Test drive Mitsubishi Outlander (Airtrek) 2003 - 2007 SUV

War of the Worlds

The struggle for the buyer’s wallet is now especially aggravated in the Parnish class. All new and new weapons are brought to the market; Mikhail Gzovsky and Andrey Kochetov visited the military training camps.
 
Hyundai Santa Fe 2.7 GLS
The second generation of the Korean alternate was introduced in January 2006 at the Detroit car dealership, since April, the car began to be sold in Russia - only in a 5 -seater version and with a single motor.
Engine: gasoline 2.7 liters (189 hp).
Gearboxes: 5-speed mechanical,
4-speed automatic.
Set of configuration: three options.
Price: $ 36 990-43 390.
 
Mitsubishi Outlander XL 3.0
The Japanese could purchase this car back in 2005. Outlander became available to the Americans in mid -2006, and at the beginning of the present - the Russians, by the way, the first in Europe. Russian modification - five places, the motor is still one.
Engine: gasoline 3.0 l (220 hp).
Gearbox: 6-speed automatic.
Complete: Intense, INSTYLE, Inspire.
Price: $ 39 490-44 990.
If your budget is $ 40-45 thousand, consider that you have outgrowed compact parquet models. It's time to take a closer look at the larger cars, with 6-cylinder engines. Santa Fe is on the market for almost a year, Outlander XL is a novelty not only for Russia, but also in Europe. Both models have a good genealogy and honored commercial success of the past generation. True, then they were not classmates ...
 
RETRAINING
Please note that the motor here is very painful and powerful - 189 hp! The machine is at least four -speed, but with manual mode. I did not manage to squeeze a single word into the advertising speech of the auto -show manager to squeeze a all -wheel drive. The car is rich not only in a cruise control, a two-zone climate control, an electric hatch, but also with active and passive security systems. ABS plus EBD and ESP will help to avoid troubles on a slippery road, and twelve airbags and prelimers of the front belts will save life and health in the event of an accident.
That's right, I thought, taxiing from the parking lot on the black Santa Fe. A new generation car has become better than the previous one, but the continuity is preserved not only in the body contours, but also in the interior. True, the familiar style of the salon returns to pain five years ago. It is difficult to get rid of the sensation of facelessness, despite decent materials. The seats looked optimistic in appearance, but soon it turned out - in vain. Driving - typically Korean - with weak lateral support, amorphous and too soft. A kind of home chair, to which you need to sit so as not to notice the shortcomings. The back is even worse. The pillow is low, short, and the floor is high - almost like in a pickup of 10 years ago. Despite the impressive size of the cabin, in the second row the legs are uncomfortable, and the head rests on the ceiling.
The trunk, of course, is spacious, but the smooth floor, which is formed when folding the backs of the rear seats, does not cause enthusiasm - he will have to push severity to a decent height. Time -tested solutions do not always guarantee a good result. This is especially noticeable against the background of the Outlander XL, who retained from the first generation not so much design as posture.
The stranger did not just grow up and moved to another price niche. Awarding the title XL means a new platform. Even outwardly, the car is unlike the predecessor: there is no hooligan appearance of a compact SUV. The top -end version of the equipment is similar to the richest Santa, the exception is the climatic installation easier (monophonic and devoid of the display), and only eight pillows.
After Santa Fe Salon Outlander is perceived as the first stellar wars seen against the backdrop of black and white new adventures by Schweik. Here, Japanese assembly accuracy and American generosity for volume get along well. Two -color finish and corrugated plastic, light skin create an atmosphere of solidity and respectability. The driver's seat is more comfortable and tenacious than that of the opponent. The rear sofa of two unequal parts, each of which moves in the longitudinal direction, holds three - after Santa Fe, they will be able to spread their shoulders and raise their heads. The process of transformation of the salon is very simple and original - just press the button on the sidewall of the trunk, and the seat itself will turn out. Chic!
Finally conquers Mitsubishi with a double -leaf fifth door. She not only allowed to lower the loading height and increase the opening. On a folding board, it is convenient to sit down during a picnic.
 
