2018 Mitsubishi Outlander vs Toyota RAV4

What's the difference?

The 2WD Outlander is a tidy package that’s a long way from the most impressive among its peers, but also the one that doesn’t really do anything wrong. It’s good looking without being over the top, has reasonable internal space that’s quite versatile, plus is comfortable to drive in most situations. 

This is certainly not the SUV for long-distance outback adventures (and neither is the AWD version, really), but it’s more than capable of getting out into the real Australia and exploring its back roads and campsites, even with a small family on board. 

What do you think of the 2WD Outlander? Tell us in the comments section below.

The diesel GX doesn't appear to be especially good value because it probably isn't. A $41,000 car with steel wheels and a cloth interior (even though I like it) is really pushing it on the value front. Added to that the lack of engine features, like stop-start, and a media system from the 21st century, you have to wonder where the money has gone. Wonder no more - it's all in the safety gear, which as a package is hard to beat at this price level.

For not much less, though, you can have the mid-spec GXL petrol and have mostly the same experience along with the now-standard safety tech... and a set of alloy wheels.

Like the ASX below it and the proper Pajero above it (not the sort-of ugly looking Pajero Sport), the Outlander is neither good looking, nor bad, but conservatively designed with enough modern flair to fit in at school pick-up without creating any bold statements or setting new trends. 

Although the range is increasingly moving away from its roots as a soft-road 4WD, its maintained that typical SUV body-shape and, for the most part the new-ish front end (which it received in 2015) is one of the best things that’s ever happened to it, and still looks good now. 

Inside, the Outlander has a modest flair thanks to small details like white-on-black stitching, a simple centre-dash layout, and use of carbon-fibre-look infills that’s not overdone.

A lot has changed in 23 years, including Toyota's consumption of bravery pills. While it's not an especially courageous design, the RAV is the sharpest and most handsome it has ever been. To be completely fair, the RAV has usually been a bit more interesting than most Toyotas, but this one is sharp and well-judged, clearly linked to the C-HR and newer Kluger models.

It manages to look very under-wheeled with the steel rims and therefore looks higher than it really is, which is a shame, because it's an otherwise handsome design. The front end is particularly well-executed and gets better with familiarity.

Thankfully, it goes without the awful bonnet scoop of past diesel RAV4s, too.

Here in the cheaper seats, it's a bit bleak. The RAV's interior design is already looking a little dated but you can't argue with its functionality. It's quite grey and plasticky here in the GX but there's no shame in the cloth trim, which if you ask me isn't available in enough cars.

This isn’t a huge SUV, especially one trying to seat up to seven people, but for all that, the space is used incredibly well. When the second- and third-row seats are folded forward, the floor space is flat from front to back, which makes packing a lot of gear in easy and convenient. What I really like is that the second-row seats can slide forwards, so if you are travelling with a couple of kids and a boot-full of camping gear, you can reduce the amount of leg-room you give them (the only thing kids do with leg-room is drop toys and food crumbs into it, so they don’t need it anyway), to maximise the amount of space you’ve got in the rear load area. And if you’re camping with kids, every skerrick of space counts.

Interestingly, there’s not a lot of benefit in the five-seater when it comes to space. Both it and the seven-seater have the same volume of load-space with all seating rows folded down, while the seven-seater’s only sacrifice to the space is the pair of cup holders for the third-row passengers. However, the seven seater is about 40kg heavier, so those two extra seats do technically affect load capacity. 

The RAV is a spacious machine, with good headroom and legroom for both front and rear passengers. It's not too high that you have to consciously climb in and you can fit three kids across the back without drama.

Front and rear passengers each score a pair of cupholders, bringing the total to four, matched by the bottle holder count. 

Boot space starts with a pretty decent 550 litres and with the 60/40 split fold seats dropped forward, ends up at a whopping 1760L.

The RAV4 GX is the entry-level and you can have it with three engines - a 2.0-litre petrol, a 2.5-litre petrol and a 2.2-litre turbo-diesel. You can have a manual or auto unless you pick the 2.5, which is auto-only. Strictly speaking, the 2.0's auto is a CVT and drives only the front wheels, whereas the big-banger 2.5 and the turbo-diesel are all-wheel drive.

I had the 2.2-litre turbo-diesel automatic for a week. For $41,100, a sturdy $2350 more than the 2017 model, you get 17-inch steel wheels, dual-zone climate control, a six-speaker stereo with a 6.1-inch touch screen and DAB+ radio, reversing camera, sat nav, front and rear parking sensors, auto LED headlights and auto wipers, active cruise control, cloth trim and a space-saver spare.

