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Mitsubishi Outlander Business
Road test report - June 2008
by Kevin Fenix.
Mitsubishi put all their considerable experience and expertise in 4x4 vehicles into the design of the Outlander SUV. It is a design shared with Peugeot and Citroen, who have their own versions based on the Mitsubishi. The Outlander is, of course, a passenger vehicle, but in the manner which has become popular in recent years, here in Ireland, this example has been converted into a commercial vehicle, once it lands on our shores. This has many advantages from a tax point of view, besides being a very useful van. It is also a very pleasant vehicle to drive, making it ideal if you have to cover long distances and carry a lot equipment with you, in the course of your daily work. Being a SUV, it is not designed for heavy off-road driving. The all wheel drive is more of a safety factor although it does naturally offer a degree of off-road ability. For normal on road use it operates in front wheel drive. In difficult driving conditions four wheel drive can be selected for greater safety. In this mode it shifts between two and four wheel drive as grip and road conditions demand. If going off-road it can also be locked into all wheel drive.
The test car was powered by a 2.0 litre diesel of Volkswagen origins. It drives through a six speed manual gearbox. It is a particularly smooth engine, that is a pleasure to drive. It has a low overall first gear and high overall fifth and sixth gears, no doubt in the interests of fuel economy. Around the urban area I found little opportunity to get beyond fourth gear, but once I got away from the heavy traffic, fifth was usable and out on the open road it cruised along in sixth effortlessly. I found it to be a comfortable, well equipped, thoroughly comfortable vehicle to drive, in all conditions.
The removal of the rear seats and the conversion into a commercial has been very well done. From the outside it still looks like a passenger vehicle, with privacy glass in the rear side windows, while inside it has a sturdy long flat load floor. The only query some people may have, is that the load floor is carpeted, rather than covered with a washable rubber mat. At the rear the upright lip under the single, lift-up rear door, lowers to a level extension of the load floor, for easier loading. You also have the considerable added convenience to two side loading access doors.
Above left : Load floor with rear lip upright.
Above right : Load floor with lip lowered for easier loading
The load compartment has a volume slightly in excess of two cubic metres and excluding the weight of the driver it can carry a payload of up to 700 kg. Full details of load area dimensions are given in the technical data section. In addition the Outlander Business can tow braked trailers of up to 2,000 kg and unbraked trailers of up to 750 kg. It comes fitted with roof rails as standard and it can carry up to 80 kg on the roof.
The driving controls are well laid out and easy to see. There is a digital information panel, above the audio controls, which includes a clock. This can be impossible to see in a variety of different lighting conditions. Other than that all the remaining controls are easy to see and use. Between the two seats, there is a padded armrest with two separate storage compartments below it. These are a shallow tray and a deep box below that. The steering adjusts for reach and height and is geared to give three and a quarter turns from lock to lock. In spite of this it has a reassuring positive feel from its variable ratio, power assisted, rack and pinion system.
If anything tells you this is not a serious off-roader, it is the provision of a Spacesaver spare wheel. This is carried in a cradle under the floor on the outside of the vehicle and is accessed by lowering that extension to the load floor and then winding it down with the wheelbrace.
The Outlander Business’ passenger heritage is evidenced by its potential top speed of 187 kph (116 mph) and its 0-100 kph acceleration time of just 10.8 seconds. That makes it one very sporty commercial vehicle ! On the urban cycle it is credited with 32 mpg (8.7 lt/100 km), while on the extra urban this improves to a magnificent 48 mpg (5.8 lt/100 km). Together these give an average of 41 mpg (6.9 lt/100 km) on the combined cycle. For a spacious, comfortable, well equipped work vehicle, that has to be very good news.
