Review: 2013 Mitsubishi Outlander ES 2WD

It might seem that the Mitsubishi Outlander ES is an outside choice compared to a number of other competitors. Whilst it isn’t the largest looking SUV on the street, it does hide a lot of space on the inside.

The Outlander has enough space to fit 7 seats in other variants, but thanks to having just 5 seats in the ES, you do gain a little more space in the boot allowing for more flexibility of what you want to do. It also makes it perfect for a night at the drive-ins, which is where we had to test it - for science of course. 

Outlander ES 2WD is an entry-level model for the Outlander range, however, you won’t miss out on safety and comfort features. Phone calls and audio entertainment it looked after thanks to Bluetooth being standard, cruise control is as easy to use as ever and there’s no shortage of safety with a Five-Star ANCAP rating. 

What makes this package even more appealing is the current opportunity to buy  a low to no km used car, 2013 compliance Outlander ES with only delivery kilometers for just $24,990 drive away from Motorama. There is the balance of the excellent 5 Year/130,000km Warranty and the 1 Year of Diamond Advantage roadside assistance that gives some added peace of mind and value! 

Despite the amazing price, which makes it significantly cheaper than any competitors, we still wanted to take it through its paces and determine if spending more money could be justified against the value package that is the Mitsubishi Outlander ES 2WD (two wheel drive).

Initial Impression

The modern design of the Outlander isn’t enough to make it too noticeable on the road but provides a level of subtleness. Thanks to clean lines - beginning at the front which then continue through to the rear tail lights it deceives most road users of its real size contained on the inside.

The interior of the Outlander ES is where the size of the vehicle presents itself. There’s a generous amount of room for the rear and front passengers. What was unexpected was the ‘sportiness’ of the front seats. Whilst a little hard, there was enough support in the sides of the seat to keep you planted when navigating corners. 

The dash presentation, whilst it doesn’t steer too far away from the typical Mitsubishi setup, gives lots of space to store items and present information for the driver and passengers quite easily. The resounding comments from passengers were that they couldn’t believe what they were sitting in was priced at under $25,000.

Target Market

As expected the Outlander is designed for families that need a SUV for the extra room for school duties during the week and for that camping trip during school holidays. The Outlander during the review did not come up short on everything we threw at it short of taking it off-road – given it was a 2WD model.

The turning circle was impressive when during the review we faced some dead end streets.  For a relatively long vehicle, it was extremely easy to maneuver in tight places – this is handy for shopping center car parks which feel like they are getting smaller every visit! 

Of course, if you’re a professional, the benefits listed above for families can be directly applied to your context of moving large items or transporting boxes or golf clubs easily.

Practicality

Being a medium sized SUV, practicality it what the Outlander ES 2WD does really well. Particularly for who this vehicle is aimed at, the performance of the vehicle is as expected. Lacking 4WD might discourage some from considering this particular variant of the Outlander range, but for most usage scenarios that this vehicle will be used for, it proves it to be very capable on the road.

With a square boot space there would be no trouble in fitting a large cabinet into the rear with the seats folded down. Normally in some SUV’s, the boot can be an odd shape, which results in a lot of unusable space, but not here! 

As mentioned earlier, there’s also no shortage of space in all 5 seats of the car, which is great for when the adults want to catch up with friends and go to dinner and leave the kids at home and only have 1 driver.

Drivability

SUV’s sometimes can be cumbersome to drive and handle in certain situations. However, the Outlander was easy enough to manage in tight spaces and at highway speed on the M1. 

The addition of an ECO mode means that fuel economy can get close to achieving the manufacturer stated 6.6litres/100km using 91 Octane Unleaded that is excellent for the 2.0Litre MIVEC four-cylinder petrol engine. At some points the SUV can feel a little slow in ECO mode, but the acceleration is consistent and smooth throughout all speeds and you are still comfortable enough to complete overtaking on the highway.

Steering is light and easy to control through corners with the weight of the vehicle. This avoids unsettling lurches in the body that typically sends everything flying across the car. The addition of a reversing camera would have been the icing on the car and to add confidence when reversing. 

That said, the mirrors and general visibility provide a good view of the car all around.

Livability

After living with the Outlander across a busy weekend and part of a workweek, the vehicle was exposed to a number of different typical living situations including a trip to the drive-in movies with a number of adults.

In our varying climate, the climate control also has come in handy by keeping the driver and passengers nice and toasty on the 13 degree mornings, and relaxed during the 27 degree lunch times. There are also all of the comfort features that make handling your mobile phone and entertainment easy through the steering wheel controls and safety features that make you feel at ease when thinking about the safety of your family. 

Cost 

Normally the Outlander ES 2WD would be priced a lot closer to $30,000 however thanks to a buying opportunity there is a great – but limited – selection of MY13, 2013 compliance vehicles from $24,990 Drive Away! At this price point, the only competition is from much smaller SUV’s.

No other same sized SUV’s can come close in price but it also doesn’t feel like you’re compromising on quality. If having 4WD is a must the Outlander ES AWD is available from $26,990 Drive Away that adds some off-road capability for those who need it. It is a fantastic price for both the 2WD and AWD with many already being sold before stock even arrived!

Conclusion

So the Mitsubishi Outlander ES 2WD is great value buying at the moment but the compromise usually which has to be made haven’t appeared throughout our review.

For those who want a larger vehicle with a good driving position and plenty of room to fit the family, this is a fantastic vehicle and we highly recommend it! For more information on the great deal currently on make sure you search our stock.