Outlander review

[sudath_illepe]

Can any one comment on the running conditions and economy of the above vehicle ? 

comparison with CRV, Sorento etc

[alpha17]

I have been a passenger in the earliest version of the PHEV(2014) and have driven the same year one with the petrol engine.I’ve never had any experience with the CRV and Sorento,so other members will compare it.

The running condition is okay.Huge tires absorb small bumps but when the road surface is uneven,it gets a little uncomfortable.On the carpeted roads the ride is really good and you can feel that the vehicle is well planted when doing high speeds.On corners the weight of the vehicle can be felt but steering is not as numb as a Toyota(PHEV version might be different due to electronics and weight differences).But don’t expect it to handle like a Vezel or a CHR.PHEV version is really good when it comes to acceleration.Interior is okay,but it looks kind of bland and bit boring.Fit and finish of the interior is not as good as a Toyota.But there is one thing I really loves about the Outlader.That’s the Rockford Fosgate audio system.The normal 6 speaker one is okay,but the Rockford is clearly miles ahead when it comes to sound quality.If you plan to buy one go for the fully loaded version with the Rockford audio system even if the price is high,because it’s really worth it IF YOU LOVE MUSIC.

 

[tiv]

Massive iceberg with the batteries in the phev, so do your research

[iRage]

The Outlander feels like an overgrown station wagon. It might be the fact that you feel the massive, extended and roley-poley  rear end which somehow makes it feel less "SUV" and more "Station Wagon".

Acceleration is pretty decent thanks to the motor. Ride is actually pretty nice for what it is and the car feels pretty grounded and absorbs the average pot-holes, etc...quite well. However, take it through a bend you feel the heavy body just swaying out and the rear just getting dragged along. I have never had that feeling with the likes of the RAV4, CR-V and even the new X-Trail (the T31..a little bit so but not as much as the Outlander).

The test drive unit at the Mitsu dealer (in Japan) came pretty well equipped, probably because it was ad emo unit; but typically, Mitsubishi vehicles have always been more well equipped than its competition (for the same price bracket). So it should not be a surprise that the Outlander would also be the same.

Interior is as with any Mitsubishi....the plastic knobs,levers and switches feel light and brittle compared to the Toyotas and the Nissans. This has been the case with Mitsubishis even in the past; however such plastics have lasted quite long in cars like the Pajero. It kind of looks and feels like they were designing and building a good interior and then ran out of money. 

My biggest peeve were the seats. Somehow I did not get comfortable as compared to other cars in the category. The seats felt very bench like and I was sitting on the surface just waiting to be slid all over the place. It was more so in the rear and as I slid around the only thing that held me in place was the seat belt. The front seats were not much different except for the addition of raised sides of the seat assisting the seat belt in keeping me in place. The CR-V, X-Trail and RAV4 seats have a sense of getting sunk in and being held in the seat. Of the CRV, XTrail and RAV4; the RAV4 has the worst seats and is more closer to the Outlander seats in terms of the benchy feeling but the RAV4 is still better than the Outlander. The closest that comes to the Outlander's seats i would say are the Vitara seats.

The high waistline and the sense of sitting inside the vehicle as opposed to being perched on top does make it feel more like a car than a cross-over. Feels more spacious than its mainstream competitors due to the boxier shape and the rear does seem to have a bit more cargo space than the RAV4 and CR-V, although with the sub-woofer and stuff the cargo area seemed narrower. It has a huge D-Pillar that is covered in what seems to be an un-ending panel plastic cladding. So from outside it looks like the car has long rear side-windows in the cargo area with good visibility; but its a different story from inside. Most of that glass is covered with interior paneling and what you end up is still a small window hatch to look out of.