dilshan
12-30-2008, 05:40 AM
DESIGN
While the Evo is loud visually, the Outlander is more sober. Not that it appears discreet. but in a while, it'll appear like just another SUV. Nevertheless it's robust and sharp in its appearance with the right amount of tones and bulges - take the crease that runs along the centre of the bonnet or the inverted air-dam on the grille, for instance. The Outlander appears taller and narrower, somewhat accentuated by the narrow track. The slab-sidedness becomes pronounced in profile, though the D-pillar integration is a smart touch. It's not known to many, but the Outlander is sold as a seven-seater in some markets, hence the slightly MPV-ish greenhouse. The large wheel arches. and smaller wheels do leave some air for imagination if fitting larger wheels and tyres is on your agenda. The tail lamps do seem aftermarket to most and the only smart touch is the two-piece tailgate that makes loading a breeze.
POWERTRAIN & PERFORMANCE
I've always had reservations about CVTs. Though great in theory, they tend to be a tad irritating in practice. The one thing that is most unappealing is the rubber-band effect that they create, constantly hunting for ratios and never allowing you to enjoy the drive. It works fine in the city, but not necessarily on the highway.
331
It happens here with the Outlander as well, where the gearbox acts as the weakest link in its armour, and ultimately puts the CR-V in a strong fight-back position. The Mitsubishi is nice to flick around with paddle shifts, but more often than not. the tall ratios of the six-speeder don't allow you to get a grip of the grunt. You constantly need to upshift to get out of the 'buzz' zone.
That doesn't prevent the engine from leaving a deep impact. It's a nice rorty engine with a deep induction note that sometimes sounds a bit like a V6, before it becomes more 'electric'. Performance numbers might not sound electrifying, though. The CVT plays spoilsport yet again and before it starts to figure that you want to nail the throttle, precious tenths are lost. The lag is very pronounced, though once it gets past it. around the 40 kph mark where it drops some ratios, it starts to get its act together. The tonne mark comes in 12.1 seconds, a second slower than the CR-V, though the passing speeds are more impressive with the 80-120 kph and 100-140 kph turning in better numbers than the CR-V. The MIVEC engine uses similar variable valve tech like VTEC, while the block itself is made of die-cast aluminium. This block was developed with DairnlerChrysler and Hyundai and the CVT is standard. Trouble is, the marriage of the gearbox to the engine is a marriage of unequals, one where the gearbox acts like the spouse in entire control of
the house.
While the Evo is loud visually, the Outlander is more sober. Not that it appears discreet. but in a while, it'll appear like just another SUV. Nevertheless it's robust and sharp in its appearance with the right amount of tones and bulges - take the crease that runs along the centre of the bonnet or the inverted air-dam on the grille, for instance. The Outlander appears taller and narrower, somewhat accentuated by the narrow track. The slab-sidedness becomes pronounced in profile, though the D-pillar integration is a smart touch. It's not known to many, but the Outlander is sold as a seven-seater in some markets, hence the slightly MPV-ish greenhouse. The large wheel arches. and smaller wheels do leave some air for imagination if fitting larger wheels and tyres is on your agenda. The tail lamps do seem aftermarket to most and the only smart touch is the two-piece tailgate that makes loading a breeze.
POWERTRAIN & PERFORMANCE
I've always had reservations about CVTs. Though great in theory, they tend to be a tad irritating in practice. The one thing that is most unappealing is the rubber-band effect that they create, constantly hunting for ratios and never allowing you to enjoy the drive. It works fine in the city, but not necessarily on the highway.
331
It happens here with the Outlander as well, where the gearbox acts as the weakest link in its armour, and ultimately puts the CR-V in a strong fight-back position. The Mitsubishi is nice to flick around with paddle shifts, but more often than not. the tall ratios of the six-speeder don't allow you to get a grip of the grunt. You constantly need to upshift to get out of the 'buzz' zone.
That doesn't prevent the engine from leaving a deep impact. It's a nice rorty engine with a deep induction note that sometimes sounds a bit like a V6, before it becomes more 'electric'. Performance numbers might not sound electrifying, though. The CVT plays spoilsport yet again and before it starts to figure that you want to nail the throttle, precious tenths are lost. The lag is very pronounced, though once it gets past it. around the 40 kph mark where it drops some ratios, it starts to get its act together. The tonne mark comes in 12.1 seconds, a second slower than the CR-V, though the passing speeds are more impressive with the 80-120 kph and 100-140 kph turning in better numbers than the CR-V. The MIVEC engine uses similar variable valve tech like VTEC, while the block itself is made of die-cast aluminium. This block was developed with DairnlerChrysler and Hyundai and the CVT is standard. Trouble is, the marriage of the gearbox to the engine is a marriage of unequals, one where the gearbox acts like the spouse in entire control of
the house.