Mitsubishi Outlander 2.0DI-D Equippe Commercial - Tested June 2007

Date: Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Look under the bonnet and you'll find a diesel sourced from Volkswagen, later to be joined in the line-up by a more powerful diesel lump sourced from PSA Peugeot Citro?n.

Both Peugeot and Citro?n will be marketing their own versions of the latest Outlander, although it is unlikely that they will be offered as vans in the first instance. The five-door Outlander is of course also produced as a car, with the 4Work commercial variant based on the entry-level Equippe derivative.

What's more, the vehicle's platform was developed in conjunction with DaimlerChrysler; or whatever it calls itself these days.

Mitsubishi has proved remarkably successful in developing a useful range of 4x4 light commercials.

Aside from the L200 pick-up and Outlander it includes a van version of the latest three-door Shogun. The old-shape L200, the old Shogun and the Sport are still appearing in the company's commercial vehicle price list too, although one suspects that stocks must be down to almost zero.

Technical

Outlander Commercial is powered by a 1,968cc four-cylinder 16-valve unit injection intercooled engine with a variable geometry turbocharger. Generating 138hp at 4,000rpm, with peak torque of 311Nm biting at 1,750rpm, it's married to a six-speed manual gearbox.

In 4x2 mode drive goes to the front wheels, with four-wheel drive engaged electronically by twisting a knob mounted just to the rear of the gearstick.

Turn it to 4WD and torque is routed to the wheels with the most grip subject to a maximum 70/30 front/rear split.

If things start to get rough then you turn it to Lock. That locks the centre diff and gives you a 50/50 front/rear split.

The front suspension relies on MacPherson struts while the rear employs an independent trailing arm-type multi-link set-up. Anti-roll bars are fitted front and back.

Decorated with smart plastic trims, our Outlander's 16ins steel wheels were shod with 215/70 R16 Yokohama Geolander GO33 tyres.

Rack-and-pinion steering with variable power assistance is fitted, as are disc brakes ? ventilated at the front, solid at the back ? to all four wheels. They're supported by ABS and Electronic Brakeforce Distribution plus Traction Control and an Active Stability package.

Capable of handling a 705kg payload, Outlander Commercial can haul a braked trailer grossing at 2,000kg. The vehicle itself grosses at 2,360kg.

The roof is alloy, with a loading capacity of 80kg if you're proposing to fit a rack.

Load Area

Access to the vehicle's 2.0m3 cargo bay is by means of an unglazed hinged door on each side plus a rear hatch with a heated window and a wash/wipe system.

Open the hatch and you're confronted by a deep lip over which items have to be heaved. Don't worry. Acting rather like a miniature tailgate, it drops down neatly to reduce the loading height to a reasonable 600mm. It will support 200kg.

Fitted with a purpose-built load bed with a lip at the cab end to stop packages sliding forwards and joining the driver and passenger, the van's cargo area is comprehensively protected from scratches and scrapes by plastic cladding that covers the wheel boxes, the sides and the doors. The bed itself gets a fitted carpet.

You'll find four small tie-down points towards the rear of the area and a lidded compartment on each side, close to the back door. The offside one conceals the jack, and there's a 12v power point nearby.

The rearmost section of the load floor can be folded upwards to reveal a large tray split into various compartments.

Maximum load length is 1,800mm. Maximum width is 1,335mm narrowing to 950mm between the wheel boxes, while maximum height is 930mm.

The rear door aperture is 930mm high and 1,092mm wide. Dimensions for the side door aperture are 1,066mm and 749mm respectively.

Cab Comfort

Vehicles of this size and type don't always provide sufficient space for all the oddments that van drivers like to carry around with them, but Outlander Commercial is quite generous.

You'll find a bin in each door with a moulding to hold a soft drink can, a bin between the seats with a 12v power point, plus a covered tray in the lid, a lockable glovebox, a cubbyhole at the bottom of the dashboard, and four cup-holders. There's a pop-out one to the right of the steering wheel, another one next to the gearlever and two between the seats.

Look up and you'll find a drop-down holder above the windscreen for your sunglasses.

In addition to all this there's a bin on top of the facia. The one on our van had an ill-fitting lid, the only quality glitch on what was otherwise a well-made vehicle.

Air-conditioning forms part of the heating and ventilation system ? the heater is highly effective, incidentally ? and electric windows and exterior mirrors are standard features. So are driver and passenger airbags and an MP3-compatible stereo radio/CD player with six speakers.

The large door mirrors can be folded in at the touch of a button, which should prevent them from being smacked when the Outlander is parked in a narrow street.

You can adjust the height of the driver's seat and the steering column. Remote central locking controls all the doors.

On the Road

A hugely enjoyable vehicle to drive, Outlander Commercial offers ample performance and delivers it smoothly too.

Its mid-range get-up-and-go proved invaluable when it came to overtaking slower-moving traffic on single-carriageway A-roads, and the VW diesel needed a fair amount of reining in on fast dual carriageways. All this is to the accompaniment of an exemplary gearchange.

Four-wheel-drive commercials used to wallow all over the place on bends. Not this one. It corners with precision, with no excess rolling and providing plenty of feedback through the steering.

Nor does Outlander Commercial hop about all over the place when it encounters a ridge or a small pothole or two. It soaks up the shock with aplomb and carries on regardless.

OK, there was a bit of rumbling from the tyres, but that was a minor irritation. Otherwise Mitsubishi's latest offering gets top marks for the on-road driving experience it offers.

Off-road the van is fine on uneven farm tracks and will tackle some quite steep slopes. However it struggles in serious mud and with deep ruts because it doesn't have a set of low-range gears and at 205mm, its ground clearance is limited.

Fuel economy for the duration of the test period averaged out at 40mpg.

Nobody is going to quarrel with a three year/unlimited mileage warranty, especially when it's supported by a Pan-European roadside rescue and recovery service for the entire duration plus a 12 year anti-perforation corrosion warranty. We would quarrel with the service interval, however. At 9,000 miles it's too short for a modern vehicle.

Outlander looks good, no question about it. To preserve those good look, however, it desperately needs side rubbing strips and wheelarch mouldings to prevent it suffering from minor scratches and scrapes.

That's especially the case if you've spent an extra ?298 (excl VAT) on metallic paint; an optional extra. The mirrors and bumpers are colour-keyed, enhancing the vehicle's appearance.

VERDICT

A worthy successor to the Shogun Sport Commercial, Mitsubishi's new Outlander Commercial offers plenty of performance, rides and handles well, and looks good into the bargain. Even the snootiest neighbours won't raise an eyebrow when you park it on the drive. It's well-equipped, you can access the cargo area from three sides and engaging four-wheel drive is a doddle. Unfortunately the service interval is too short, a lack of low-range gears limits its ability off-road and some prospective purchasers may feel it's a little pricey. There's a lot, lot more to be said for it than against it though, so go and raid your piggy bank now.

---