D R I V E N

Despite our initial misgivings about the genre as nothing more than a styling exercise, compact SUVs have come into their own, proving to be the vehicles most suitable to Metro Manila conditions.   Manila Water dug up trench in the road?  Flash flood?  Potholes?  These pose no problem to the raised ground clearance, bigger wheels and toughened-up suspension of what are essentially cooler, meaner station wagons.  They’re easy to see out of and park, can swallow luggage and bicycles with ease, and are nimble enough to weave through tight city streets.

It wasn’t long until many buyers saw the compact SUV as an attractive alternative to boring sedans.  More and more players entered the field, until we wondered which each new entry: does this really offer anything new?

The Mitsubishi Outlander was one of the last to arrive at the party, but it brought along something which its rivals don’t quite have.  Instead of going to the land of the mini-SUV, the Outlander has gone the Sportwagon route, similar to the Volvo XC70 or Audi Allroad. 

For starters, it doesn’t emulate the look of an SUV.  The Outlander is distinctly car-like in appearance.  Honest and refreshing, as too much body cladding does not an SUV make.  If only Mitsubishi had an F1 program.  It could then claim that the raised hood portion leading to a prominent nose was a facsimile of its latest racer, just like its corporate ally, Mercedes-Benz.  At best, it can claim a heavy mecha influence.  The Transformer robot nose leads to a smooth and sleek slide profile.  At the rear, there are some neat touches like a roof spoiler, and under that, washer nozzles disguised as a screw on the third brake lamp.

There’s no spare mounted on the tailgate, and this allows for unimpeded visibility and a lift-gate type rear door.  One disadvantage is that the spare is under the boot floor, so that eats up a lot of space—the load floor is relatively high.  If you need more room for your gear, the rear seats fold up in a 70/30 split.

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