MITSUBISHI’S latest SUV is an Outlander by name only. It shares absolutely nothing except its title with the previous, gape-mouthed 2.4-litre soft-roader that made only a small dent on a market segment dominated by Toyota, Nissan and Honda. The new Outlander aims to zero in on the rest with a more typically-SUV look, the availability of a 3.0-litre V6 and a host of options that almost elevate it beyond its perceived competitors. It’s a matter of deciding whether you’re happy to sacrifice the excellent dirt-road behaviour of the previous full-time AWD vehicle for something a little more compromised. The justification comes in a bigger interior offering the option of a tiny third-row seat, the choice of four or six-cylinder power and the availability of state-of-the-art electronic systems including stability control.