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Mitsubishi has a good track record in the SUV market and Land Rover have built their brand on off roaders so how does the new Mitsubishi Outlander fair against the Land Rover Freelander 2?
The Outlander has seven seats as opposed to the Freelander’s’ five, but the third row of seats or ‘bench’ in the Outlander is only really suitable for children as leg room is limited and it has been criticised for being uncomfortable. Both compact SUVs have 60/40 split rear seats but which has the most space? The Outlander has three rows of seats in a 2-3-2 configuration, and offers 220 litres of space with all 7 seats up, 541 litres with just five seats up and 1,691 litres with all but the front seats folded flat. The Freelander 2 has a maximum capacity of 1,670 with all rear seats folded and 755 with seats up. Both have impressive maximum capacities but the Freelander offers more useable space when all five seats are up. A 7 seat Freelander is expected sometime this year which should add extra versatility to the range.
The Freelander 2 is being touted as the cleanest Land Rover ever built, with the new eD4 2.2 diesel engine with start-stop technology producing 158 g/km of CO2 and 47.2 miles per gallon. This is however for the 2WD version, the 4WD drive model produces 45.6mpg and 165g/km. The Outlander isn’t far off those figures, the 2.2 litre diesel engine giving off 169 g/km of CO2 and offering 43.5 miles per gallon. The Outlander’s new diesel engine is also more powerful than the Freelanders- producing 174bhp as opposed to the 150bhp generated by the Freelanders 2.2 diesel.
The Freelander has been criticised in the past for being unreliable and shoddily built but the new Freelander 2 has been said to feel really solid, and handles as well as you’d expect off- road tackling even the trickiest situations with ease but is equally as competent on road. The Outlander apparently also handles very well, and is especially agile for a 4×4 thanks to the firm suspension.
So how do they compare price wise? The Freelander entry level S model starts from £21,995 whilst the top of the range Freelander 2 HSE will set you back £32,995.00. The Mitsubishi Outlander costs from £22,099 for 4WD models and from £23,349 for 2WD drive versions, with the GX4 starting from £28,599.
Both look very sturdy but the Land Rover has the edge, even with the recent style upgrade the Outlander is still rather ‘bland’. As yet I am undecided if will be visiting my local Mitsubishi dealer in Somerset or heading to my local Land Rover dealership, as both have their plus points and their pitfalls.
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