Technical data
Dimensions
Overall length ------------------ 4640 mm
Overall width ------------------- 1800 mm
Overall height ------------------ 1720 mm (including roof rails)
Wheelbase ----------------------- 2670 mm
Front track ---------------------- 1540 mm
Rear track ----------------------- 1540 mm
Turning circle ------------------ 10.6 M (kerbs) ------------------------- 11.3 M (walls)
Unladen weight ---------------- 1660 kg
Gross vehicle weight ---------- 2360 kg
Max. towing weight ------------ 2000 kg (braked) ---------------------- 750 kg (unbraked)
Max. roof load ------------------80 kg
Power/weight ratio ------------ 22.912 kg/kW
Tank capacity -------------------60 lts
Loadspace dimensions
Overall length ------------------ 1720 mm (back of seats to tailgate)
Max. load length --------------- 2200 mm (back of seats to end of load floor extension)
Overall width ------------------- 1280 mm -------------------------------- 850 mm (between wheelarches)
Overall height ------------------ 1040 mm -------------------------------- 940 (rear door to load floor)
Load volume -------------------- 2.069 cu.M
Max. payload ------------------- 700 kg (excluding driver)
Special 4x4 data
Approach angle ---------------- 22 degrees
Departure angle ---------------- 21 degrees
Breakover angle ---------------- 19 degrees
Ground clearance -------------- 178 mm
Wading depth ------------------- 400 mm
Engine
Type ------------------------------ 4 cyl. DOHC 16v, turbocharged, direct injection, diesel
Capacity ------------------------- 1968 cc
Compression ratio ------------- 18.0 : 1
Max. injection pressure ------ 2050 bar
Max. trubo boost -------------- 1.34 bar
Bore x stroke ------------------- 81.0 mm x 95.5 mm
Power ---------------------------- 103 kW @ 4,000 rpm ------------------ Specific output -------- 52.337 kW/lt
Torque --------------------------- 310 Nm @ 1,750 rpm ----------------- Specific torque ------ 157.520 Nm/lt
CO2 emissions ------------------ 180 gm/km ----------------------------- Specific CO2 ------ 91,463 gm/km/lt
Transmission
Type ------------------------------ 6 speed manual with selectable 2/4 wheel drive
Ratios ---------------------------- Gearbox -------------------------------- Overall
1st -------------------------------- 3.818 : 1 --------------------------------- 15.493 : 1
2nd ------------------------------- 2.046 : 1 ---------------------------------- 8.302 : 1
3rd ------------------------------- 1.366 : 1 ---------------------------------- 5.543 : 1
4th -------------------------------- 0.974 : 1 ---------------------------------- 3.952 : 1
5th -------------------------------- 0.897 : 1 ---------------------------------- 3.640 : 1
6th -------------------------------- 0.790 : 1 ---------------------------------- 3.205 : 1
Reverse -------------------------- 4.139 : 1 --------------------------------- 16.796 : 1
Final drive ----------------------- 4.058 : 1 --------------------------------- ***********
Suspension
Front ----------------------------- MacPherson strut, trailing L-shaped lower transverse arm, 22 mm anti-roll bar
Rear ------------------------------ Trailing arm, short forward lower transverse arm, middle upper transverse arm, long lower rear transverse arm, seating coil spring and telescopic damper, 21 mm anti-roll bar
Steering
Type ------------------------------ Variable ratio, power assisted, rack and pinion
Turns lock to lock ------------- 3.25
Wheel diameter ---------------- 375 mm
Brakes
Type ------------------------------ Servo assisted, dual circuit with anti-lock, electronic force distribution and electronic stability programme
Front ----------------------------- Ventilated disc ------------------------- 295 mm x 24 mm
Rear ------------------------------ Disc --------------------------------------- 304 mm x 10 mm
Wheels
Type ------------------------------ 5 spoke, cast alloy, 5 stud
Size ------------------------------- 6.5 JJ x 16
Spare ----------------------------- Pressed steel Spacesaver -------------- 4T x 16J
Tyres
Type ------------------------------ Yokohama Geolandar GO33
Size ------------------------------- 215/70 R 16 ---- 100H
Spare ----------------------------- Goodyear Spacesaver ----------------- T155/90 D 16 ---- 110M
Performance
Top speed ----------------------- 187 kph ---------------------------------- 116 mph
0-100 kph ----------------------- 10.8 secs
Fuel consumption
Urban ---------------------------- 8.7 lt/100 km -------------------------- 32 mpg
Extra urban --------------------- 5.8 lt/100 km -------------------------- 48 mpg
Combined ----------------------- 6.8 lt/100 km -------------------------- 41 mpg
Warranty/servicing
Coverage ------------------------ 3 years/100,000 km, 3 years assistance, 12 years paint, 12 years perforation
Service interval ---------------- 20,000 km (12,500 miles)/1 year
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Recommended retail price (excluding delivery and associated charges)
Mitsubishi Outlander Business -------------------------------------- Euro 29,950
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Photo gallery
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