2007 Mitsubishi Outlander XLS 4WD Road Test

Every time I drove the previous Outlander I got a song stuck in my head … “Nice Legs Shame about the Face”. The homely little SUV drove quite well, but that Jimmy Durante nose was in serious need of anextreme makeover. Fortunately for Mitsubishi, its dealers, and the many fans of the brand, a little plastic surgery has resulted in one of the best looking crossovers on the market.

OK, it took a lot of plastic surgery, and a fair bit of metal reformation too, but the result is a vehicle that’s longer, wider and taller than the outgoing model, with a nicer, more accommodating interior thanks to a longer wheelbase, plus it has more available features and a lot more power.

The look is pretty cool, especially in top-line XLS trim. Instead of black accents, the XLS gets cool silver trim that matches up well with the silver LED taillights … another custom touch. LEDs, by the way, light up quicker than conventional bulbs, reducing the chance of a rear end collision, and are unlikely to ever burn out.

Thestate-of-the-art lenses come with all trim levels, making even the base model look high end. And yes, I’ve driven both the entry-level ES (silver… in the gallery) and the top of the line XLS (white), and while I like all of the luxury and convenience upgrades that come with the latter model, the powertrain felt more lively and the chassis more agile in the lighter weight base model.

Unlike some of its rivals, the Outlander only comes with a top-line V6, which while impressive to those who lean towards performance when choosing a car, might leave others who are more interested in fuel economy and environmental concerns looking to four-cylinder alternatives such as Honda’s CR-V, and in base form, Toyota’s RAV4.

Still,the Outlander’s V6 is fairly thrifty. Smaller and less powerful than the optional V6 in the aforementioned RAV4, Hyundai’s Santa Fe or Saturn’s Vue, it still moves the little SUV along at a brisk pace thanks to 220 horsepower and 204 lb-ft of torque, revving easily and making great use of its standard 6-speed automatic. That’s right, most in this class trundle around town with a 4-speed or maybe a 5-speed automatic if you’re lucky, so this 6-speed unit is truly top-tier stuff. It comes with a manual mode too, and in the case of my top-line XLS tester with four-wheel drive, paddle-shifters on the steering column, paying homage to its years on top of the rally racing circuit, not to mention its Dakar rally winning SUVs that the brand will never let us forget.

Ofcourse, the XLS is much too luxurious to be considered for motorsport activity. Only diehard racing fans would want to live day in and day out with exposed metal surfaces, five-point racing harnesses in the front seats, the need to climb through a roll cage to get in and out, and the sound of the engine without a muffler, so Mitsubishi has taken things to the other extreme and made its cabin downright civilized.

It’s surprisingly quiet at any speed, with little wind or road noise, and only a slight purr from the engine bay at idle. At full throttle the 3.0-liter V6 actually sounds pretty nice.

Throughout town and on the highway the ride is fairly smooth and quite comfortable thanks to a much stiffer, all-new chassis architecture that the Outlander shares with the compact Lancer sedan. It’s a fully independent setup that takes to the corners surprisingly well too, enhanced with optional 18-inch alloy wheels in the case of the XLS model. Base Outlanders make due with 16-inch wheels, but due to less body weight, as mentioned earlier, they handle curves at least as well as this “sportier” version.

For those who don’t need all-wheel drive but don’t want to give up creature comforts, Mitsubishi makes front-wheel drive available with the base ES (4WD not an option) as well as both LS and XLS trim levels, although if the four-wheel drive option is chosen, you’ll be able to dial a knob between the front seats to switch between 2WD, 4WD Auto and 4WD Lock.

Fuelconsumption is rated at 20 mpg in the city and 27 on the highway for the 2WD models (ES/LS/XLS), and 19 in the city and 26 for the 4WD ones (LS/XLS), which isn’t anything to get too excited about. Sure, it’s better than conventional full-size SUVs (pretty well anything is), but the previous Outlander, with its 160 horsepower 2.4-liter, 16-valve, SOHC I-4, resulting in a 21 / 25 mpg city/hwy rating, was more efficient in the city, where most of us drive, although the V6 does better on the highway if you can manage to keep your foot off the throttle. The current crop of four-cylinder competitors, mind you, is better suited to conservation. For instance, Honda’s new CR-V ekes out 22 mpg in the city and 28 on the highway, while Toyota’s four-cylinder RAV4 is even stingier at 23 in the city and 27 on the highway, while its ultra-powerful V6 still manages a thrifty 21 mpg in the city and 28 on the highway.

On the safety front, even the base Outlander ES doesn’t need to make any excuses, as it comes standard with antilock brakes, traction control, stability control, front thorax airbags, side curtain airbags, active head restraints, and seatbelt pretensioners.

Other innovations that might seduce you to Mitsubishi’s side include a clamshell like rear door, with a conventional liftgate that is easier to use than a side-swinging door and keeps you out of the rain during inclement weather, plus a “flap-folding” tailgate that can hold up to 440 pounds of payload; ideal if you need to carry something long and heavy, or for that matter don’t want it bending if two of your larger friends happen to sit on it at a tailgate party.

