As a soft-roader the new Mitsubishi Outlander is among the top three on the market, writes Michael McAleer, Motoring Editor
The world is flat. So argues Thomas L Friedman in his pro-globalisation tome.
He references multiple high-tech companies that have become just as established in foreign climes as they are at home. The modern firm shares its wares and knowledge to such an extent that the end product may carry a label that represents nothing more than the marketing side of the business.
That's a long way from the founding traditions of the Mitsubishi brand. While most of you will know the three-diamond logo from the front grille of a car, it's but one of the final elements in a long and complicated Mitsubishi chain.
For decades the cars merely represented the coming together of several facets of the Mitsubishi empire.
They were built from iron ore from Mitsubishi mines that were turned to steel by Mitsubishi furnaces, then transported on Mitsubishi trains and trucks before being stamped into car panels and assembled together with Mitsubishi electrics, Mitsubishi upholstery, Mitsubishi windscreens and tyres.
You name it or needed it they built, supplied or owned it. Even the people who bought the cars could borrow the cash from Mitsubishi banks. That's changing these days as several financial scares have forced the car end of the business to increasingly fend for itself. Like any family of businesses soon discover, if your criteria for supply is name rather than quality, things get taken for granted.
Mitsubishi's recent history has been a roller coaster ride for shareholders and employees. While European and US car firms speak fearfully of a Japanese invasion that will highlight their structural weaknesses, when they say Japanese they mean Toyota. Mitsubishi doesn't give any European or US car bosses even the slightest quiver.
To establish themselves abroad, Mitsubishi has entered into partnerships, a move that has also had a rather chequered history. However, the Japanese brand is persevering. It knows the future is in forming partnerships and alliances with fellow car firms rather than upstream marriages with suppliers.
This Outlander, for example, has been built in co-operation with French group PSA, owners of the Citroën and Peugeot brands.
The deal means that Mitsubishi gets access to the French firm's latest diesel technology - at which it is well renowned - and in return the Japanese firm offers its well-established history in SUVs to give the French some underpinnings for their first modern off-roader.
So sharing of knowledge is leading to the introduction of two new SUVs to our streets. The environmentalists must be turning a sickly green at this news.
Yet the often dictatorial Green lobby don't really have much to shout about when it comes to this particular Outlander, for it manages a very respectable 6.9L/100km (40.9 mpg).
That's on a par with the likes of the Renault Megane 1.6-litre petrol, Opel Vectra 1.9 CDTi automatic diesel or the automatic 1.6-litre Nissan Note. Similarly, those increasingly important CO2 figures are on a par with similar saloon and hatchback models.
One evergreen colleague at work, who preaches clean living, was surprised to find that even her 2000 Mazda Demio didn't meet the same standards of emissions or consumption as the Outlander. It was all rather deflating, as if Ralph Nadir and Al Gore were caught on YouTube clubbing seals from the back of a Hummer.
This diesel engine offers Mitsubishi a very competitive entry into the SUV market compared to the ridiculous option of a petrol-only 2.4-litre engine in its predecessor. Nevertheless, it's sluggish when cold and remains noisier than we would like for most of the time. It's also ill-suited to the transmission, dropping performance when you change up from second to third and cruises in fifth, thereby making sixth gear obsolete.
If you care about performance and refinement then wait for the PSA-built 2.4-litre to arrive in the range later this year. Of the three specification levels on offer, the mid-level Invite seems the most sensible option, particularly as it includes all the features you would need to impress the neighbours, along with traction and stability control.
While it may look butch, the Outlander drives only the front wheels until you turn a switch one notch to four-wheel drive, another notch locks the differen-tials for difficult terrain. It's four-wheel-drive credentials are not really up to fully-fledged mud plugging and we did find ourselves struggling for grip during the international launch some time ago.
The organisers had hoped for a rather easy dirt track run but a torrential downpour turned the route into a quagmire and gave us a proper test of the Outlander's ability.
We skidded and slid our way around; it wasn't pretty but we made it to the lunch stop. Despite traction control being a feature of the vehicle during the test, it was really the extra ground clearance rather than any superior off-road engineering that saved our day.
In such circumstances at home, it's true we'd rather be in a real off-roader and even the new Freelander 2 would be our favoured soft-roader for such terrain. Nevertheless, when compared to the rather meagre capabilities of its predecessor, the Outlander really has grown up.
The new Outlander also comes with the option of seven seats. Admittedly it's more of a five-plus-two format and the last row is a rather flimsy thin contraption.
It's also quite difficult to access, so in general the third row is only for the youngest offspring or extreme emergencies.
For all that, the bootspace is quite substantial and this is an easy vehicle to live with.
The benefits inside include a host of cupholders and cubbyholes, a nice stylish dashboard - though the plastics could be better - while on the outside the exterior design is as chunky and muscular as any of its rivals in this price bracket.
New LED-style rear lighting is impressive and the overall stance is far more in keeping with its rivals than the rather dainty predecessor could muster.
The big threats to Outlander will come from three main rivals: the established Santa Fe that now features an equally commodious seven seats; a more rugged Rav 4 that carries not only improved spaciousness but that all-important Toyota badge; and finally the Freelander 2 with its off-road lineage is the most confident when mud trekking really is an issue.
Nevertheless, the Outlander - with its new 2.4-litre diesel engine - puts the Mitsubishi brand firmly into the race for soft-road hearts.
There's more good news for the brand in that the onroad handling of the Outlander bodes well for future Lancer sales.
The Outlander shares its platform with the new Lancer - due here in September, with two engines on offer: a 1.5-litre petrol and 2-litre diesel.
When you consider the platform's ability in corners and then imagine what might be possible when you lower it to a more realistic height, Mitsubishi may well be on to a winner here.
The world may be flat. Some suggest it may soon be flooded. Either way the Outlander puts Mitsubishi in a better position to cope with the changing conditions. It's not the best soft-roader out there but its mix of price and styling certainly put it in the top three.
Factfile
ENGINE: 2-Litre 16 valve DOHC Intercooled Turbocharged DI-D diesel engine putting out 139bhp @ 4,000rpm and 310Nm of torque @ 1,750rpm
SPECIFICATION: Standard features include dual front, side and curtain airbags; ABS With EBD and Brake Assist; Underfloor storage tray in cargo area; 16" alloys; Dusk sensor lights; Roof rails; Rear spoiler (with LED stop lamp); Spacesaver spare tyre; Electric windows; Climate control air conditioning; radio CD/MP3 player With six speakers;
Intense version adds: Cruise control; Steering wheel audio controls; Front foglights; Privacy glass; Velour upholstery; Hide and Seat 3rd Row Seats; M-ASTC (Traction and stability control)
Intense + adds: Leather seats - heated for driver and passenger and electric for driver.
L/100km (MPG)
Urban: 8.8 (32.1)
Extra-urban: 5.9 (47.9)
Combined: 6.9 (40.9)
EURO NCAP SAFETY RATINGS:
Adult occupancy: 4/5
Pedestrian test: 2/4
Child protection: 3/5
CO2 Emissions:
183 g/km
Annual Motor tax:
€539
Price: €38,995 (€35,995 to €41,995)