Whilst I was busy having coffee with the Missus over at Citta Mall earlier this evening, Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia launched the 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander for the Malaysian market. The 2.4liter petrol powered Outlander comes fully imported from Japan, and for units booked before 31st May 2016, it is priced at RM166,720 on-the-road excluding insurance. Holy crap! It magically falls between the Nissan X-Trail 2.5 and the Honda CRV 2.4! How did they ever manage a feat like that?
The Outlander for Malaysia comes only in one specification and it has that 2.4liter MIVEC engine I mentioned earlier which gives it 167hp and 222Nm torque. It has a Mitsubishi INVECS CVT gearbox which I think is one of the better made CVTs out there. It had 4wd too, with a Haldex based system that powers the front wheels most of the time and will only channel power to the rear if the system detects slip here and there. So this isn't just a poofy crossover SUV. It can do a bit of mud plugging if you want to.
Anyway, the reason for this short and sweet article is that I kinda like the Outlander. It's got a big-ass front grille that was part of its 2015 facelift (it has been around since 2012 you know but somehow it has only arrived on our shores in 2016...after a facelift) and it is actually a mid-sized crossover vehicle instead of something as crude as the current ladder frame Mitsubishi Pajero Sport - below (of which there is already a new model of it out in Thailand and would soon come here also). Most who end up buying the Pajero Sport do not even take it fishing or plugging around rubber estates, palm oil plantations or up a mountain somewhere.
It may have 178hp and a massive 350Nm torque from its 2.5liter turbodiesel, but for on road use, the Outlander's 222Nm is actually good enough. Of course, the Pajero Sport is actually quite refined for something with a ladder frame chassis. It has a refined direct injection diesel and quite good specs. But I find the overall design too off-roady for something which I see almost never going off-road these days.
The Outlander is somehow meant to cruise the highways as it has a monocoque chassis, which means the car can sit lower and is a lot more rigid (more solid) than anything with a ladder frame chassis (or body over chassis construction). And note that the Pajero Sport costs RM179K before any insurance. So the Outlander is cheaper too at around RM167K. So's the annual road tax (2.4petrol at under RM800.00, 2.5 dIesel at around RM1,877.00).
So why the heck do you need something slightly crude like the Pajero Sport if you hardly go anywhere off road? You like Mitsubishi SUVs you say? No problem. Now you can buy the Outlander. I give you my blessing.
2 comments:
2.5 dIesel at around RM1,877.00 in West Malaysia ? Are you serious?
Yes. Use this - http://www.autoworld.com.my/tools/road-tax-calculator and click for diesel cars - 2499cc at least.
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