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Vehicle Tests > Smart Choice
Smart Choice
Issue: January 2007
Words by Mathieu Raudonikis
First Drive - Mitsubishi ZG Outlander
* New four and six-cylinder engines
* Five or seven seats in bigger body
* Starts at $34,290
Smart Choice
As compact 4WDs get bigger in size and stature Mitsubishi Outlander steps up to the mark with an all-new model to woo family buyers.
A V6 powered, seven-seat 4WD family wagon would be a medium size SUV right? Not necessarily so. Any defining lines between vehicle segments continue to blur as manufacturers release new models that transcend traditional categories and specification levels. Models are getting bigger with more standard features and fresh variants are coming in under them. Compacts are as big as mid-size wagons were a few years ago and some are specced high enough to almost call them luxury vehicles. Four cylinder engines are making way for six packs and turbodiesels to make choices in the compact class greater than ever.
Mitsubishi's Outlander is a classic example. The original model perfectly fitted the traditional compact SUV mould - moderate dimensions, buzzy four-cylinder petrol engine and funky styling were the hallmarks of the category just a few years back. Now the second generation ZG Outlander has arrived and it has grown in size, has four cylinder and V6 petrol engine options and can even be configured with seven seats.
read on below advertisement
Vehicles like the ZG Outlander, Holden Captiva, Suzuki Grand Vitara and Hyundai Santa Fe among a growing number of others, are all here to give buyers of family wagons more choices. Many of these buyers are stepping up from the 'old' compact SUVs while others are entering the segment from traditional six-cylinder family sedans like Commodore and Falcon. They are looking for a vehicle that can be more economical than the big sedan while being better suited to the active lifestyle of a young family.
What's special about Outlander?
Mitsubishi hopes that the ZG Outlander will do all those things, so to try and cover all bases it has been launched in a choice of two specification levels, with two engines, with five or seven seats. LS and XLS models have the four-cylinder engine while VR and VRX have the V6. The third row seat is an option on all models. About the only thing missing is a diesel engine but more on that later. Prices range from $32,990 to $47,990.
Outlander retains a five-door wagon, monocoque construction with independent suspension. Suspension is via MacPherson struts at the front and trailing arms and coil-over struts at the rear. Technology and investment have gone into the body construction with high-strength steel used in the appropriate areas for strength, rigidity and safety, and lightweight aluminium used on the roof to reduce overall weight and lower the centre of gravity.
next page »
Words by Mathieu Raudonikis
First Drive - Mitsubishi ZG Outlander
* New four and six-cylinder engines
* Five or seven seats in bigger body
* Starts at $34,290
Smart Choice
As compact 4WDs get bigger in size and stature Mitsubishi Outlander steps up to the mark with an all-new model to woo family buyers.
A V6 powered, seven-seat 4WD family wagon would be a medium size SUV right? Not necessarily so. Any defining lines between vehicle segments continue to blur as manufacturers release new models that transcend traditional categories and specification levels. Models are getting bigger with more standard features and fresh variants are coming in under them. Compacts are as big as mid-size wagons were a few years ago and some are specced high enough to almost call them luxury vehicles. Four cylinder engines are making way for six packs and turbodiesels to make choices in the compact class greater than ever.
Mitsubishi's Outlander is a classic example. The original model perfectly fitted the traditional compact SUV mould - moderate dimensions, buzzy four-cylinder petrol engine and funky styling were the hallmarks of the category just a few years back. Now the second generation ZG Outlander has arrived and it has grown in size, has four cylinder and V6 petrol engine options and can even be configured with seven seats.
read on below advertisement
Vehicles like the ZG Outlander, Holden Captiva, Suzuki Grand Vitara and Hyundai Santa Fe among a growing number of others, are all here to give buyers of family wagons more choices. Many of these buyers are stepping up from the 'old' compact SUVs while others are entering the segment from traditional six-cylinder family sedans like Commodore and Falcon. They are looking for a vehicle that can be more economical than the big sedan while being better suited to the active lifestyle of a young family.
What's special about Outlander?
Mitsubishi hopes that the ZG Outlander will do all those things, so to try and cover all bases it has been launched in a choice of two specification levels, with two engines, with five or seven seats. LS and XLS models have the four-cylinder engine while VR and VRX have the V6. The third row seat is an option on all models. About the only thing missing is a diesel engine but more on that later. Prices range from $32,990 to $47,990.
Outlander retains a five-door wagon, monocoque construction with independent suspension. Suspension is via MacPherson struts at the front and trailing arms and coil-over struts at the rear. Technology and investment have gone into the body construction with high-strength steel used in the appropriate areas for strength, rigidity and safety, and lightweight aluminium used on the roof to reduce overall weight and lower the centre of gravity.
next page »
