WHEELS- "We put nine soft-roaders through 1,100km of sand, mud, dirt, and bitumen to find the genuine all-rounder"

RANKING:
(equal 1st) Toyota RAV4 2.4 li = Subaru Forester 2.5 li
(3rd) Mitsubishi Outlander 2.4 li MIVEC
(4th) Honda CRV 2.4 li
(equal fifth) Nissan Xtrail 2.5 li = Hyundai Tucson 2.7 li V6
(7th) Suzuki Grand Vitara 2.7li V6
(8th) Ford Escape 3.0 li V6
(9th) Ssangyong Kyron Xdi

OUTLANDER comments:

"...driver appeal is tangible from the moment it sniffs a corner. Point its quick and accurate steering into a turn and the Outlander attains near-instant poise..."

"...despite its deficit of power, it feels nicely planted..."

" Driven enthusiastically on dirt, the Outlander is matched only by the Forester for amusing handling..."

" It skims across beaches with all the ease and balance it displays on bitumen, and feels more fluid than the Honda when engaing its rear wheels..."

"The Mitsubishi (MIVEC) sounds good too...Relatively short gearing sees it regularly firing away in its erogenous zone with greater sweetness than Honda's 2.4 and a little more aural spunk than the Subaru's 2.5..."

" You wouldn't call the Outlander cutting-edge inside, but its dashboard at least has character,and there's plenty of room..."

"It may not be the fastest thing aound, but it loves working with you, and relishes enthusiasm. It also has character..."

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I completely agree with the unbiased views of the team who made this MEGATEST possible. I bought my Outlander 3 months ago and felt the same driving experience during the test drive. The last MEGATEST was done in 2003 and top marks were given to CRV and Xtrail, but with the new MIVEC and improved suspension, the Outlander outshined these best sellers. Yes, the Forester and the new RAV4 may have outscored the Outlander but in my view they are only slighlty better. For me, the Outlander is still the best option - 20% cheaper, has longer warranty(5-10 year), cheaper insurance and parts. :amen:

:beer:

What the hell would people define "amusing handling..." as?

Cheers,
Gav

IMHO, Wheel's saying that "despite" the size and weight of a compact SUV, it handles well - so it's amusing. English is not my native language, it could mean something totally different. A pommy might define this better...

i agree as well with their findings about teh outlander. but i run a non-mivec one, so i'm reserving engine comments.

proved that on a trackday, where okay, the high-output 4G63 n/a Galants (7th gen) and even CE3A lancers with 4G93T might outrun me on the straights but on the corners, even the tight 1st gear corners, they can't shake me off and had those corners been wider, passing them would've been a breeze. heheh. the body roll was acceptable, but hey, i'd like more improvement for added fun :D

all on stock parts. :D

Can you share some interior photos of the left-hand drive outie. I believe the stick is different, not mounted on the dash. Are outies there in Manila CBU from Japan like what we get here in Oz?