveals a bland SUV with not a trace of character. Okay, so it's well-equipped and cheap to run, has a five-year warranty and doesn't drink too much petrol; and for $44,000 you get a lot of features, such as leather-accented seats, powered tailgate, seven seats, and the sort of electronic driving aids you'd expect on a German cruiser. It represents good value for money but little else.

The Mitsubishi Outlander is not outlandish. Should it be? Well, the Honda Prelude wasn't much of a prologue and the Nissan Cedric wasn't much of an entertainer.

The reality is Mitsubishi will probably never build anything outlandish, now that it has just two cars left in its SUV-dominated range, the Mirage and Lancer - the latter unlikely to be replaced anytime soon. But that's okay because although this car has no soul, that doesn't mean you should strike it off your shopping list.

Car buyers looking for a safe, reliable vehicle with low running costs often waltz into a Toyota dealership and pick the shape and size of car they want. It's why Toyota has a massive 18 per cent market share in Australia.

But like a tenacious mozzie finding a gap in the fly-wire, Mitsubishi has seen an opening. It's been slowly growing its slice of the Aussie new car pie with safe, reliable, affordable vehicles and the Outlander is a great example.

Mitsubishi Exceed 003


The model I'm testing here is the range-topping Exceed. You can get one with an underwhelming 2.4-litre petrol engine like this vehicle or a more virile (but more expensive) 2.3-litre turbo-diesel.

Paired with the CVT the petrol engine is flexible but far from dynamic. When I'm ridin' solo, Jason Derulo style, it accelerates effortlessly and the transmission is nothing if not smooth. That said, the whine from the CVT at lower speeds is wearisome, but on long drives up at freeway speeds blends into background.

Load up the 1535kg Japanese-built rig with people and gear and it struggles to show the same swiftness, the 124kW/220Nm 2.4-litre engine unable to maintain momentum without requiring more revs.

Mitsubishi reckons it'll tow a 1600kg trailer with brakes, a claim I wouldn’t be game to try, especially if the car is full. It has a 160kg down-ball rating and can tow a 750kg trailer without brakes.

Bring back the V6! The yanks get an outlandish 3.0-litre option with 167kW… Grumble, mumble.

The four-cylinder engine can be impressively fuel efficient. Mitsubishi claims 7.2L/100km and although these laboratory-obtained figures are hard to match, I recorded 8.6L/100km from the diligent four-cylinder engine, which I was happy with.

It's 60-litre fuel tank will happily accept 91 RON unleaded fuel, but this could be a moot point as Aussie PM Malcolm Turnbull is making motions to phase out this cruddy fuel.

Mitsubishi Exceed 002


The Outlander is devoid of any personality, making the driving experience lacklustre. Also like a Toyota SUV, handling dynamics are stodgy. The steering is strange, almost like there is Play-Doh or jelly smooshed into steering column, meaning the wheels (and steering wheel) lolls back to dead-ahead with an odd lightness.

The flip-side is that the peculiar electric steering delivers a 10.6m kerb-to-kerb turning circle, and lack of effort required to turn the SUV makes it easy to get in and out of tight situations.

Even when fully loaded with troops parking it is a doddle, made easier with good mirrors and clear vision, plus front and rear parking sensors, 360-degree surround view and a reversing camera.

Although the car handles like a bucket of slop if you push it through a roundabout (scrubbed those 18-inch [225/55] tyre sidewalls real good!), rolling around like a rubber dinghy in a storm swell, the independent suspension delivers a super-plush ride. Sleeping kids in the back will stay asleep in this placid cruiser.

To its credit, the seven-seat Mitsubishi Outlander is a more entertaining proposition on unsealed roads, its default position best described as predictable. This AWD model pushes engine power to the front axle when conditions are nominal but on dirt roads an electronic coupling shunts power to the rear axle if it detects wheel-slip.

There's no confusion as to its all-wheel drive mode either, just hit the large 4WD button and it locks it into four-wheel grippery. At the other end of the scale there's also an ECO mode that I used often. It dulls throttle response and even rates your driving efficiency.

Another handy feature is the electric park brake, whose secondary automatic-engage function makes traffic light stop-and-go seamless.

