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| 2006 Mitsubishi Outlander Limited AWD (Photo: Justin Pritchard, Auto123.com) |
The cargo space in the Outlander isn't as plentiful as some of the competition. With the spare tire stored inside the vehicle, storage space suffers. I respect Mitsubishis decision to not mount the spare tire outside on the back, because that's about as cool looking as tying your sweater around your neck. The cargo area is adaptable, with storage compartments under the floor to keep your things organized. You could put hand tools into these compartments and work out of the back of the Outlander if you wanted to build something. There are roof rails installed too- you can mount a carrier for your extra luggage, bike, snowboard, or other gear on the roof. These rails are often optional equipment from other manufacturers but are included with the Limited package.
Rear seat accommodations are generous. Even your taller friends will be comfortable -- one exceptionally tall friend of mine accompanied me on a 4-hour road trip and commented on how comfortable the rear seat was. He told me he had been comfortable in very few similar vehicles sitting in back. At six-foot-four and 220 pounds, I'm going to take his word for it. The seats can be reclined or folded down to accommodate many variations of passengers and cargo -- you can switch from hockey tryouts to hauling furniture in a matter of seconds.
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| 2006 Mitsubishi Outlander Limited AWD (Photo: Justin Pritchard, Auto123.com) |
The engine is a 2.4-liter with MIVEC (Mitsubishi Innovative Valve timing and lift Electronic Control), the same one fitted to the Lancer Ralliart, creating two less horsepower at 160, and 162 pounds-feet of torque. In the Lancer, it's a peppy, smooth and quiet mill, but in the Outlander, which is nearly 800 pounds heavier and drives all four wheels, the engine has its work cut out for it. It isn't quick -- you'll quickly learn to give yourself lots of room to merge and pass other slower traffic. The experience of accelerating is so unsatisfying that you'll quickly learn to just gently apply the throttle and enjoy the engine's smooth and quiet character at lower revs. I appreciated the engine's unobtrusiveness and smooth gearshifts when lightly accelerating. There is a four-speed automatic gearbox with a selectable shift mode which is reasonably quick to react and will go into the next gear exactly when you ask it too. This allows a greater degree of control for any off roading you may experience, and its usefulness on the highway is ideal for gearing down for corners and passing, helping to squeeze every drop out of the 160 horsepower when needed. Now that I have the issue of performance out of the way, we can focus on the array of other things to enjoy about the Outlander.
Besides, speed isn't the point of such a vehicle -- a vehicle like this is for being safe and capable first, fuel efficient and friendly to your savings account second, and speed last. Complaining about the acceleration of the Outlander is like complaining about how poorly a Corvette does mud bogging. (No I haven't.)
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| 2006 Mitsubishi Outlander Limited AWD (Photo: Justin Pritchard, Auto123.com) |
Capability and safety? Where to start... by way of its all-wheel drive system, traction anywhere is impressive. It's not a clunky 4WD transfer case that needs to be put in neutral, stopped, engaged at a certain speed, etc. None of that here. It is simply on all of the time, working its magic with no driver input ever needed. Though I find it to be more wagon like than truck like, it has a definite go anywhere attitude that is altogether confidence inspiring when driving in nasty conditions. If you haven't ever owned an all wheel drive machine and live in a northern climate, I encourage you to check it out -- you may question using two-wheel drive ever again.
