Mitsubishi Outlander test drive since 2007 SUV

Applying a small motor

Is it worth it to abandon a three-liter six in favor of a 4-cylinder engine with a volume of 2.4 liters? Denis Harutyunyan asked this question, together with potential buyers of Mitsubishi Autlander XL. Photo: George Sadkov.
 
Whatever you say, but calling such cars SUVs and even all -terrain vehicles are wrong: they are unsuitable for off -road; A foreigner (as verbatim is translated by the name Outlander) - another confirmation of this. It is enough to look at the front -colored bumpers and the clumsy stump of a full -sized spare wheel hanging under the gap of the trunk in dangerous proximity to the ground. However, in the conditions of our winter, a certain supply of patency is useful.
Equal to the driver!
Taxing with a tight parking, he remembered the outer mirrors distorting reality with an unkind word. You look
in them - it seems that a few millimeters remained before the sparkling Lexus. I got out of the car and found a supply of more than a meter! I had to go almost to the touch, sneaking. Do you want a thrill? Please!
Who will receive more pleasure from driving on the Outlander XL? Passengers will appreciate a spacious salon and a completely comfortable suspension, a roof hatch and a wonderful sound of the Rockford Fosgate audio system with 9 speakers and the Bluetooth interface. However, the driver still gets the lion's share of sensations. True, to him you will have to get used to the long -flowing pedal of the gas, which in the city you are supposed to be barely by a quarter of the course, and to the handbrake, shifted to the passenger seat.
NEED FOR SPEED
The movement in city traffic jams relaxes and evokes boredom. The well-fed rumbling of the motor, coupled with the smooth operation of the variator, is completely lulling. Calmness ends with traveling on free roads. At the start from the traffic light, he pressed it stronger - the variator instantly changed the gear, the engine tore the front wheels into the slip, and the screen on the dashboard repainted from red to yellow, signaling the operation of the ASC stabilization system. He transferred the wheel to the 4WD -Auto position - and the next acceleration from the place reminded the cannon shot. Electronics is so prompt distributes the torque that the assistant can relax, waking up only in the most difficult situations. Outlander calls into the turns so confidently that there is a desire to push - even if it does not help out all -wheel drive, you can safely hope for ASC. By the way, I would not advise it to disconnect it - electronics allows you to feel much more confident on a slippery road. The brakes are tenacious, ABS works very timely and correctly.
There are no problems on overtaking. It is worth pressing a little more on the pedal, the motor responds with an angry roar, the box with a minimum delay jumps one or two, or even three steps down. A powerful even acceleration resembles the effect of the centrifuge on which the astronauts are trained. After several such maneuvers, I thought: perhaps the only place where this machine is not enough traction is a racing track.
ACTIVIST
Outlander XL demonstrates not only versatility, but also a little picky, provocative character. So is it worth it to abandon a more powerful motor? Yes, I think so! The combination of a 2.4-liter four and a variator easily turns a car from a conditional all-terrain vehicle into a road shell. And on the saved $ 3,000, in my opinion, it is better to buy a windsurfing board or a mountain bike. After all, such a machine simply obliges to maintain an image of an active person.
Mitsubishi Outlander XL 2.4 - a modest engine and a stray transmission do not hide the gambling character of a universal car.
 

 

Source: The magazine "Driving"