The magnificent Mitsubishi seven-seater Outland Aspire has drawn a sword in the sand for chief rivals the Toyota RAV4, Mazda CX-5, Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage, and the Nissan X-trail, which shares the Aspire platform.
And unlike these competitors (aside from Nissan), the Outlander adds a third seating row for added versatility.
Half-way along the 50-km volcanic Scenic Rim escarpment, a group of forested mountain ranges straddling the Queensland-NSW border, we turned the Aspire nor-nor-east and dropped into the tiny but busy hamlet of Canungra, a pioneering centre of the region’s timber production from the 1860s.
A large sawmill was completed in the town by the Lahey family in 1885 with their private tramway carrying hardwood logs from nearby forests. By 1911 there were 18 bullock teams moving sawn timber to the rail depot at Logan Village.
Timber traffic started to decline from 1923, with most of the timber in the area cut away by the 1940s. However, substantial traffic continued along the line during the Pacific War after the jungle warfare training centre opened at Canungra in 1942.
In the ever-changing auto world, we heard last week that Mitsubishi Motors has joined the Honda-Nissan alliance that sells more than eight million vehicles worldwide, consolidating the domestic market into two forces – the Toyota Motor Group and the Honda-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance.
Tesla and Chinese automakers have invested heavily in electric vehicles, and Japanese automakers can’t compete in scale and supply chain.
Honda and Nissan are the second and third-largest automakers in Japan, with global sales of 4.1 million and 3.44 million units in the fiscal year ending March 2024. When Mitsubishi’s 810,000 units are added, the group will have sales of 8.35 million vehicles.
Our upper-mid-level petrol Outlander Aspire is $44,240 before on-road costs as a front-wheel drive with all-wheel drive asking for an additional $2500.
With a stunning design, cutting edge features and rally-bred performance built into its DNA, the Mitsubishi Outlander is nothing short of revolutionary.
Powering the Outlander range is a new to Mitsubishi 2.5-litre, naturally aspirated, four-cylinder petrol engine making 135 kW and 245 Nm. This is paired with an eight-stepped continuously variable transmission, both units lifted straight from the Nissan catalogue where it also serves duty in the new X-Trail still to land in Australia.
Agile and adventurous, the completely reimagined and meticulously redesigned Outlander stands with distinctive LED headlights, sculpted sides, horizontal rear profile, and authoritative 20-in alloys.
Mitsubishi’s unique ‘Super-All Wheel Control’ technology gives complete freedom to explore all kinds of surfaces and terrains, in almost all conditions.
Once settled into Outlander’s exceptionally crafted cabin we enjoyed the massage function in both front seats with a multifunction steering wheel keeping us in control.
An eight-way power adjustable driver seat can be customised and memorised to embrace any body and height.
Contrasting two-tone leather trim, striking aluminium instrument panel accents and matte carbon trim make a handsome statement in style.
With 5+2 seat flexibility, there’s ample room for busy weeks and even bigger weekends away. All seats recline for added comfort, while the slide adjustable 40:20:40 split second row and 50:50 split rear third row can fold fully forward to create a multitude of versatile passenger and cargo configurations. When laid flat, all rear seats give a capacious luggage area and up to 1717 litres of cargo space for 5+2 seat models.
Outlander’s automatic rear tailgate can be opened simply by placing a foot under its rear bumper. Its lift height is adjustable to prevent contact with low garage doors and ceilings, while a wide rear frame and deep cavity easily accommodate bulky luggage and equipment.
Outlander’s large and wide panoramic sunroof is a one-touch tilt-and-slide operation, opening the interior cabin to the great outdoors.
Storage options include bottle-friendly door bins, a rubberised phone storage cubby in front of the stubby by-wire gear shifter, two toothed cupholders, a smallish console and glovebox, and a sunglasses holder in the roof.
The new generation Outlander was awarded a five-star ANCAP safety rating earlier this year. The independent safety body scored the Mitsubishi well across all key criteria—83% for adult protection, 91% for child occupants, 81% for vulnerable road users, and 83% for its safety assistance systems. Of note was Outlander’s perfect scores of 6 out of 6 during both side impact and pole oblique crash testing.
A suite of eight airbags covers two rows of occupants, including a centre airbag between the front seats to prevent heads from colliding in the event of a side impact collision.
It’s worth noting that the curtain airbags don’t extend to the third row; they cover the first two rows only. This is something worth noting if you plan on using seats six and seven regularly.
Mitsubishi says the Outlander Aspire in the front-wheel drive trim will use just 7.7L per 100 km of regular 91RON unleaded. Urban driving is more like 9.1L/100 km, but motorway runs and rural touring should see that number come closer to the manufacturer’s claim.
Mitsubishi now offers Australia’s first 10-year new car warranty with 10 years of capped-price servicing.
