2012 Mitsubishi Outlander

 

           2012 Mitsubishi Outlander

 

The Mitsubishi Outlander is one of the reliable and toughest SUV from Mitsubishi after the Pajero. The updated version of the Outlander was launched recently in the year 2012 in the Indian market. The Outlander first made its official appearance in the year 2001 and it still is one of the most popular SUV from the Mitsubishi stable.
The new Outlander is powered by a 2.4 litre, 2360 cc DOHC 16 valve MPI MVIEC engine which generates 170 PS of maximum power at 6000 rpm and 226 NM of torque at 4100 RPM. There are no other engine options for the vehicle. Let’s get to find out some more details about this muscular looking SUV.

Design and interiors

The most striking feature of the SUV is its front grille, the huge front grille will surely attract everyone’s attention, and Mitsubishi got the inspiration of such a bold design from the Jet fighter , the Mitsubishi logo is also placed in the middle of the grille. The sharp looking adaptive headlamps also look good on the Outlander and provides good amount of illumination at dark. The front fog lamps are integrated in the lower bumpers to provide assistance on roads during rough weather conditions. The side profile of the SUV looks muscular, it also has good ground clearance which clearly proves its offroading capability, the 16 inch alloy wheels has been fitted in the SUV, the rear view mirrors are body colored and has integrated side turn indicators in them. The roof rails which has been provided on the roof of the SUV makes it look sporty.

The rear of the SUV is also attractive like its front, the rear tail lamp cluster consists of the LED units, the high mounted stop lamps also is an useful addition to the rear, the Mitsubishi logo is placed at the center of the vehicle. Overall the SUV looks attractive and the few additions like the roof rails, the sporty alloy wheels and the LED units at the rear makes the SUV look very modern and peppy.
Once you step inside the vehicle the you will be greeted by sheer comfort along with practicality. The Outlander has a seating capacity of 7 persons inside the SUV, the driver seats are power assisted for the comfort of the person driving the vehicle the front visibility is good in the SUV, the seats are extremely comfortable and there is good amount of under thigh support which is very much useful for long journeys. The dashboard is painted in black and has silver finish to it, the multi information driver display displays all the information related to the vehicle, it even displays the gear selection and fuel level. The dials also looks sporty and attractive. The 3 spoke steering with the Mitsubishi logo placed in the middle has been placed keeping in mind the comfort of the driver; the SUV even has paddle shifters which is great and enhances the driving pleasure. The dashboard houses the fully automatic air conditioner and a upper glove box with cooler. There is even a bottle/cup holder in the driver side.

The rear seats offers good amount of leg room but it can feel little less compared to other SUV of its class but the seats can be pushed back to create some extra space for the comfort of the passengers. The third row seats does not provide plenty of space and thus it becomes a bit of squeeze for tall persons at the rear. There are plenty of other features in the interior of the vehicle and are provided below:
 710 watt premium Rockford Fosgate sound system.
 Scientifically engineered 9 speakers
 Steering wheel audio controls
 USB and AUX port
 Keyless entry
 Split tailgate with park bench
 Remote folding rear seats
 Lower tailgate
The overall dimension of the SUV has been provided below:

Length	4640 mm
Width	1800mm
Height	1680 mm
Wheelbase	2670 mm
Groundclearance	215mm

Engine and performance

The Mitsubishi Outlander as mentioned earlier has been fitted with a 2.4 litre, 2360 cc DOHC 16 valve MPI MVIEC engine which generates 170 PS of maximum power at 6000 rpm and 226 NM of torque at 4100 RPM. The engine is quiet and refined, the SUV is pretty fast compared to its size and reaches 0-100 km mark in just 11.4 seconds, which is just 2 seconds more than the recently launched premium SUV the Freelander2.
The paddle shifts increases the fun of driving the vehicle by some extent. The Outlander is a performer although the CVT engine tends to lose the level of refinement after the needle hits the 4000rpm mark, but still it never runs out of breadth in the open roads.

