Full carat triple diamond

You’re not short-changed with the XLS grade of the new generation Outlander. In fact, you might want to buy the XLS after deciding to try the top spec’ VRX…
Yes, the top spec’ has nice things like a panoramic sunroof, second row sun-blinds, leather – as opposed to synthetic leather – power adjusted front seats with memory function, 10-speaker premium sound system, moving object detection, multi around-view monitor and adaptive headlights, but these are user-chooser considerations.
While the extras are nice, they don’t count for much against the CFO’s balance sheet but a near-as $6k – based on list price – saving in favour of the XLS might.    
What will also carry weight, is fuel use and emission-friendly consideration.
Mitsubishi reckons the new 2.5-litre MIVEC petrol engine in the new Outlander is good for a 7.7-litre per 100km fuel consumption figure.
We say that’s Mitsubishi being cautious. Our figures were in the low 6’s and high 5’s over the course of a week and we weren’t trying to be good either.
Of course, the combination of a more relaxed and slightly larger engine – the direct port injection, cooled external exhaust gas recirculation and mirror bore coating for the combustion chamber all help a bit – with the flexibility of an 8-speed CVT and faith in an adaptive cruise control system goes a long way to making fuel savings.
And logically, if you’re saving fuel, chances are pretty good you’re CO2 emissions will be better too.
New generation Outlanders are now available with PHEV powertrains, but these were not available to test at time of writing.
There is another core consideration fleet managers and buyers should be factoring in: vehicle safety.
In this regard, the Outlander range is lavishly equipped with about 98 percent of the safety equipment is standard fare across all models and all are therefore five-star ANCAP rated.
Impressive features include the eight airbags including a centre front between driver and passenger, the forward collision mitigation with pedestrian and cyclist detection with Junction assist, rear cross traffic alert, as well as blind spot monitoring and warning system and my personal favourite, the driver adjustable lane keeping assistance system, perfect for Auckland roads where painted lines are often overlapped as the result of road rehabilitation.   
I haven’t left a lot of room to talk about the drive experience, but that’s alright because it’s only going to take 10 words: Outlander provides a Goldilocks ride, where everything is just right.
Short, sweet and to the point.
If you want a spirited ride, Outlander provides this and you have the added confidence of Mitsubishi’s drive mode selector with its dial up, multi-surface settings.
For day-to-day running around, the Outlander provides a fuss-less and comfortable ride, taking you smoothly from place to place in a very relaxed fashion.
And for those ties when you want to get away from it all with the family, the seven seats or copious boot-space will come in very handy, as will the multiple charge ports for everyone’s electronic gadgets and multitude of cup holders.
I think the most telling consideration of the new generation Outlander is the overall feeling of robustness inherent in the vehicle’s build quality.
Combine this with what Mitsubishi has delivered in terms of design excellence over the last few years and the brand’s durability in terms of its mechanicals, and there you have a winning formula.