Jim Norton Mitsubishi

2007 Mitsubishi Outlander

Editor: Tom Lankard
All-new compact SUV a compelling choice.

Walk Around

The Mitsubishi Outlander has been re-shaped, re-contoured and refined for 2007.

Gone is the signature, massive centerpiece splitting a multi-sectioned grille. In its place is an understated, more traditionally shaped opening with the three-diamond trademark floating on thin, horizontal bars. The lower portion of the front bumper opens into a large air intake above a skid plate-looking under panel. Headlight covers blend cleanly into the surrounding fascia and fenders.

The side aspect shows a sleeker, rounder shape. Deeply creased fender blisters outline circular wheel wells. The optional 18-inch wheels look better than the 16-inchers. The side glass tapers toward the back end, playing to the wedge look and ending in a substantial, sharply angular D-pillar. Front and rear bumpers flow seamlessly into their respective quarter panels. Easy-to-grip door handles sit atop full-round indents.

The rear view, in contrast to the collage of the '06, looks all of a single piece, or maybe two. Which it mostly is, in fact, as the liftgate reaches all the way down to the top of the bumper, which functions also as a fold-down tailgate, albeit an abbreviated one; with an eye toward tailgate parties, Mitsubishi says the bumper-cum-tailgate will support up to 440 pounds. A nice feature about the tailgate is that when you open the liftgate your cantelope doesn't coming rolling out onto the ground, something that sometimes happens on SUVs that don't have a tailgate.

The body side panels bend inwards toward the top, adding a distinctively aero-look to an otherwise mostly boxy shape. Many of the seams and lines draw the eye to the Mitsubishi trademark centered in the lift gate. The spoiler topping the backlight extends directly from the roof; there is no gap as there was in the pre-2007 models.

I

Interior

When they redesigned the Outlander for 2007, Mitsubishi's designers paid as much attention to the inside as they did to its outside. The result is a look and feel that's more upscale, quieter, more mature, with tasteful metallic trim and tighter integration of controls and fixtures.

The front seats are markedly improved over the previous-generation models. Deeper bottom cushions give better thigh support. Side bolsters do their job without being overly confining. Lumbar and height adjustment offer sufficient range to accommodate 'most every body shape and dimension. The Outlander competes with the Chevrolet Equinox, Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, Mazda CX-7, and Toyota RAV4. Compared with those vehicles, the front seats of the Outlander offer headroom that's firmly in the upper half of the class and comparable legroom, though hip room is relatively tight.

The second row of seats are more like bench seats than bucket seats, but with much-appreciated, fore-and-aft and seatback recline adjustments. Second-row legroom in the ES and LS is among the best in the class. In the XLS, however, the presence of the third-row seat exacts a penalty of almost three inches, dropping second-row legroom into the lower half of the class. Headroom and hip room for second-row passengers is below average for the class.

Access to the third-row seat in the XLS model is surprisingly easy for a sport utility of this size. The second-row seat folds flat and then rocks forward against the back of the front seat, opening an expansive path to the rearmost seat; there's even a small courtesy light on the second row seat bottom that illuminates the floor when the seat bottom is released. Once back there, the third-row seats are not comfortable for adults. The seat bottom and seat back are mere inches in thickness, and the seat sits so close to the floor that adult occupants' knees come to about shoulder height. The Outlander's third-row seat comes up short against the RAV4 by a couple inches in every direction. The RAV4 seat is also a real one, with cushions instead of pads.

Collapsing the third-row seats into the cargo floor is relatively easy, requiring little more than pulling a couple straps and pushing where noted. Not so retrieving it. Even with the short tailgate, getting to a couple of the requisite straps and then leveraging the seat elements up out of the floor and locked into place makes for some awkward stretches and strains. Still, for kids or short jaunts, it fulfills its purpose.

In cargo room, the Outlander bests all the competition save the RAV4, and it loses to that one by less than one-half a foot-square box. Another note about that short tailgate: It incorporates a feature we've noticed only on high-end SUVs, a flap that folds down when the gate is open to bridge the gap over the gate's hinges. Thus, not only is there a short tailgate that eases loading and unloading cargo, but also it's a lot easier sliding awkward and heavy boxes into and out of the back. The tailgate helps prevent groceries and other cargo from falling out when you open the liftgate, something that sometimes happens with a one-piece liftgate.

Storage elsewhere is respectable. A bi-level glove box fills the top and bottom of the right side of the dash. All four doors have bottle holders, the front ones sharing space with maps and the like. The front console has four cup holders, the second-row fold-down center another two. Even the third-row seat has cubbies on the side. Atop the storage compartment in the center console is a padded cover that adjusts fore and aft a couple inches.

Sight lines from the Outlander's driver's seat are good most ways around. Front end extremities stay in view, easing parking and some maneuvers in close quarters. The rather robust D-pillars make slicing and dicing in fast-moving, heavy traffic a challenge. And as we're discovering as rear seat entertainment systems appear in mo