Mitsubishi was a pretty popular name in the Indian car industry once upon a time, when it offered the likes of the Lancer and Cedia sedans, and the Pajero SUV. While each of these cars enjoyed their own successful spells in the country, the company has not quite been at the forefront of the Indian auto industry of late. It is this that the company hopes to change with the reintroduction of its new generation premium SUV in India – the Outlander.
The Mitsubishi Outlander has been launched in India at Rs. 32 lac, and at its price point, aims to take on the likes of the Toyota Fortuner, Ford Endeavour, Skoda Kodiaq, Volkswagen Tiguan, Honda CR-V and Hyundai Santa Fe. With the Fortuner and the Endeavour being considerably more popular members of the premium SUV market of India, Mitsubishi will hope to continue its once-premium market status to gain a share of the growing group of premium SUV buyers in the country. With that in sight, here's looking at five key things about the all-new Mitsubishi Outlander, and how they stack up against the competition.
New 'Dynamic Shield' design
The all-new Mitsubishi Outlander features the company's new 'Dynamic Shield' design, which includes a host of new elements. These include thick chrome belts on the front grille and along both sides of the front bumper, and chrome lining along the side skirts too. Mitsubishi also says that the slanted nose and the gradually inclined roof add to the efficiency of aerodynamics, and this reduces the coefficient of drag by 7 percent. The Dynamic Shield design also makes the SUV look quite tall and imposing, just like an old-school SUV. The old generation Outlander that was sold in India had a number of car-like characteristics, while the new Outlander has gone for the burlier approach to match the design language of its competitors. Mitsubishi enthusiasts and owners will still be able to identify this as a typical Mitsubishi design, particularly from the front-end.
Engine and transmission
The Mitsubishi Outlander gets only one variant in India, until the company gauges market interest and decides that it will make business-wise sense for them to bring more variants. Until then, the Outlander is powered by a 2.4-litre petrol engine that produces 166bhp and 222Nm torque, and touches 100kph from standstill in 11.1 seconds. This is further paired with a CVT gearbox and paddle shifters, and gets four-wheel drive as standard. Other elements of the drivetrain include ventilated disc brakes to the front, and solid discs to the rear. Mitsubishi highlights the electric park brake with auto-hold function as a key feature, and the Outlander stands on 16-inch alloys, which may seem a bit small given the size of the SUV. Dimensions-wise, the Outlander is 4.7 metres long, and has a wheelbase of 2670mm, which is shorter than both the Fortuner (2745mm) and the Endeavour (2850mm).
Upgraded exteriors
The Outlander features a host of elements on the outside to stand out among the crowd. The list of equipment and elements on the outside include the swanky, slanting grille with narrow, automatic LED headlamps, DRLs and LED fog lamps, an 'anti-trapping' sunroof, rain-sensing automatic wipers, high-mount LED stop lamp, headlamp washer, laminated green windshield glass, tempered green front, rear and side glasses, heated ORVMs and chrome licence plate garnish. The new Mitsubishi Outlander will be available in seven colours – Black Pearl, Cosmic Blue, Orient Red, Cool Silver, White Solid, White Pearl and Titanium Grey.
Electronics and interiors
On the inside, the Mitsubishi Outlander features all-black leather seats across three rows of seating with leather trim inserts on the dashboard, with leather trim around the gear selector and black trims on dashboard elements. The electronics in the car include a 6.1-inch infotainment system, which does not seem to include Apple CarPlay, Android Auto or any other smartphone-casting features. Instead, it gets standard USB and wireless connectivity for all operations, and a 2+4-speaker Rockford Fosgate audio system with subwoofer and an 8-channel, 710W amplifier. Rear view camera with guide rails is included as standard, and other electronics here include keyless entry and ignition, electric park brake with auto-hold, electric power steering and driver-only one-touch window operation.
Safety-wise, the Mitsubishi Outlander gets seven airbags, Active Stability Control, Hill-Start Assist, Brake Assist, Engine immobilizer, and front and rear impact protection, making it a decently-equipped offering. However, in comparison with Ford's SYNC 3 and Toyota's own infotainment systems, it remains to be seen how well it fares when it hits the roads.
Pricing and competition
The Mitsubishi Outlander is priced at Rs. 32 lac (ex-showroom, Mumbai), and is available in only one option. In competition, both its prime contenders offer a range of variants to choose from. The Fortuner is priced between Rs. 26.7 lac and Rs. 32.5 lac, while the Endeavour is priced between Rs. 26.1 lac and Rs. 32.8 lac, all prices ex-showroom Mumbai. Other cars in the premium SUV category like the Skoda Kodiaq is priced at Rs. 34.5 lac, while the likes of the updated Honda CR-V is yet to launch in the country.