2011 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER SPORT SE

[رانيا 2]

It has awkward proportions, almost as though it has a nose too big for its face. But that doesn’t take away from the cuteness of the 2011 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport. From the seemingly twisted category of “cute utes,” Mitsubishi comes forth with one of their latest.

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A capable hauler, it has pluses and minuses to be certain. Sit back as we cruise with one of the new breed in urban-assault grocery getters, this one from the maker of the Evo.

What is it?
A four-adult, or two-adult, three child carrier, the Outlander Sport is a compact CUV that draws inspiration from the Evo Lancer, and according to Mitsubishi, adds some spice to an otherwise humdrum segment. Our vehicle for the week was the 2WD SE model, although it is available in an all-wheel-drive configuration as well.

Powered by the firm’s venerable four-banger, it might be the solution for some, but not all, types of buyers.

What’s it up against?
The Mitsubishi Outlander Sport comes up against some heavy hitters in the segment. Among them are Nissan’s glimmering siblings, the Juke and Rogue, the Kia Sportage, the MINI Countryman and then, at a slightly higher price point, the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4.

It is a rather stout segment, so if you wish to compete, you best bring your A–game.

Any breakthroughs?
Among the breakthroughs for the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport start with the price. Value pricing in this segment is a way to get market share, especially when some of your competitors skirt close to the edge of $30,000, or beyond.

All Outlander Sport models are equipped with standard features like remote keyless entry with a panic feature, halogen and S–HID headlights, Bluetooth hands-free communications, and audio systems with USB input and steering wheel mounted controls. Mitsubishi’s FUSE Hands free Link System even allows Bluetooth streaming audio from a smart phone or iPhone.

It’s nothing we haven’t seen before, but it is a pretty darn complete package on paper for our tester’s low base price.

How does it look?
Can we be honest here? The Outlander Sport features styling that reminds us of the Evo Lancer, which is presently the company’s halo car – at least until it is dropped after this current generation (really, Mitsubishi?).

Mitsubishi, long known for its aircraft, has styled the Outlander Sport with an aircraft-inspired intake scoop for the front grill. But from there, it looks like they forgot the wings and the tail.

Overall, the Outlander Sport shares the same wheelbase as the regular Outlander. But with the short rear overhang, we have a case of a vehicle that looks like it’s trying to lean forward. Creases and contour lines add interest to the overall look of the CUV. They also tend to break up the monotony that would exist had the door panels truly been slab-sided.

All this is not to say that the vehicle is boring looking. In fact, we do like the appearance of the front clip starting with the grill and moving rearward past the HID headlamps. Our test vehicle was equipped with 10–spoke alloy wheels, and a blacked-out greenhouse with black–painted trim pieces to minimize the overall bulk of the glassed in area.

And on the inside?
The interior of the Outlander Sport doesn’t break much new ground, but will satisfy the needs of most drivers. Our demonstrator featured some soft touch materials, both on the doors and the dashboard. The gauge binnacle had the expected tachometer and speedometer along with fuel and temperature gauges, and a between gauge information read-out to keep the driver informed of mileage, trip meters, and other such information.

Although an optional Rockford/Fosgate audio system was available; ours was equipped with a standard AM/FM/CD/MP3 head unit and six speakers. The base head unit was not capable of tuning satellite radio, but we could introduce Sirius XM satellite radio through the Bluetooth streaming audio function of our Android smartphone.

The seats throughout were covered with a black knit material that appears to wear well from our brief exposure to it. They proved very supportive during our day trips.

The rear seats fold down in a 60/40 split, and open up the rear cargo area to 49.5 cubic feet of storage space. With the seats in their normal upright position, cargo space drops down to 21.7 cubic ft.

Finally, the redundant controls and alloy paddle shift levers were a welcome touch on the steering wheel when trying to get out of our own way.

But does it go?
Our Outlander Sport came equipped with a 2.0-liter MIVEC in-line four-cylinder engine, which makes 148 horsepower and 145 lb-ft. of torque. By the way, in case you were interested, MIVEC stands for Mitsubishi Innovative Valve–timing Electronic Control. It’s their name for variable valve timing. Fed by a multi-port fuel injection system the EPA says to expect 25-city/31-highway. We averaged about 25 mpg during our combined city/highway loop.

Power from the four banger is sent to Mitsubishi’s continuously variable transmission, which simulates six–speed shifting while using the paddle shift levers that, in this case, are mounted on the steering column and do not spin with the steering wheel. The suspension is made up of a pair of MacPherson struts and 22 mm anti-sway bar in front, and a multi-link kit with 18 mm anti-sway bar in the rear.

Driving around presented a few challenges while behind the wheel of the Mitsubishi. With local roads swollen to capacity, rapid acceleration is a necessity when merging onto heavily trafficked thoroughfares. Squeezing the go pedal results in a high-pitched whine typically found in vehicles with CVTs. The trouble is that most of the time, the whine usually results in power to the pavement. Unfortunately, that’s not the case here. A couple of quick squeezes to the downshift lever dropped the gearing down so we could safely merge into traffic.

A fair amount of road noise permeated the cabin while we were underway.

Handling was a bit tentative. Steering is electric power-assisted and offered rather vague feedback while driving at speed. On the open road, with no traffic around us and no breezes as evidenced by palm trees hanging motionless, we experienced buffeting that felt as though we were being passed on the highway by an out-of-control big rig.

Why you would buy it:
You work for the company and the employee discount is too great to pass up – or you have never heard of Hyundai, Kia, Mini, or Nissan.

Why you wouldn’t
Because there are just too many good alternatives available today.

Leftlane’s bottom line
There are so many good choices in this segment, some that are loaded, and others that are loads.

In our opinion, the only thing the Outlander Sport has going for itself, at this moment, is a low price. You should only consider it if you are absolutely certain that you will never make another dollar in your life that would enable you to buy one of this vehicle’s competitors.

2011 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport SE 2WD base price, $21,695. As tested, $22,475.
Destination, $780.