We believe that the compact SUV category has the potential of becoming the hottest-selling category of vehicles in North America. As people are starting to downsize the SUVs sitting in their driveway and manufacturers are starting to phase out their biggest truck offerings, this category should see constant sales growth in the next few years.
There is no mainstream manufacturer that doesn’t have a compact SUV in their product line-up. That makes shopping for one both good and bad; good because there’s plenty of choice, and anybody can find one to suit their tastes and needs, bad because test driving each one will be a lengthy process.
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| For 2010, the Outlander gets a facelift which includes new headlights, hood, fenders as well as a wide-mouth grille. (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com) |
Mitsubishi, who is slowly but surely growing their dealer network across Canada, applied a round of changes to the 2010 edition of their
Outlander SUV. Among those changes is a facelift which includes new headlights, hood, fenders as well as a wide-mouth grille that is inspired by the one on
Lancer Ralliart and
Evolution models.
Mechanically, the ES trims keep their 2.4-litre 4-cylinder engine, but the LS and XLS trims get an upgraded version of their 3.0-litre V6; it now develops 230 horsepower and 215 lb-ft of torque, up 10 and 9 respectively. On the dragstrip, the 2010 XLS outperforms the 2009 model, reaching 100 km/h in 8.1 seconds and clearing the quarter-mile in 15.7 seconds at 143 km/h.
It also uses a little less fuel in city driving, dropping from 12.0 L/100 km to 11.2. On the other hand, premium fuel is now recommended, which offsets the modest fuel savings, but Mitsubishi confirms the engine will take regular unleaded on a daily basis. We’re averaging 11.9 L/100 km, which is about the same as last year’s LS 4WD model we tested.
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| The 3.0-litre V6 now develops 230 horsepower and 215 lb-ft of torque, up 10 and 9 respectively. (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com) |
