Mitsubishi Outlander 2012 News

This year’s Geneva show includes about 180 new car debuts, and the line-up certainly hasn’t disappointed us.A delicious parade of top-shelf exotics and concepts will hog the spotlight of course: the stunning Lamborghini Aventador J, the Volkswagen-linked Giugiaro Brivido, the Infinti Emerg-E, the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta will all fight for attention.But in the face of economies across Europe struggling – in some cases stumbling towards a crash – it’s clear from the unveilings that there’s a strong move towards downsizing.Skoda’s Citigo, Volkwagen’s Up and even the Volvo V40 are all practical takes on a smaller and leaner world.But the SUVs still get a look-in, with the likes of Mitsubishi flagging their plug-in Outlander, Nissan’s Hi-Cross clearly hinting at the next X-Trail – although they won’t come right out and say it.And Bentley proving yet again that money doesn’t even need to buy style and taste with the ugliest thing on wheels since … possibly ever.Electric, hybrid and range-extender technology is everywhere at Geneva, showing that - in Europe at least – it has long moved past being some kind of geeky indulgence. Every carmaker is talking economy and value. And there’s a lot more chatter about global platforms, with VW taking it to a planned one-size-fits-all extreme.What does it mean for the buyer? At the very least, while our economy looks pretty healthy here, the disasters elsewhere are having a strong impact on industry attitudes, and that means carmakers are going to try harder than ever to win over our wallets.Expect to see leaner cars, smarter cars and – faced with increasing competition from emerging industrial giants like China and India – better value cars. That’s good news for all of us. 

A plug-in hybrid version of the Mitsubishi Outlander will hit the roads in Europe later this year ahead of a global roll-out of the emission-reducing powerplant.The third-generation Outlander will initially be sold in two-wheel and four-wheel drive variants and some markets will have the choice of a 2.0-litre petrol and 2.2-litre diesel engine.Australia misses out on the diesel, though Mitsubishi president Osamu Masuko says an oilburner will be offered if the company identifies enough demand."If there is a need of course we have to consider diesel," he says of the growing Australian demand for diesel-powered SUVs.Masuko says the plug-in hybrid will account for around 20 per cent of Outlander sales globally, with that figure to increase during the model life of the SUV.He says and pure electric drive for the small A and B segment vehicles represent a major component of Mitsubishi's future strategy, highlighting the electric-powered i-MiEV's ability to power homes during blackouts as an example of the advantages EVs have.Mitsubishi plans to start sales external feeder in Japan next month and says the system can provide up to 1500 watts of power to run a household during electric grid power failures.The system is a reversal of the energy management system used to recharge the car during periods of low power demand. On a smaller scale, the hybrid Outlander will also have a socket to accept domestic appliances -- meaning families will be able to power hairdryers and recharge phones during camping trips.An electric-only Mitsubishi will also tackle the famous Pikes Peak hillclimb in the US in July this year and Masuko says it will showcase EVs ability to match internal combustion cars for acceleration.Masuko discounts - for now - the idea of pure electric high-performance cars but says the next Mitsubishi Evo, which is due in around two years, could well have a hybrid variant.

The Outlander arrives with new engines, new transmissions and new trim levels but the highlight is a sleek, chiselled body that will really cut the ice compared with main rivals Honda, Toyota and Nissan.The cabin is bigger than most rivals and detailed work to the cabin make it a very attractive proposition, especially to the mainstay female buyer group.Outlander gets two new engines - one is it first segment foray into V6 territory, picking up a new 3-litre engine that is available in the two premium models.The four-cylinder is a 2.4-litre but it has no relation to the outgoing engine of the same capacity.The V6 is attached to a six-speed auto while the 2.4 gets a continuously-variable transmission (CVT) with paddle-shift manual changes as a bonus. Normally the CVT will operate as a pure auto.Mitsubishi said that this engine mix will allow the vehicle to compete with the four cylinder rivals such as RAV4, CR-V and Nissan X-Trail, while the V6 version will go up against the Toyota Kluger, Subaru Outback, Holden Captiva and Hyundai Santa Fe.There is also suggestions that the Outlander has the ability to lure Ford Territory buyers, specifically because of its optional seven-seat capacity - a new move for Mitsubishi in this arena.The Outlander shows its family relationship to other Mitsubishi products with its nose, though the tail treatment is new.It's clean and simple though distinctive on the road with a broad buyer appeal. Thankfully, the styling is a farewell wave to the freestyled, heavy grille-oriented artwork of the previous designer Olivier Boulay who also penned the last Magna.The simplicity of the exterior continues inside. The cabin feels bigger and brighter than its four-cylinder rivals, showing excellent room for the five occupants.The boot is big and wins extra points with its double tailgate. A low, bottom hinged gate folds down to make easy loading onto a flat cargo bed. This gate, rated at 200kg, also serves as seat.The seven seat option adds $2800-$4800 to the price of the various five-seat models.But while seating the seven sounds grand, the third row is made just for small kids.All but the base model get a keyless entry and start system but all miss out on a full-size spare tyre.On the road the Outlander feels more confident than its predecessor.The longer wheelbase and wider track give better stability and cornering precision, though that improvement is countered by some steering wheel vagueness.Only the four cylinder variants were driven and, hence, only the CVT box. Initially impressive for its simplicity of driving, there were times when the 2.4-litre engine - even with variable-valve timing - struggled to get the power quickly to the ground.It could also be noisy when the right foot pressed hard. But the CVT won back points for its quietness and low-speed engine revs that improved fuel economy.For those seeking performance, the manual version looks a better bet and will hit here next year at an expected $29,990.