Mitsubishi Shogun Elegance
by Tim Barnes-Clay, the man behind the wheel.
Date: 12 October 2010
THE MUCH improved Mitsubishi Shogun continues to offer buyers an exceptional blend of on and off-road capability, generous equipment levels, comfort, space and luxury and highly competitive pricing.
Now 4x4 shoppers can add greater economy and power to that list because Mitsubishi’s improved 3.2-litre, four-cylinder common rail turbodiesel allows the 5-door auto, on test here, to achieve 33.2mpg.
That’s up from 26.7mpg on the official combined consumption cycle.
Emissions drop too - from 280g/km to 224g/km for autos, while the towing capacity for the mighty Shogun has increased by 200kg to 3,000kg and 3,500kg for braked trailers. This means the vehicle will pull a hefty horse box, boat or caravan without ever getting out of puff.
Composed Road Drive
The five-door Elegance model I had the pleasure of testing was capable of delivering a very composed road drive, even though its tough and rugged design gave away its off-the-black-stuff driving talents. The big car is pretty well balanced for a mud-plugger; it rolls during cornering but never so much as to feel unpredictable.
The handling is trustworthy, the visibility first class, the steering positive and the braking strong. In automatic form, gear selection is a cinch and even the four driving modes of Shogun’s go-anywhere all-wheel control system couldn’t be simpler to use - a leather-topped lever that sits alongside the gearlever triggers the changes.
A Closer Look Inside
A closer look inside reveals that the car’s centre console has three distinct sections: the Multi-Information Centre Display that shows vehicle operating status information sits at the top with the audio controls below that and the climate control panel, with its large easy-to-operate dials, at the bottom. The cabin also features amber LED lighting in the ceiling, front footwells and rear compartment.
As well as an array of standard safety equipment including active stability and traction control, twin front, side and curtain airbags, and ABS anti-lock brakes backed up by electronic brakeforce distribution, the car boasts standard alarm and keyless entry, climate control, 18-inch alloy wheels and a leather covered multi-function steering wheel.
And because I had the range topping Elegance Long Wheel Base (LWB) model, the additional interior kit included a high-tech 30GB hard disk drive navigation system with music server complete with colour touch screen and rear view camera.
Large Family Vehicle
Luxurious yet practical, the five-door Shogun also serves as a large family vehicle because of the ‘Fold2Hide’ third row of seats which lie beneath the floor of the boot. When two further seats are needed they simply fold out from the boot floor, complete with integrated head rests, turning the Shogun into a seven-seater as and when needed.
The rear floor height has been optimised to provide 860mm of headroom in the third-row of seats - almost as much head and shoulder space as the first and second seat rows.
With the new model bringing more power, more equipment, greater towing ability and significantly improved economy and emissions, the Shogun undoubtedly remains an extremely competitive and clever vehicle for those demanding its remarkable capabilities.
PROS ‘N’ CONS
PROS
- Good engine
- Practical
- Comfort
- Great for towing
CONS
- Boxy shape
FAST FACTS
- Max speed: 111 mph
- 0-62 mph: 11.1 secs
- Combined mpg: 33.2
- Engine layout: 3.2-litres, four cylinder, high pressure direct injection turbodiesel
- Max. power (bhp): 197
- Max. torque (Ib.ft): 352 from 2000 rpm
- Max. braked towing weight (kg): 3,500
- CO2: 224g/km
- Price: £34,999