Mitsubishi Exceed 004


The Outlander Exceed variant gets disc brakes on all four wheels and several driving aids, including a lane-departure warning feature which is equal parts annoying and useless. It constantly beeps at you - though you can switch it off. There's also a lane change assist function which warns you if there's something in your blind spot.

Adaptive radar cruise control works, automatically slowing and speeding the Outlander to match the car in front but again it’s lethargic in its operation. Mercifully I didn't have to test the autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system.

It is a safe car with seven airbags, stability control, anti-lock brakes and rear cross-traffic alert works well, monitoring cars approaching your reversing vehicle at perpendicular angles. There's also a handy-dandy camera button on the steering wheel giving you extra vision around you, as well as two ISOFIX and three child-seat anchorage points.

Naturally it scores the best-possible ANCAP safety rating of five stars and as bonus it's got a full-sized spare wheel. Hallelujah!

Mitsubishi Exceed 005

There's not too much to complain about in terms of functionality. It's got seven seats, with the middle row bench splitting 60:40 and capable of folding, sliding and tumbling. The boot features a pair of small pop-up seats which leave a tiny 128 litres of boot space. Of course that opens to 477 litres when the third-row seats are folded away, expanding to 1608 with all five rear seats flattened.

It would be remiss of me to not mention the epic door seals too. This thing could survive a tear-gas attack! Unless you slam the doors firmly they won't latch. And I like that. I really do.

The Mitsubishi Outlander Exceed tested here comes with an electric sunroof, a power operated boot, dual-zone air conditioning with rear air vents, two USB ports, 12-volt sockets too, plus a nice touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility.

Digital radio is a nice touch but the six-speaker stereo is the same as the boggo Outlander that costs $28,490. Only the driver gets a power adjustable seat and overall the pews feel cheap. Probably the second worst seats I've sat in this month, with cushions feel like cheap plastic foam, leather that feels like cheap plastic.

The dashboard and overall interior design is somewhat modern if a little dull overall, with piano black accents catching the eye initially but attract unsightly smudgy fingerprints easily.

Mitsubishi Exceed 008


Buyers can choose from seven colours but none are particularly exciting. Indeed, this vehicle is devoid of personality in so many respects yet is very practical and offers impressive value for money. Aftersales care is solid too. It's almost as if Mitsubishi has out-Toyota-ed Toyota!

Covered by a five-year/100,000km factory warranty accompanied by one-year's free roadside assistance it's one of the stronger warranties available in Australia. If owners ensure their car is maintained with Mitsubishi's capped-price servicing program the free roadside assistance can be extended to five years.

Capped-price servicing for Outlanders in Australia runs for three years and this model costs $250 to service, scheduled once a year or every 15,000km. That means it'll cost you $750 for 45,000km or three years. Not bad that.

The Outlander has been a strong sales performer for Mitsubishi in 2016, with sales up by around 14 per cent. In total 12,401 of the vehicles found homes last year, many of them sold via appealing drive-away deals.

Ultimately, this is a vehicle you buy with your head, not your heart. Think of it like an appliance that will go from A to B in unspectacular style. Not unlike a Toyota really.

Before I go, I must mention my favourite thing about this car. The door seals are mega, but the floor mats are outstanding. Just a shame they're not outlandish.

Mitsubishi Exceed 006

pricing and specifications:
Price:
$44,000 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol
Output: 124kW/220Nm
Transmission: Continuously variable
Fuel: 8.6L/100km (as tested)
CO2: 166g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP

Also consider:
>> Toyota Kluger (from $42,190 plus ORCs)
>> Toyota RAV4 (from $28,550 plus ORCs)
>> Kia Sorento (from $40,990 plus ORCs)

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Our team of independent expert car reviewers and journalistsMeet the team
Expert rating
72/100
Engine, Drivetrain & Chassis
14/20
Price, Packaging & Practicality
17/20
Safety & Technology
16/20
Behind The Wheel
13/20
X-Factor
12/20
Pros
  • Easy to drive
  • Functional and safe
  • Loads of standard features
Cons
  • Lacks power
  • Handling dynamics
  • It's dull and boring
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