New for the 2018 model is standard sat nav and a the advanced safety gear previously only available on the top-of-the-range Cruiser. Our car also had the full-size spare, a $300 steel wheel under the boot floor.

There are three engines offered across the Outlander range, although automatic 2WDs are only available with a 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol. It’s capable of 124kW at 6000 rpm and 220Nm of torque at 4200rpm. The only transmission option with this engine is a CVT.

I know Toyota fans are fond of engine codes, so I can tell you that the diesel RAV4 is equipped with a 2AD-FHV 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel developing 110kW and 340Nm.

The GX diesel is a reasonably hefty 1635kg and can tow 1200kg braked and 750kg unbraked.

Loaded up with camping gear and following the winding and unsealed backroads of the Southern Highlands, the Outlander used 29.2 litres of fuel over 376 kilometres, which is just shy of 7.8L/100km. Mitsubishi claims a combined consumption of 7.2L/100km under more controlled circumstances, so that’s a good figure. The tank can hold 63 litres of fuel, so expect the range to be around 750km to a tank. 

Toyota's combined fuel figure is listed at 6.7L/100km which is a little way off the 8.7L/100km I managed in a mix of suburban and highway driving. To be fair, the highway average was showing an indicated 6.2L/100km, which is pretty close to the claimed figure.

Similar to the Outlander's looks, it’s neither good nor bad. I almost want to call it boring to drive, but it’s not quite that either. Let’s just call it adequate as a daily driver. 

The Outlander is comfortable and quiet on the road. It has no rattles and very little engine or road noise intrudes into the cabin. Under acceleration it’s definitely not sporty, but it’s not slow either. If you need to put the boot in, it’ll respond well enough.

The steering is a little twitchy, especially trying to keep it in a straight line on the highway. That’s likely thanks to the electronic power steering, which isn’t as fluid in its assistance as the older-tech hydraulic systems are. The benefit, of course, is better fuel consumption, but I did find it a little hard to get used to. 

With the reverse camera and small stature, the Outlander behaves like a largeish hatch if it’s used around the shops or to cart kids to and from school. The middle-row seats are easy to move forward to give access to the third row. However, those back seats don’t have a lot of space in them – they’re probably better left for special occasions, or as regular seats for your kids’ friends who you’d rather weren’t their friends.

Stepping out into the suburbs, the diesel RAV is a noisy beast. Most oil-burning medium SUVs manage to keep a lid on the racket of a diesel but the Toyota's is loud and proud. Low-rev clatter, noisy on start-up, this is old school.

Once you get going, though, the engine improves and by the time you're in the cruise zone, it's a happy camper. Only when you go for an overtake does it again invade the cabin with more noise than is probably absolutely necessary.

It is undeniably torquey, though, meaning a fairly relaxed drive. It's not a particularly sprightly thing, so if there is turbo lag, you don't really notice it. The diesel RAV doesn't really respond positively to a flattened throttle, so a gently-as-she goes approach ensures solid progress.

Which is probably just as well, because the ride and handling is a bit wooden. My view on this caused a bit of tension in Casa Anderson because my wife didn't agree. Well, I say tension, she just told me I was wrong. However, if you approach a corner at anything much higher than pensioner-on-the-way-to-the-bowlo speed, expect less than stellar steering and chassis response. The ride isn't all that flash, either, struggling to keep up with a dud road, the rear seemingly stiffly sprung. It's not unsettling and never, ever bad, but the RAV isn't up to the challenge the way a CX-5 or Tucson is and certainly not the similarly-priced VW Tiguan.

The RAV leaves its Japanese factory with seven airbags, ABS, stability and traction controls, auto high beam, forward collision warning, front AEB, sway warning, lane-keep assist, three top-tether anchors and two ISOFIX points.

It received a five-star ANCAP rating, the highest available, in 2016.

Much of the safety package was previously an option, but is now standard across the whole range.

The Outlander is covered by Mitsubishi’s capped price servicing scheme. The cost of a service is only $280 for and you’ll only need one every 15,000km or 12 months, whichever comes first. That’s a slight increase on the 2017 models, though, which will be serviced for just $230 for the first three years. 

Major pain points will come at 90,000km when the iridium or platinum tipped spark plugs need to be replaced along with all the engine and transmission fluids, but otherwise service intervals are generally long and well-spaced. 

Mitsubishi offers a 5 year/100,000km warranty, plus 5 year Perforation Corrosion Warranty on the Outlander.

Toyota offers a three-year/100,000km warranty and servicing happens every six months or 10,000km. 

Toyota's lovably simple capped-price servicing ensures you won't pay more than $240 per service on the diesel engine, $60 more than on the petrol. The scheme runs for the first three years/60,000km of the car's life.

Roadside assist starts at $78 per year.