This Manx cat, as the breed is called, had the same body size as its feline mates, but Mother Nature had shortened its rear design. It could leap, bound and land on its paws like any other cat – the short tail was just the way it was designed.
Well, Mitsubishi had the same idea with its 7-seat Outlander crossover utility – cut the tail a bit and come up with a new Outlander Sport model that fits the mold of compact competition like the Volkswagen Tiguan, Nissan Rogue and last week’s Kia Sportage – the small end of the compact CUVs. The result answers the desires some consumers have right now –a crossover that’s not too big, and not too small.
OK sport, let’s see.
· Sport shape - Derived from its top-of-the line crossover, the Outlander Sport gets a major downsizing, losing more than 14 inches of its 183.7-inch length, but saving the bigger Outlander’s 105.1-inch wheelbase. Width and height stay close. The Outlander’s nose gets chopped, leaving behind a more aggressive plastic version of the jet fighter intake design you see on the compact Lancer sedan and its EVO rally version. The grill’s upper and lower sections are split by a body-color bar with black crosshatch mesh and slim slot intakes at the bottom. The slit headlights look more aggressive and hooded over sculpted arcs that frame the foglights. The fender flares look a bit squared off on top, and the flanks get an upswept line that starts at the back of the front flares and ends just forward of the taillights for a more interesting look. Under a second, gentler lower door design line is a sill that visually connects the flared fenders and their 10-spoke alloy wheels wearing 18-inch Goodyear Eagle LS rubber. The tall beltline rises to meet the gently-sloped rear roof line at a tail that’s also been cropped, with smaller taillights and smoked glass under a rear spoiler with clear-lens third brake light. The bumper underneath gets more sculpting, integrated reflectors and a single chromed exhaust tip. It looks a bit like a tall Lancer, especially with the upswept side line. One friend called it “very cute,” which may or may not be what Mitsubishi wants to hear. It does have more style than a Tiguan or RAV4, and looked wide and well-stanced.
· Outlander outfitting – Our front-wheel-drive Outlander Sport ES came with a decent list of standard equipment in a black-on-black hard plastic interior with some dashes of silver and padded door accents. And give Mitsubishi some credit – the interior design is different than the full-size Outlander that donated the basics. A tilt/telescope three-spoke steering wheel with a graspable leather rim gets stereo, cruise and Bluetooth phone/audio controls. The 140-mph speedometer and 8,000-rpm tach live inset in silver tubes flanking a full-color LCD trip computer and gear indicator with a bar graph gas and temperature display, all readable in any light. There’s push-button start as well as a simply-designed 140-watt AM-FM-CD stereo system with MP3 and USB/iPod input under the center armrest. It sounded just fine. Three simple, crisp-acting chrome and black knobs handle the single-zone a/c with pollen filter, a hard plastic storage cubbyhole, amber-lit cup holder and 12-volt power outlet nearby. There are two more cup holders in the center console, water bottle holders in the door map pockets, and a decent sized glove box. The front bucket seats are made from a grippy, attractive cloth, black on the bolsters and a silver-accented insert that makes for comfort and acceptable support. The driver gets manual seat height adjustment. Back seat room is just fine for two adults, thanks to the same wheelbase as the regular Outlander. And despite the bobbed tail, there’s a nice boxy cargo area aft of the 70/30 split folding rear seats with twin storage nooks aft of the wheel wells. Other nice touches – rain-sensing wipers, one-touch driver’s power window and dipping HID headlights.
· Outlander output – Mitsubishi packs a familiar 148-hp in-line four under the Sport’s hood, with aluminum block and cylinder head and a continuously variable valve timing system, hooked in our case to a Sportronic Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). Mitsubishi says most of the engine's torque is produced across a wide powerband of around 2,200 rpm up to just below its 6,500-rpm redline. It growls a bit when cold, and doesn’t seem to have a lot of grunt until it gets over 3,000 rpm, its CVT letting it get to just over 5,000 rpm as we hit 60-mph in just under 10 seconds. It had better passing power, but I’d have given anything for the manual gearbox that can be had to make the Sport “sportier.” And for comparison, the longer, heavier
Outlander GT we tested a few weeks ago with the 230-hp V-6 and regular 6-speed automatic did it in 7.4 seconds. Like many compacts these days, the Outlander Sport had an “ECO” light that told me when I was driving with a light right foot. Our 4,200-mile-old test car saw it lit a lot in mixed daily driving, and netted a high of 22-mpg average on the trip computer. With a curb weight of 3,098 lbs., about 100 lb. more than a CVT-equipped Lancer GTS sedan, the Sport felt like a tall sedan, and gets the same McPherson strut layout in front with a trailing multi-link at the rear as the Lancer. The result was a fairly nimble front-wheel-drive car with a suspension feel that was a nice mix of comfortable and firm. There was body roll as befits a vehicle six inches taller than a Lancer, with three inches more ground clearance. Understeer was there at a moderate limit, but it was controllable when stability control didn’t jump in. The all-wheel-drive in the Outlander GT of a few weeks ago was far sportier, and that addition might make the Sport sportier. The electric power steering had good feel and feedback compared to some others I have tested. And the 11.6-inch front/11.9-inch rear disc brakes had a great pedal feel, precise stopping power and decent resistance to fade after repeated hard use. For safety, front and side-impact air bags and air curtains, a driver knee air bag, active front seat headrests, ABS and traction control. Other than a bit of engine sound when pushed, it was a quiet ride due to spray-on sound deadening material on the floor and atop the cowl.
· Mitsu money – Our Outlander Sport SE’s price started at $21,695 with standard kit like the alloy wheels, 8-speaker audio system with USB and MP3 inputs with FUSE voice command of Bluetooth audio devices, rain-sensing wipers and the rest mentioned above. With a destination fee, it was $22,475. Comparisons – a front-wheel-drive four-cylinder Nissan Juke starts out a bit less, has a turbocharged 188-hp and looks interesting, and we hear it drives pretty well. A 200-hp VW Tiguan also has a sporty and well planted drive and looks refined, but starts around $25,000. The new 170-hp Kia Sportage we just tested looks even cooler, starts around $21,000, and drives OK. The 182-hp Chevrolet Equinox is a solid competitor with good looks, great gas mileage and a base price in this arena of about $24,000.
· Bottom line – The Outlander Sport looks sporty and perky with its jet fighter nose and BMW-like side design lines. It has decent room for four and enough luggage space that no one will have to share a back seat with a duffle bag. And it drives well, with decent economy. But I didn’t find a lot of sport in the Sport, just a decent feel for the size. And there’s more cargo room, and a more Euro-feel to the handling, in some of the afore-mentioned competition.
Vehicle type - 5-passenger compact crossover SUV
Base price - $21,695 ($22,475 as tested)
Engine type - DOHC, 16-valve in-line four
Displacement – 2 liter
Horsepower (net) – 148 @ 6,000 rpm
Torque (lb-ft) – 145 @ 4,200 rpm
Transmission – Continuously Variable Transmission with six simulated gears
Wheelbase – 105.1 inches
Overall length – 169.1 inches
Overall width – 69.7 inches
Height – 64.2 inches
Front headroom – 39.4 inches
Front legroom – 41.6 inches
Rear headroom – 37.9 inches
Rear legroom – 36.3 inches
Cargo capacity – 21.7 cu. ft./49.5 w/rear seat folded
Curb weight – 3,098 lbs.
Fuel capacity – 16.6 gallons
Mileage rating - 25-mpg city/31-mpg highway
Last word – Looks great and acts more nimble, but not so sporty
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