Mitsubishi Outlander Review

Zonks · Member

Mitsubishi Outlander Review

rockylizard · Guru

Gday...

[edit: whoops .. fergot ta welcome ya to the forum ]

Have known a couple of people who have had one and they seemed happy with their purchase.

If ya not seen these, they might help -

https://www.caravancampingsales.com.au/editorial/advice/2013/tow-test-mitsubishi-outlander-awd-aspire-2-2-36862/

https://practicalmotoring.com.au/car-reviews/2017-mitsubishi-outlander-phev-review/

https://practicalmotoring.com.au/car-reviews/2015-mitsubishi-outlander-xls-diesel-review/

Cheers - John

-- Edited by rockylizard on Tuesday 24th of October 2017 09:38:01 PM

toglhot · Senior Member

I've just traded my ASX diesel which I bought new in 2013. The ASX and Outlander diesels share the same engine and running gear. We had four years trouble free motoring with the ASX diesel, first towing an Aliner and then a Penguin. The ASX coped with both campers extremely well with power to spare, hills presenting no problems. The Outlander/ASX have fairly high gearing and tend to upshift early delivering excellent fuel economy. The Outlander is only around 100 kgs heavier than the ASX so fuel consumption and performance should be similar, we were getting 6.8 around town and between 8.5 and 11 towing the Aliner/Penguin.

We would have bought the Outlander diesel; however, Ford offered us a good deal on a demo diesel Escape so we bought that instead. We've had three Mitsubishis and all have been excellent with excellent dealer service. If money was no problem, I wouldn't stray from Mitsubishi.

The Escape diesel is performing well so far, another reason we settled on the Escape is for the extra NMs, 40 over the ASX/Outlander, and the extra horses really push the Escape along.

The ASX despite being a smaller car had the same size rear cargo area than the Escape and didn't require a WD device towing the Penguin, whereas the Escape sags badly with the Penguin hitched up. Ford don't recommend a WDH for the Escape so that left airbags: unfortunately, no one manufactures a kit for the Escape but I managed to find a universal kit and with a little work on the lathe spun up a couple of spacers to make the kit fit, we are getting it fitted next week by the local suspension guy. All going well, we'll be right to kick it into gear for a trip away soon.

The Escape diesel has also proved frugal, delivering around 7 and 7.6 with the stop/start disengaged. I'm expecting similar numbers to the ASX with the Penguin on the back, but with a bit more grunt.

-- Edited by toglhot on Tuesday 24th of October 2017 09:59:21 PM

-- Edited by toglhot on Tuesday 24th of October 2017 10:18:11 PM

Old and tired · Veteran Member

Hey Zonks

The brother in law (in NZ) has had an Outlander for eight or ten years, a petrol one. It has been excellent.

Quite a comfy thing, if you dont mind being stuck in a car with the brother in law.

Old and Tired

erad · Guru

We have 2 Mitsubishis - a 2013 Pajero diesel and an 2013 Outlander 2Lt petrol. Both manual transmissions. Naturally, we use the Pajero to tow our caravan.

The Outlander is my wife's car and it gets used for short runs. It is the very basic model but has quite a few creature comforts in it. It is economical - we average about 6.8 L/100 km overall, mostly @ 100 km/h on the open road in undulating country. If we get on a flat piece of road it goes down to less than 6.5 L/100. It has enough power to get along at 100 km/h, but to tow a Penguin or other camper would struggle a bit. It would do it though, and depending on how much you intend to tow, it would do the job perfectly. The automatic version of the Outie is a CVT transmission, which I think is probably better than the manual transmission. Reason - because it puts the engine revs at the most efficient point more of the time.

When we bought the Outie, my wife wanted a Subaru Forester, I wanted a Nissan Xtrail, so we compromised on an Outlander instead. Price was the other factor - the local Nissan/Subaru dealer did not want our Magna trade-in and offered us a pittance. Pity - he lost the deal because of it. I think that the Subaru is a better car myself, but it will use more fuel.

I looked at the diesel ASX and Outie, but to get that model entailed buying the next model up the line and that was another $7500 from memory. I reckoned I could buy a lot of petrol for that money. Subsequently, I have found out that the ASX deisel has a DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter) in the exhaust, and that has given some people troubles. The petrol engine requires a lot less and cheaper maintenance than the diesel.

I forgot to order springs with the Outie. It rides rather rough as far as I am concerned. I compare it to my Pajero, which has a far better ride. Road noise is also a lot higher in the Outie. My wife loves her car, so that is what really matters. Visibility, particularly rearward visibility is poor, but no worse that most of the SUV's on the market at present.

We bought the Outie because we needed something which we could step into, not down into the car. We are both getting older and access was important then, and it is vital now. Load and passenger space in the Outie is much greater than the ASX (which we also considering), although we don't fill it up very often. Because we have the base model it is only 5 seats. The up-market model has 7 seats, meaning that the rear passenger space is a lot tighter. Rear legroom in the 5 seater is huge - a lot more than my Pajero.

