The Mitsubishi Shogun has been a familiar sight on the highways and byways of this green and pleasant land of our for a considerable length of time, since 1982 in fact and there’s a simple enough reason for that. It does exactly what it says on the tin.
Sitting inside the Mitsubishi and you get a real sense of luxury, the fully adjustable, heated leather seats are comfortable and simplicity itself to adjust whilst the controls are all where you would expect them to be. It comes as a given that there’s climate controlled air conditioning (with separate controls for rear seat passengers in LWB models), electric windows and door mirrors, cruise control, satellite navigation, a quite superb premium 860w audio system specifically designed by Rockford Acoustic DesignTM with remote audio controls, Bluetooth® connection, a reversing camera and leather upholstery as standard in most models and don’t forget that because Mitsubishi have designed the Shogun to stand the test of time, the interior will always look great.
And then there’s the commanding driving position and large expanses of glass to enjoy, providing you with a bright and airy cabin for both you and your passengers. Superb.
For the best fuel efficiency select two wheel drive from the clever gearbox, this then allows the Shogun to stretch it’s legs and achieve close to the claimed 30.4 mpg on a decent run out. Select drive from the 5 speed automatic gearbox and allow the 3200cc In-line 4-cylinder 16-valve DOHC, turbocharged Diesel engine do it’s thing. Be gentle with the throttle and the engine rewards you with more than enough forward motion after all, with 188 bhp at 3500 rpm and 325 ft/lb torque at just 2000 rpm you’re not going to be left wanting in everyday situations. Indeed, fully loaded with passengers and luggage, the engine gives off the feeling that it is merely humouring you and will rise to any and all challenges you manage to put in front of it.
After setting off, the size of the Shogun just melts away. Keep an eye on your mirrors and make sure that you’re aware of the Mitsubishi’s dimensions, especially when driving in and around town and with a little care and attention there really is no reason why you shouldn’t soon be driving this excellent 4X4 as you would any other car.
Once out of town and onto the A roads and motorways, it soon becomes obvious that the Shogun can deliver a smooth ride that manages to separate the worst that the road offers up from those within. This doesn’t mean that the Mitsubishi falls into wayward behaviour once the bends appear up ahead remaining, as it does, solid and stable throughout with decent feel coming through the both the steering and suspension, communicating quite deftly what the chassis is getting up to.
For maximum off-road ability, on the way to the shops or school where you may encounter really steep climbing and descents (sic), or for deep mud, sand or snow, you can select 4LLc from the Shogun’s excellent Super Select (SS4-II) drivetrain to maximise low-end power and, Mitsubishi say, virtually double the effective engine braking in any gear. The obvious conclusion to draw is that this immensely practical SUV will not be stopped by anything in it’s path.
This ability to do whatever needs to be done, whenever it needs to be done, is perhaps the clearest sign that this Mitsubishi has benefited from it’s incredible 36 year development journey and that the Shogun’s talent is far more than just skin deep.
And all from £33,015. An absolute bargain.
Where will you go?