Outlander facelift adds some smarts

JONATHAN CAMERON

Mitsubishi's Outlander has had a facelift

Mitsubishi's Outlander has had a facelift

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Is this is motor industry press release quote of the year?

In a recent announcement that its Outlander SUV had been facelifted, Mitsubishi New Zealand pointed out that every model now has an electronic SmartBrake system.

"If you hadn't heard of it until now - well, neither had we!", announced the company in its release.

"But it's on every Outlander," it said, adding that SmartBrake is also on every 2012-model Lancer, ASX, Challenger, Pajero, and Triton. In other words, just about the entire Mitsubishi fleet sold in New Zealand.

Gee - fancy not knowing what is included in a vehicle facelift until after the facelifted vehicle arrives. If truth be known, it probably happens all the time, but the companies just don't admit it.

But all joking aside, inclusion of the SmartBrake system into the Mitsubishi product lineup does represent good news, because it adds to the safety specification of each vehicle.

The system is also known as brake override, and it uses electronic sensors to identify when the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal are being pressed at the same time. It recognises the fact that this isn't normal and that something may be going wrong - such as the driver stamping on the brake in an emergency, but in the panic also either stamping on the accelerator or forgetting to take the foot off the gas pedal.

In the case of Mitsubishi's SmartBrake, the system spots the error, cancels the message from the accelerator pedal, and concentrates on bringing the vehicle to a stop.

Introduction of the intelligent braking system is the most important aspect of what is a fairly soft mid-life upgrade of the Outlander.

Ride and handling has been slightly improved via replacement of the front suspension's strut crossbar with a stiffener plate in the strut tower, and in the case of the all-wheel-drive XLS version we had for road test, the interior is quieter thanks to the use of more sound-deadening material.

All Outlanders also now have Bluetooth included in a full connectivity package.

But that's about all, with the remainder of the facelift all cosmetic. In the case of our 2.4-litre XLS, the exterior of the vehicle now has a chrome- accented front grille with silver lower garnish, and colour-keyed exterior door handles.

Inside, the instrument panel has been upgraded so it is now similar to the sportier VRX version of the Outlander, there is soft touch leather-look fabric on the door trim and the dash, trim on the likes of the centre console and gearshift indicator panel have silver paintwork, there are chrome interior door handles, and the seats now have partial leather trim.

About the only major physical change to the interior change is that the XLS now gets a warm/ cool box added above the glove box.

But that's OK, because I've always enjoyed the design excellence of the Outlander and feel that not a lot needed to be done to keep it fresh.

It's a sound vehicle, built on a platform that is good enough to have been used for other vehicles including the Peugeot 4007 and the Citroen C-Crosser, and of course there is the all-wheel drive there that allows it to take on slightly rougher country when required.

The rear continues to feature a split tailgate that helps make access to the luggage area easier, and up front there continues to be the little knob that can be twisted to operate the Outlander as either a front-drive vehicle or in all- wheel drive. The AWD can also be locked into place with a 50:50 torque split for the heavier offroad work, although the Mitsubishi needs to be stationary for this to happen.

Outlander XLS continues to be powered by Mitsubishi's proven 2.4-litre MIVEC four-cylinder petrol engine, mated to a continuously variable automatic transmission with six-speed manual over-ride. It's a good engine, offering 127 kilowatts of power and 230 Newton metres of torque.

Overall, this latest facelift succeeds in doing a reasonable job in keeping Outlander fresh in the face of newer competition until, presumably, a brand-new version arrives. It should be enough to keep the $45,990 XLS up there as one of the more desirable SUVs on the Kiwi market.

- © Fairfax NZ News