The controls are very light and easy to operate. The whole car is basically an SUV version of teh Mitsubishi Lancer, so it is a light and nimble car to drive. Certainly compared to the Pajero it is a lot lighter, but to drive the Outie a long (1500 km) distance, you have to drive it whereas the Pajero (and more so the old Magna which we had before) are a lot easier to drive long distances. What would we replace the Outie with if we were to buy another car? I seriously don't know, but as far as my wife is ocncerned, the Outlander would still figure highly.

The Belmont Bear · Guru

Hi Zonks, I totally agree with what you and others have written about Mitsubishi vehicles and if you are going to continue towing the same weight then the Outlander is probably a very good choice. if as you said you may consider towing something heavier in the future then don't leave out the Pajero Sport when assessing the Mitsubishi range. Being a proper 4WD with all the bells and whistles plus a bigger engine linked to an 8 speed transmission it has a bit more power and torque which would give you more options in the future when looking at bigger trailers. Having said that I am about to trade mine in on something a little bigger as it is probably punching above it's weight pulling our 2.7T van.

cheers BB

toglhot · Senior Member

Only the petrol ASX/Outlanders have CVTs, the diesels have autos. I had the diesel ASX for four years never had a problem with with the DPF, as a matter of fact, I've never heard of anyone having trouble with the DPFs. Most seem to get confused regarding DPFs, whilst it's true some vehicles have problems with DPFs, the ASX/Outlander is not one of them, People tend to generalise in this area and consider all DPFs as troublesome - they aren't. BTW, all diesel engined vehicles will require DPFs in law in the next few years.

Whilst it's true that the outlay for diesel engined vehicles is more, it's also true that on the second hand market they also are worth more, so the time to recoup the outlay is not as great as some would imagine; however, services do cost more. Curiously, the extra cost in servicing diesels is not so much related to diesels requiring more work in servicing them but more to do with charging what they think customers will pay - true story. At least as far as motoring writers are concerned.

The best place to research vehicles is 'Product Review'. Reviews are written by actual owners rather than motoring writers, so reviews are based on usability, reliability, longevity and dealer response rather than how fast the vehicle can negotiate a corner.

We got our ASX for $29990, a demo with zero klms on the clock? Similar deals are available for pretty well all vehicles, depending on time of year, time of month, end of model, sales performance and so on. We got our ASX cheap because it was the newly released 2.2 lt diesel model and Mitsubishi were listing new vehicles as demos just to get a few on the road.

The performance of 2.4 litre petrol engines when towing is hardly a dispassionate opinion, some say they are great, others rue the day they bought them. IMO, the extra few $$$ for a diesel is well worth it, even if one has no intention of towing. Resale value is also higher than for petrol equivalents.

Let me just ad, I've owned something like 20 vehicles over 50 years of driving, the ASX is the only vehicle I've owned that hasn't given me a sore back.

-- Edited by toglhot on Wednesday 25th of October 2017 10:22:53 AM

-- Edited by toglhot on Wednesday 25th of October 2017 10:26:41 AM

-- Edited by toglhot on Wednesday 25th of October 2017 10:37:29 AM

erad · Guru

In my earlier epistle above, I made a few comments about my wife's Outie. Well, I got cut short because we had to jump into it and go to Canberra for teh day. Just returned now.

I forgot to mention that our Outie is the very basic model and is 2WD. It is a 2L engine - that engine is shaerd with the ASX. The diesel would have much more torque (pulling power) than the 2L petrol engine. The diesels also get a 6 speed manual box vs a 5 spd box in the petrol models. If you go for a 4wd model, you get a 2.4 L engine which I imagine would have a bit better pulling power. Of course, going to a 4WD model puts the price up by about $4500 I think. And if you get a 4WD model, you get a 60L fuel tank, whereas with the 2 WD models, you get a 63L tank. Without towing anything, my wife's Outie gets around 950 km from a tank, which is not too bad really. The diesel would get you around 1100 km from a tank. so you need a lot of KM done before the diesel wins out on the economy front.

Both the petrol and diesel engines have mechanically adjusted tappets which require regular servicing. I find this unusual in the day and age because so many cars these days have hydraulic tappet adjustment. This adds quite a bit to the servicing costs.

The Outie is relatively light - my wife's car weighs 1370 kg, which for a modern car is very light. It feels it as you drive along on uneven surfaces. It gets thrown off line fairly easily. Sidewinds can bounce you all over teh road at times.It has 68500 km on the clock now, and the tyres look as if they will last to over 100000 km before they need replacing. Pity in a way because they are very noisy and hopefully the next tyres will be quieter

Visibility from inside is poor, in my opinion, but the rest of the competition are very much the same. I sit very high in the seat and also have a very long back. End result is that you can hide a B Double rtuck and trailers behinfd the Right side A pillar. OK - that is not uncommon with modern cars, but with the Outie, I have nearly been hit 5 or 6 times from the left because the Left side A pillar blocks the view rather heavily as well. I have never driven a Pajero Sport and will not, because forward visibility in that car is even worse than the Outie. One of my friends had a Mazda BT50 and that was so bad that I could not see out of the side windows unless I craned my neck down really low (that was the main feature I liked in the Nissan Xtrail - it has a virtually flat roof and entry/exit is easy whilst all round visibility is far better. From memory, this is what I disliked most about the Subaru Forester as well. Rearward visibility is also very poor in the Outie. The thick pillars may be good for side impact strength etc, but visiility remains a big issue for me.

