Super TestCar reviews - Mitsubishi - Outlander - rangeMitsubishi modelsOverviewNo more wallflowers for Mitsubishi, as its all-new SUV goes beyond RAV4 territory29 Nov 2006 By CHRIS HARRIS MITSUBISHI’S revolution did not kick off with the (current) Lancer, Colt or Grandis, and the 380 continues to languish as a too-often overlooked family car, but the Australian arm of the beleaguered Japanese corporation might just have the turnaround model it has so desperately hoped for over the last half-decade, with the all-new Outlander. A veritable swan from an ugly SUV duckling if there ever was one, the latest, ZG edition has the looks, performance, economy, features and pricing to set the competition – and there are a whole heap of them in this segment – into quite a spin. Model release date: 1 November 2006 to 1 October 2009 All car reviewsAlfa Romeo Abarth Alpine Alpina Audi Aston Martin BMW Bentley Chevrolet Chery Citroen Chrysler Dodge Cupra Ferrari DS Ford Fiat FPV Foton GWM Great Wall Holden Haval HSV Honda Hyundai Hummer Isuzu Infiniti Jeep Jaguar Lamborghini Kia LDV Land Rover Lotus Lexus Maserati Mahindra McLaren Mazda Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-AMG Mini MG Nissan Mitsubishi Peugeot Opel Proton Porsche Renault Ram Rover Rolls-Royce Skoda Saab SsangYong Smart Suzuki Subaru Toyota Tesla Volvo Volkswagen Previous modelLIKE today’s ZG, the ZF Outlander was based on the Lancer small car. And since Mitsubishi uses plenty of rally know-how in its production vehicles, it comes as no shock that this first-generation Outlander steered, gripped and stopped more like a car than the SUVs it was meant to compete with. But the compact wagon-oid body and cheapo cabin design limited the car’s appeal, despite the performance offered by the 120kW/220Nm 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine, which transmitted its hefty torque output to all four-wheels via a four-speed automatic gearbox. Not a bad car at all to drive, but the Outlander floundered as a family carryall. |
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