OUTLANDER SHOULD WORRY RIVAL MAKERS A new car has just arrived from Japanese maker Mitsubishi that should have Honda and Land Rover looking over their shoulders and feeling worried. For this newcomer to the compact SUV sector is streets ahead, or maybe fields in front as it’s a 4x4, of the car it replaces. The old Mitsubishi Outlander was only ever offered with a 2.4 litre petrol engine and as such posed very little threat to the established players in the sector. But the new generation Outlander is vastly improved and comes with a diesel engine supplied by Volkswagen. If you think that’s maybe not enough to cause concern to Honda and Land Rover then the news that this Mitsubishi will also be turning up in Citroen and Peugeot dealers very soon to form a three pronged attack on a crowded market almost certainly is. The Citroen C-Crosser and Peugeot 4007 will use 2.2 litre diesel engines from the PSA Group, units that are identical in size to the Honda and Land Rover offerings – and in the case of the Land Rover Freelander identical in more ways than that. It’s more like exactly the same because PSA is where Land Rover sources the Freelander’s diesel motor, the only engine that counts in Europe in this car. Word is that Mitsubishi will also soon be using the PSA diesel, too, but I’m not sure that’s a wise move. Some reports have said the VW engine is rough round the edges in the Mitsubishi but after several hundred miles in the Outlander charging down to Cornwall and then negotiating its tortuous lanes, I found no problems with it. This particular engine is VW’s 138 bhp unit and it comes coupled to a six speed manual gearbox. Most of the time it is driving the Outlander’s front wheels but a twist knob between the seats allows selection of auto 4x4, where the car sorts out when it needs four wheel drive and applies it accordingly. It can also be locked in permanent 4x4 for constantly difficult conditions. Mitsubishi’s competitors should be worried on three counts. The Outlander is better value than its rivals, it has more space, and it offers seven seats on the mid-spec Warrior, which Mitsubishi importer Colt Cars expects to account for 60 per cent of sales. Those extra seats in the boot may only be fit for children but the fact they are there might persuade people to buy who otherwise may have considered a compact MPV. And the centre row offers masses of space. It’s strange that Mitsubishi is specifying a 9,000 mile service schedule when VW spins the dealer visits out for longer but at least the Japanese company is giving a three year unlimited mileage warranty. Fuel consumption is average for a vehicle of this type, with the car giving 39 mpg overall. Performance is more than good enough – a 0-62 mph time of 10.8 seconds and maximum speed of 116 mph means you can get around quickly enough. On long journeys, the cruise control with its wheel-mounted buttons was also a welcome bonus on the £22,016 Warrior. Those who want to carry big loads will appreciate the 1,691 litre load volume with the rear seats folded and even as a five seater the Outlander offers up to 589 litres when loaded to the window line. Altogether, the Outlander makes a very good package that’s sensible in what it offers, is affordable to run, and comes from a brand with a good 4x4 pedigree. It will also pull two tonnes if you have a caravan or horse box, making it extremely versatile although in no way a true off-roader. Maurice Hardy Annette's View Mitsubishi’s hide and seat system for its third row of chairs in the new Outlander is clever, if a little awkward to operate with its system of potentially fragile pull cords. It also worries me that one of the cords sits on the load floor, albeit held down by a Velcro strip, where it’s vulnerable to being chewed off by the family dog. I’ve seen similar damage done to a car by a bored pooch before, so it is a real possibility. I like the way the seats disappear though and I also like the simple fold and tumble action of the centre row chairs that makes accommodating loads or accessing the third row very easy, especially for children. It’s much better than on the huge Nissan Pathfinder, which has a cumbersome system that hardly works at all. The Outlander’s compact dimensions also make it easy to drive round town and the seats are figure hugging in the best possible way to make them comfortable on a long journey. Mitsubishi also claims big green credentials for the car, saying it only emits 26 g/km of CO2 per passenger while the Honda CR-V throws out 35 g/km. But Mitsubishi needs to be careful here because as a five seater the Outlander is more polluting. Perhaps those credentials are not such a proud boast after all. Car: Mitsubishi Outlander 2.0 DI-D Warrior Does it fit your ego?... 0-62 mph: 10.8 secs Top speed: 116 mph Bhp: 138 @ 4000 rpm Torque: 228 lb ft @ 1750 rpm ...and your wallet?... Price: £22,016 Urban: 32.1 mpg Extra urban: 47.9 mpg Combined: 40.9 mpg CO2 emissions: 183 g/km Insurance Group: 11 Best bits: great value; good space; seven seat choice.