Rugged Outlander is a crossover survivour

Nov 23 2009 Steve Orme

Rugged Outlander is a crossover survivour

FREQUENTLY I have argued that there was a better case for banning professional football than fox hunting. Clearly, because I loath bans, the dream ticket would be to combine the two sports but unfortunately the fox is likely to constitute a colour clash with anyone playing in orange.

However, my point has always been that while the odd red coated unspeakable has taken the handlebars head dive to heaven in pursuit of the uneatable, there is no record of large-scale mortality at any fox hunt. No hunt followers inescapably pinned by five barred gates.

Conversely, soccer's history is littered with tragic incidents of collapse, fire and broken nails. Obviously then hunting was banned in back to front Britain. A country become so ill tempered and bitter that an 87-year-old Suffolk grandfather is given a parking ticket after sunlight faded his disabled badge. A council official instructed him he should keep the badge: 'Somewhere where the sun didn't shine...' Any offers?

A country governed by sensationalists who think it acceptable to put out TV advert showing a child being read a bedtime story in which all those naughty carbons cause huge tides which drown her pet dog.

That is simply not the work of a right minded person. That is the politics of the fox, propaganda for a cuddly wild puppy which is in truth mangy, murderous, vermin.

Well here's some good news. Despite the sensationalists, roof bangers and polar bear worriers there are more and more four-wheel drive models coming onto the market.

Granted many are to off roading what Len Goodman is to martial arts but at least when the earth is rent asunder and the great flood is upon the land more of us will be able to get home for Newsnight.

Crossovers are the main reason and among the first was Mitsubishi's Outlander, sharing an engine with Peugeot's 4007 and Citroen's Cris-Cross Quizzer. And that's about all.

For while the PSA versions were lovingly done out with more knick-knacks than Paul O'Grady the Outlander was more basic and butch. It didn't look like it would cry because Jedward were voted off X-Factor.

And so it remains in the latest version.

You straight away see from that keen pricing remains a feature, the 2.0 DI-D SE costs just over £20,000 and for that Mitsubishi has upgraded the basic Equippe and adding 18-inch alloys, Bluetooth, cruise, extra airbags and a flimsy but useful third row of seats that rise majestically from the floor like the Tower ballroom organist. Cough up another £1,500 and leather seats transform the SE into a GSE.

And I like it why? Well, despite a rather utilitarian feel to the interior finish it is relatively quick for its type at 10.8 seconds to 60mph and big. Most of all, while rivals are strangely bent on building 'sports' crossovers, the Outlander feels like it's switchable all-wheel drive was actually intended to be used in a field. On the road it is more sophisticated than you may expect with slight bounce from the suspension. The VW sourced diesel engine rattles on starting but soon settles down.

For such a useful and rugged 4x4 I see little wrong with the projected 42mpg. And with emissions at 174g/km I recommend legal action if you are accused of murdering any planets.

Which, given the somewhat moist nature of Cumbria last weekend, you probably will be. Don't fret if this, as the Hilary Benn tendency will no doubt be claiming, is the dog-drowning future we face. At least you have a car that will see you through it.