Vehicle Tests > Little Wonders

The Outlander is also a monocoque design with all-independent suspension and ABS-equipped all-wheel disc brakes. Note that the VR-X (as tested here) has a more 'sporty' suspension tune than the lower-spec Outlander models.

Drivetrains
Looking at all the factory power and torque figures you would assume that the two bigger V6s would have the edge on the two smaller fours when it comes to performance. But there are a few complicating factors here, not the least being the fact that the kerb weights range from 1435kg for the X-Trail, up to 1575kg for the Outlander, 1627kg for the Tucson, and 1640kg for the Suzuki. Another complication is the fact that the Suzuki has a five-speed gearbox, the rest have four-speeders.

Our side-by-side testing showed that the relatively lightweight X-Trail is the performance king, followed (surprisingly) by the Outlander, then the Grand Vitara, with the Tucson bringing up the rear. As is often the case, the test average fuel consumption figures mirrored the on-road performance with the Nissan in front at 11.6L/100km, followed by the Mitsubishi at 13.1L/100km, the Suzuki at 13.4L/100km and the Hyundai starting to get thirsty at 14.1L/100km.

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On the road all four engines have more than adequate - but certainly not exciting - performance. And, unless you test them side by side you'd be hard pressed to notice the outright performance differences.

What you do notice however is that both the V6s need to rev harder to get the job done as they lack mid-range power compared to the more torquey, punchy fours. But both fours are also loud and somewhat coarse at high revs (especially the Mitsubishi's) while the two sixes are generally smoother right through the rev range. The Suzuki's engine is still not as smooth or sweet as you'd expect of a small capacity V6 and certainly not as unobtrusive as the Tucson's six. There's also a fair difference in the type of gearboxes. The Suzuki's box not only enjoys the benefits of an extra ratio but it has the most intuitive, slickest changes. Similar to late-model Toyota and Subaru autos it has a dogleg gate which helps with manual gear selection. This, however, is not as fluid as it could be and, strangely, there aren't individual slots for first and second gears with the gate configured with D - 4 - 3 - L.

The Outlander has the next-best box. In its full auto mode it does the right thing just about all of the time and there's a 'manual tip-shift' function that will hold manually selected gears at both redline and under throttle pressure. The Outlander's dash-mounted shifter is also nicely positioned.

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