Ride and handling

The Mitsubishi Outlander uses Mcpherson coil springs with stabilizer bars at the front and Independent, multi-link, coils prings, stabilizer bars at the rear as its suspension setup; this suspension works wonders for the SUV, providing a comfortable ride in any terrain. Beside that there are many other features which makes the Outlander a perfect handling machine,
 The electronically controlled 4 wheel drive
The Outlander has a centrally located dial which allows the driver to switch between 3 drive modes depending on the situation and terrain, there is an option of 2 wheel drive, 4 wheel drive and a lock mode which helps the Outlander to conquer even the toughest roads and weather conditions.
 AWC( All wheel control)
Instead of controlling only the front or the rear wheels the mechanism helps to control all 4 wheels separately and thus it provides superior handling.
There is little amount of body roll and only can be felt if the Outlander is speeding in the corners. The suspension setup and all other features works perfectly to makes the SUV a perfect and easy handling machine on any terrain. The straight line stability at high speeds is also impressive.

Safety features

The safety features which are available in the Mitsubishi Outlander are:
 Dual airbags for both the driver and the front passenger.
 ABS with EBD
 Rigid body with light Aluminum roof panel
 Secure alarm with engine immobilizers

Pricing

The Mitsubishi Outlander is priced at Rs. 20.55 lac ex-showroom Delhi.
The color options that are available in the Outlander are:
 Chic Black
 Vogue White
 Sparkling Gold
 Runaway Grey

Competition

The Mitsubishi Outlander gets tough competition from the
Toyota Fortuner

The Toyota Fortuner is powered by a 3-litre, 4-cylinder turbocharged and intercooled common rail injection engine producing 171PS@3600rpm and 343Nm of torque between 1400-3400rpm. The engine is also extremely refined like that of the Outlander.

Conclusion

The Mitsubishi Outlander is a powerful and sporty SUV and also has lots of premium features inside the vehicle, the quality of interior needs some improvement though. The SUV is a good handler and its exterior also looks stylish and it is also priced very aggressively and thus will definitely attract lots of attention towards it.

Quotes

“The Outlander outshines most of its rivals is when you take it off-road. Ample ground clearance, four-wheeldrive and good low-end pulling power of the motor makes it a very capable off-roader. What the Outlander does possess are looks, perfect road manners and pedigree. All in all, it’s a great package.” —Autocar India
Being based on the rally-winning Mitsubishi Lancer EVO, you instantly know that the Outlander is one of the best soft roaders out there. Revamped recently with a new nose section heavily borrowed from the Evo X, the Outlander is not only great on the beaten path, but also has the ability to show a thing or two about handling to most sedans owing to its low centre of gravity and flat poise that makes pushing this car through a corner as enjoyable as splashing through slush!—Zigwheels India

 Great looking Exterior
 Comfortable interior
 Good ride and handling quality

 Interior plastics needs improvement

Press Release

Hindustan Motors has introduced an upgraded Mitsubishi Outlander 2012. The stylish and sophisticated SUV was launched earlier in 2010.
Outlander’s 2.4-litre engine delivers 170-PS power and 226-Nm torque making it apt for both on-road and off-road driving. The feature-rich Outlander offers smart specifications such as keyless operating systems, highly capable Rockford Fosgate premium 710 watt music system with 6 CD changer and USB port, row seating with tumble function, split tail gate, paddle shifters and cruise control. High contrast meter combination, leather upholstery and 3-spoke leather wrapped steering wheel with audio controls in the interior enhance the style and luxury quotient of the vehicle. In the exterior, the jet fighter type front grill complements the suave and stylish look of the vehicle besides HID headlamps with AFS. ABS and EBD along with RISE (Reinforced Impact Safety Evolution) body and dual frontal airbags make the Outlander an extremely safe vehicle for its passengers.
The new Outlander’s two additional rear seats, particularly for children, make it an ideal vehicle for a complete family.
The vehicle is priced at Rs. 20.55 lac ex-showroom Delhi

Source:Mitsubishi Outlander