BLITZKRIEG
Santa Fe, born as a large universal car, remained so in the second generation. The ceremonial numbers became a little better, but the feeling that you are going on a high -speed tank remained. On the smooth asphalt, the car is comfortable to motionless, but to recalculate the small flaws of the coating, special equipment is not necessary. The car does not differ acutely of the steering, in excessive rolls when passing turns is not seen, but there is a tendency to skidding, which partially compensate for stabilization and course stability systems at the very last moment. A set of speed of acute impressions will not give, but the driver will not make the driver either. Probably, acceleration could be faster if it were not for the stretched gear rates of a thoughtful machine gun.
Outlander is the opposite. Despite the noticeably large dimensions, it is distinguished by lightness and transparency of control. You forget that you are driving in a large car: the high XL is so gambling turns around, as if it are two sizes smaller! The consistency of the 220-horsepower engine and a 6-speed machine inspires respect: the box switches very quickly and without hints of jerks. Well, if a sophisticated driver wants to adjust the choice of a machine gun, he will make it with steering wheel petals. The gas pedal is responsive, sometimes even too much: the car responds with an unexpectedly sharp acceleration that the city is not always pleasant. In addition, this affects the fuel consumption, which easily reaches 16-18 l/100 km.
Mitsubishi suspension is more tough and less energy -intensive than that of the opponent. A missing fossa at high speed can turn into a breakdown. But minor irregularities are noted only by slap tires. The smoothness of the stroke and the rolls is not borrowed from classmates, but rather in cars from the category of non -cheap. From there, the effectiveness and information content of the brakes.
 
Partisan paths
The victorious march on the asphalt tracks of the Moscow Region demonstrated the high-speed potential of cars. Check them out?
Under normal conditions, front -wheel drive cars. The Korean machine is equipped only with an electromagnetic coupling, working in a semi -automatic mode. If the driver presses the Lock button, it becomes a priority not front, but all -wheel drive. It is worth leaving the slippery coating, the electronics will turn off the rear wheels. Outlander in 2WD mode lead the front wheels, but if necessary, up to 10% of the torque can be transmitted and rear - via Viskyoft. 4WD Auto - Full -wheel drive mode, when electronics itself decides to redistribute the torque between the axes. The last position - 4WD Lock - imitates the locking of the center differential for movement at low speeds in the conditions of off -road.
Two hundred millimeters of the road clearance will fit for a not very broken primer. Fight! The cars successfully crossed the dried field and went down to the floodplain of a small river, on this the small victorious war ended: we suffered the first losses and are forced to retreat. The outlander clung to the ground with delicate plastic protection and strove to leave a full -sized spare wheel suspended under the trunk of the trunk. It is better not to get out of such a duffel bag from the trench
The only thing Santa Fe is better than the opponent is the steel protection of the crankcase. Both cars are not designed for more or less serious off-road. For good asphalt qualities, you have to pay with rigid pendants and unimportant geometric cross -country ability. Experiments with diagonal hanging instantly placed points over I. Only a harmless hill can make cars comically rotate with wheels under the roar of engines.
But even if you do not climb the ears in the mud, you should not go outside the asphalt quickly. Santa Fe goes a little softer along the lane, but it does not provoke a crankshaft. The bumps are harshly given on the steering wheel. In addition to wheels, pood weights hang on the levers of suspension. The body on each potholes responds with a light tremor, and the plastic panels of the cabin are echoed into creaking. Outlander's work of the suspension is almost not heard, but shocks the car stronger. The hardness of the body seems to be higher. A large supply of motor power is asked out, but it is worth exceeding the threshold of what is permitted and driving a little faster than the reasonable, the car will skip and this time shakes the soul from the crew.
The maneuvers are completed, return to the location and report: Santa Fe is an example of a healthy conservative approach. It is suitable for leisurely and thorough. Outlander XL loves drivers with an active life position. Both cars are good on the asphalt, impressive in the city and are almost helpless outside the roads. Do you get into service?
Mikhail Gzovsky: To win the market, there is no longer enough solid dimensions and a multi -liter motor. Mitsubishi engineers managed to embody all new technologies in the Outlander, Hyundai specialists made a planned overhaul in the language of the builders in the framework of the approved estimate.
Hyundai Santa Fe 2.7 GLS - despite the update, seems morally outdated. For that kind of money, the design should be more modern, the salon is more convenient, comfort is higher.
General assessment 7.5
+ Rich equipment with passive safety systems, a large energy intensity of the suspension, moderate fuel consumption.
- Incorgoing rear seat, small possibilities of transformation of the salon, a high level of noise and vibrations.
Mitsubishi Outlander XL 3.0 is modern not only outside and inside, but also by ergonomics and riding. The principle of reasonable sufficiency is skillfully implemented in it.
General assessment 8.1
+ Bright appearance, excellent dynamics, light informative control, spacious landing.
- the lack of protection of the motor compartment, there is no longitudinal adjustment of the steering column, the spare wheel limits the angle of the congress.
 
 
 
 
 
Mikhail Gzovsky
 

Source: The magazine "Driving"