- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 7 seats
- Engine
2.2DT, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
110kW, 360Nm
- Fuel
Diesel 5.8L/100KM
- Manufacturer
4WD
- Transmission
Auto
- Warranty
5 Yr, 130000 KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
2014 Mitsubishi Outlander Aspire Review
Owner reviews are by their very nature, biased. I have tried hard in my review to remain objective, as a review dripping in praise is not generally very helpful for genuine buyers.
- Economy, Low down torque, 7 seats, Comfortable
- Clunky infotainment system, Delay for reversing guide lines, Thin slipperly steering wheel
We bought the MY14.5 model knowing the MY16 model was close. I personally don't like the open gaping 'mouth' of the new model, so I was happy to buy the soon-to-be-superseded model. Plus, there are some amazing deals to be had for brand new MY14.5 Diesel Aspires. Forget the factory RRP driveaway price of $49K. Think $10K less. That price should more than adequately compensate us for the slight hit to resale resulting from the updated model and for losing out on a couple of features in the new model such as DAB digital radio.
Turning now to the car itself. We've lived with her for two months now. That is just enough time to get well acquainted with her good features and some of her bad ones. Starting with the good ones, the torque of the diesel engine is phenomenal. Max torque is available low down (about 1500rpm). It actually pushes us back in our seats and gives us a real sense of confidence when driving knowing that the engine can get us out of trouble if need be. The diesel also has the conventional six-speed auto, which in my opinion is better and more satisfying that the CVT. The engine is also very fuel efficient - we are consistently getting 7L/100km in Canberra. Towing is also a breeze. We've towed our boat several times with seven people on board and it has performed flawlessly. It has a two-tonne towing capacity but more importantly has a tow-bar downward weight of 200kg.
Moving on to the interior. We test drove the Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Sorrento and Ford Territory but preferred the Outlander’s features and the fact the infotainment system is slightly angled towards the driver. It feels like a cockpit and makes it easy to see. The system is not flawless, however. It has an SD card slot which I've loaded all my music onto and, while it plays fine, it doesn't have a search function. Nor does it have a song progress bar to move forward or back. Essentially, it just plays the song from start to finish - there's no way to go to your favourite part. It's a small thing I know, but it's annoying. The screen is a decent size, but it's also quite clunky, is not HD and is resistive not capacitive, so you have to really touch it quite firmly to get touch recognition. I've found the GPS system to be fair, and a criticism which has been levelled at it is that it won’t allow address inputs whilst the car is moving. I think that’s a good safety feature, but others may find it infuriating.
Another small gripe is the hardness of the centre console when resting your elbow/forearm on it while driving. It's also a tad short, so most of your forearm hangs over the front of it. I guess that can be remedied by keeping both hands on the wheel…
Also, a problem that I've taken up with Mitsubishi is the delay that occurs for the reversing camera guide lines to appear after you've selected reverse gear. It takes 30 seconds. Mitsubishi have told me this is normal. I find it extremely annoying. Especially when reversing from a close park in a car park. Guess I'll just have to live with that.
It's not a problem for my family, but the rear seats also lack air vents. Probably an oversight Mitsubishi should fix. I do also wish that the side mirrors folded away when the car was locked - again a small issue.
What we do love is the auto closing tailgate - a godsend with kids and shopping - and the ease with which Bluetooth can be set up for calls and music streaming. The heated seats are also awesome in Canberra as is the sunroof which lets natural light stream in.
Overall, we're really happy with it. It does exactly what we needed it to do. Any car is going to have some features that annoy you, but if it ticks 99 per cent of the boxes, as this car does for us, then you can live with the issues. Having that five-year warranty as standard also aids our peace of mind. Overall, this is a great car.