Mitsubishi Outlander test drive since 2007 SUV

Mitsubishi Outlander XL with a 2.4 liter engine.

Mitsubishi Outlander XL with a 2.4 -liter engine appeared. It costs from $ 33,000 with a manual transmission and a cloth or from $ 38,000 with leather and a variator. We got a set of $ 38,000 with a variator, a leather salon and a premium class with a variator for a test.
How does it differ from the only available Outlander XL with a three -liter engine and automatic transmission for a very solid $ 45,000? Yes, almost nothing. The same pleasure from noble controllability, the weighty share of which is provided by the exemplary rigidity of the body for twisting, a racing spacer under the hood and a low center of gravity, achieved thanks to a light aluminum roof.
Where did the wheels look?
Fans of the brand are used to the sports character of the crossover, but others may have to be in tone, especially crossing American cars. On Outlander XL, you can’t just turn the steering wheel in the right direction and press on the pedal, observing how the SUV fits into the trajectory you need. Then if you pressed the right pedal, then you will quickly find yourself exactly where the wheels looked. Mitsubishi crossover does not forgive mistakes and reflection behind the wheel.
But the minimum of longitudinal and transverse buildup, no body fluctuations. Holding the steering wheel, you feel that the car is obeyed with extreme accuracy, and not just the steering rack.
Global engine
I admit, XL is one of my favorite cars in this class. Once I had a chance to ride it in a crossed area for three consecutive days, and warm memories of that journey were still alive. True, it was a three -liter Outlander. And today, I remind you, we have a gasoline engine with a working volume of 2.4 liters The result of a joint project of the world engine of Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, Daimlerchrysler and Hyundai Motor Company. Its distinguishing design features cast by pressure aluminum cylinder unit, electronic system for controlling the phases of gas distribution and the height of valve lift (MIVEC), a posterior exhaust collector.
The developers are especially proud of compactness and low weight of the power unit. Its dimensions were reduced due to the use of the chain instead of the belt for the drive of the distribution shafts, as well as the rejection of the use of the gearbox of the valves in favor of the direct drive of the valve mechanism.
In fact, the 2.4 -liter engine paired with the variator makes it possible to go to Outlander very comfortably at a speed of 160170 km/h, holding 30003500 revolutions. When overtaking, manual mode on the steering wheel helps there are racing petals for switching. The variator thinks quickly, but, as usual, yells paired with the engine at maximum speed.
The coupling could not stand it
Remembering how in the summer XL famously coped with a dirty primer, I decided to call on a 30-degree snowy rise, and in the very middle of the hill, the Japanese suddenly worked a fuse built from such exploits. When the transmission load exceeded the threshold (known, however, only to the manufacturer and not specified in the official data), the electronics automatically turned off the rear axle, after which it remains only to turn on the reverse.
After two attempts from under the rear arches, smoke fell. The coupling finally blocked. In less than five minutes of work. This is far from hard blocking! The wheels inside the coupling slip and overheating, which other crossovers sin and. It was strongly interfered with off -road movement and a spare wheel that limits the rear overhang. If you are foreseen for a light off-around, it is better to shoot it.
Answering the question of whether the cheap XL is good compared to the three -liter option, I will say: it less quickly overtakes KAMAZ. But in general, this is a 100 % Mitsu, and he again pleased me. I almost forgot about its ergonomic miscalculations: too far located the variator selector and the absence of adjustment of the tilt of the seat pillow. Nevertheless, he has a pleasant interior decoration in all respects, reference controllability and, of course, the aesthetics of the body.
 
Author: Dmitry Leontyev, photo of Alexander Ortnova-Baranov
   

 

Source: Magazine 4x4 [February/2008]