Big Mitsubishi is a Sho' thing (From Dorset Echo)

Big Mitsubishi is a Sho' thing

11:14am Wednesday 24th November 2010 in Cars By Steve Belasco

If ever there was a hardy Japanese survivor in the SUV world, Mitsubishi’s Shogun must be it.

It seems to have been around since time immemorial (actually 1982).

Visit any point-to-point meeting, gymkhana, sheep farm or smallholding, and you’ll see Shoguns efficiently going about their business.

It’s available as a three and five-door machine and seems to be equally popular as a tough, urban family car and a rugged workhorse.

The latest, fourth, generation builds on a successful formula and maintains its fashionable aura, appealing looks and strong road presence, particularly in the big, seven-seat long-wheelbase version tested.

It weighs north of two tonnes and Mitsubishi has worked hard at making the big fella more environment-friendly by some serious all-round tweaking, including a lower idle speed and an intelligent alternator.

The 3.2-litre four-pot unit now offers 18 per cent more power and torque, at 197bhp and 325lb/ft respectively, while at the same time producing 20 per cent less emissions at 224g/km and much improved fuel economy at 33.2mpg combined.

Yet the Shogun is still capable of serious hard work and can now tow even more – a hefty 3,500kg in LWB format.

The Shogun’s simple but effective drive train remains in place, easily transferable between rear-wheel-drive only and four-wheel-drive on the fly.

For serious work there’s a differential lock and low ratio available too – this is no ‘soft-roader’.

Despite offering hard-core utility, the Shogun is a comfortable and well-specced machine.

In Elegance trim, as tested, there’s full leather, electric front seats and a super audio system which includes a good sat-nav, everything-connectivity and 30gb of storage.

There are also all-round electric windows and sunroof, front foglights, a hands-free phone kit and rear parking sensors and camera.

The decent-sized rear two seats fold easily into the floor and leave a huge amount of room for the occupants of the other five and their luggage.

The Shogun is competitively-priced, although that shows in the slightly noisier engine and modest handling compared with its more expensive counterparts.

But the steering’s good, the five-speed auto box well-judged, the drive mode-switching easy and the visibility excellent.

Motorway cruising costs just 2,000rpm at 70mph but put your foot down and you’ll certainly hear it.

The Shogun is a common site on the road and, with its new, greener credentials, is destined to remain so.

On-road performance is good enough, with a top speed of 111mph and 0-62mph time of 11.1 seconds.

This SUV makes a very good all-round choice, especially in long-wheelbase form, with strong resale values. Prices start at a very competitive £24,959 for the Equippe model, with the Elegance, as tested, coming in at £35,604 whether it’s worth the extra ten grand or so is debatable.

Emissions are 224g/km putting it in the K band (£245 a year) for Vehicle Excise Duty.