Oh,and while we’re talking payloads, the Outlander can actually tow up to 3,500 pounds in four-wheel drive trim, and 2,000 pounds in two-wheel drive.

If you don’t like living without a map, Mitsubishi provides an excellent touch-screen navigation system with a 7-inch monitor and handy mouse-like toggle switch that also comes bundled with a rear-seat DVD entertainment system (the Navigation and Entertainment packages) … but it’ll set you back a cool $3,280; a lot when you can get both at an aftermarket electronics store for about $800. The nav system is hard-drive based mind you, and 6 gigs of its 30-gigabyte storage capacity can be used for storing mp3s that can be accessed via a really nice interface that’ll allow you to store groups and playlists just like an iPod. This is hands-down the best system of this type that I’ve used, impressive enough that its steep price point seemed almost reasonable after an hour of playtime.

You’ll really appreciate this when cranking up the 9-speaker 650-watt Rockford-Fosgate “Punch” audio system (the 9th speaker is a rather large, fully exposed sub, by the way), easily the best OEM stereo in the compact SUV class, that along with a glass sunroof, is available as part of a “Sun and Sound” package on the LS and XLS models. The standard 6-speaker audio system on the ES/LS models feature 140 watts of power and a single-CD changer (6-CD on the XLS). All three are ready for satellite radio.

And for storing CDs or what-have-you, the Outlander comes with 13 storage compartments, including two large glove boxes. There’s a lidded compartment atop the dash too, and it’s “velvet” lined for that premium feel … impressive in this class.

Andon that note, I like where Mitsubishi has placed the driver’s front cupholder, right behind the left air vent so that the air conditioning system can keep a drink cool in the heat of summer, or alternatively, the heater can warm it up in winter. Three additional cupholders are available between the front seats, with the one furthest to the dash best for a cell phone or PDA, being that the power adaptor is right beside it.

Of course, the central storage bin, with a lid that just happened to be broken on my tester, and to make matters worse, housed a broken set of wireless headphones for the rear entertainment system (oddly only one set of headphones comes with this package), features a 115 volt, three-prong outlet when the aforementioned Navigation and Entertainment packages are purchased … yes, the same kind of outlet you’d have in your home. For me, always looking for a place to charge my laptop, this item alone could be a dealmaker. A second conventional power adaptor is situated right beside the plug, making it possible to power up two electronic devices at the same time, or three if you include the adaptor previously mentioned.

Additional reasons for getting an XLS include its Bluetooth cell phone compatibilityand keyless remote entry and engine-start feature. Normally such features are only available with premium brands, but they’re starting to show up more and more at the entry level. This one is the less desirable ignition twisting type, rather than the oh-so-cool push button start, but the convenience is just the same. The remote fob is a little on the large side too, especially compared with Mazda’s credit card style remote, but again, when left in a pocket or purse, you probably won’t think about it ever again. The exterior door handles incorporate rubberized buttons so that getting inside, or locking up after arriving at your destination is a keyless experience.

Mitsubishi also includes another feature that will be sure to lure larger families down to its dealerships, a third row of seats. You can get the seven-occupant configuration in both XLS 2WD and 4WD trim levels, so those who need to carry around a lot of people won’t be forced to pay more for features they may not want or need. This said I was extremely disappointed with the design of this third row. I’ve got folding picnic chairs that feel sturdier, with the entire structure rickety and rattling after being put into place. It seems like this was a real afterthought, and while I’m sure that it passed all the necessary safety regulations, or it couldn’t be sold here, I can’t say I would have felt confident strapping my six-year old back there. In fact, despite his pleadings (he loves the back row), I wouldn’t do it.

I suppose while I’m on a roll, I should make mention of my other beef. This one is something I could live with, but nevertheless left me wishing Mitsubishi had spent a few dollars more per car and arrived at a more pleasing solution. The door panels are basically large chunks of hard black plastic, with only a single crease for decoration.Compared to the panels in a Hyundai Santa Fe, for instance, these look like the cost cutting shortcuts that they are. Again, due to the Outlander’s many attributes, one of which is fairly good interior fit and finish, and nicely grained plastics throughout the rest of the interior, not to mention two rows of the most supportive, best looking leather-clad, two-way heated seats in the compact SUV segment, I can let the ungainly door panels pass, but c’mon Mitsubishi, what would it have taken to finish off what is otherwise a superbly executed interior?

Just the same, $22K isn’t much to pay for a compact SUV as good as the Outlander, especially one that comes standard with such a sophisticated V6 and six-speed automatic combo. Even $32K for the top-of-the-line four-wheel drive XLS is right on the money, considering others boast much less when it comes to driving dynamics and features can cost quite a bit more.

Factor in Mitsubishi’s 5-year, 60,000-mile bumper to bumper warranty, and 10-year, 100,000-mile powertrain warranty, and many will find the choice an easy one. This is by far the longest warranty in the industry.

In my opinion, when optioned as a five-seater Mitsubishi’s new Outlander is one of the better compact SUVs available. With just that right mix of utility, luxury and sport, living with it for a week was a rewarding experience.

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