Finally, if you are looking at a 2WD model, I would seriously consider not to buy one if you intend to tow. You don't need 4WD, but you can get caught out and run out of traction on slippery surfaces eg wet road, ice or loose gravel. There is a tendency for weight transfer to the rear wheels on an uphill section of road, and this unloads the front (driving) wheels. They spin easily. You rarely need 4WD - what you really need in most cases is ground clearance. When new, our Outie had plenty of clearance, but it has sagged now quite badly - so much so that the local dealer replaced the rear springs under warranty. Minor improvement for a short time, but I reckon it is back to its slumped setting again.

All of the criticisms above apply equally well to most of the SUV's on the market, so I am not singling out the Outie as a bad car. I reckon it is quite good. The petrol engine is incredibly smooth and quiet at low power outputs, but can get a bit noisy under full song. At no load, anything under 2000 R/min you have to look at the tacho to see if it is running.

Would I still buy another Outie. Probably Yes, but I would have a good look around at the competition before the final decision.

toglhot · Senior Member

A couple of mistakes in erad's post: The diesel ASX/Outlanders are only available as automatics, a manual gearbox is not an option. One of the reasons we bought the ASX diesel was because the services were at 12 months 15000klms and also because they were one of the cheapest to service. The original tyres on our ASX lasted 60000 klm which is a little above average, getting 100000 out of a set of tyres is a little on the wishful thinking side I think. The most we got from a tank was around 800 klms, any more than that is very much manufacturer propaganda.

-- Edited by toglhot on Wednesday 25th of October 2017 08:40:32 PM

-- Edited by toglhot on Thursday 26th of October 2017 10:24:56 AM

Jetta7 · Veteran Member

Hi,

i currently drive a2016 Mitsubishi Outlander Diesel. I tow a van weighing 1450kg.

been very happy with the vehicle for towing get similar mileage to other diesel owner , 7-8 l per 100 around town , 6 on open road no van and around high ten to 11 towing.

was the only vehicle with 2tonne towing braked and 200kg on the ball in this category.

previous vehicle was a xtrail auto t31 diesel, which I really liked but was limited to 1450 kg and 145kg on ball.

we don't intend to buy a heavier van but do have some leeway with the Outlander.

intend to use it as my retirement tow vehicle. All vehicles are compromise on something . For me the Outlander is a good all rounder in this size.

also the 2016 model had over 100 improvements on previous model that contributed to quieter, more comfortable, functional, safer vehicle than previous models. 15000 service intervals too. ( I change oil more often when towing )

As this is a daily drive as well we find great for getting around town, trips no van, and roomy inside for passengers.

hope this has been helpful

The Belmont Bear · Guru

I have never driven a Pajero Sport and will not, because forward visibility in that car is even worse than the Outie.

Strange comment Erad especially if you have never driven one, I own a Sport and if there is restricted vision it is from the back of the vehicle not the front due to the small triangular side widows in the dog box.

toglhot · Senior Member

Those small triangular windows seem to be industry wide now, my new Escape has them. Really though, I don't have a problem with them, if you can't see through them, move your head a couple of inches, not rocket science.

The Belmont Bear · Guru

Toglhot I made a comment that if there was restricted vision from a Sport it would be out of the back due to the small triangular side windows. I don't recall saying that I had a problem with them - this is only something that you have assumed so your sarcastic comment wasn't really required (or appreciated).

toglhot · Senior Member

If you don't have a problem with them, why mention it - arguments sake?

Zonks · Member

Wow. So many wise and friendly comments. Greatly appreciated. Thanks. So .... Discovered very quickly (as commented) the basic Outlander is not viable. Exceed is realistic but certainly not entertaining watching price tag rise and rise as the realistic options become well ... realistic. Ok, Outlander Exceed test drive to follow. Thanks everyone

toglhot · Senior Member

You may want to look at the Escape as well. Pretty poor warranty but the dealer added another two years limited warranty.

Pros: Plenty of power, very computerised, excellent dash screen, 1800kg tow rating with 180 TDL, excellent storage space under the rear seat, very quiet, nice to drive.

Cons: It has an ABC keyboard in lieu of a querty - damned annoying, softish suspension so rear end sags when hitched up, WDH not recommended so air bags required. floor far from flat with rear seat folded down, storage area behind rear seat is smallish, seats not the best - very small squab, it's a Ford, it's not Korean.