NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Mitsubishi: Outlanderishly plentiful

By Phil Hanson
NZ Herald·
13 Jan, 2012 04:30 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Mitsubishi Outlander XLS. Photo / Supplied

Mitsubishi Outlander XLS. Photo / Supplied

Foot almost goes through rotten piece of decking. Can't delay repairs any longer; thank heaven for my hammer, saw, box of nails and the Mitsubishi Outlander XLS.

I show the yard man a sorry sample of the rotten wood. "Is that a bit of decking?" he asks, squinting, sneering. "Looks like a piece of crap to me, mate."

When he shows me the lovely new stuff, I understand what he means.

Although a ute would seem best for bringing it home, a typical double cab's short tray is not the best for handling 2m lengths of decking. Many utes even lack a headboard to tie the wood to, so that it protrudes well beyond the tailgate.

But an Outlander SUV is near-perfect.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

First, this is the mid-spec XLS at $45,990, so I don't feel like a bastard for even thinking about loading lumber into it, as one might with a posher, leather-trimmed model.

Second, with the front seat pushed forward, $100 worth of premium decking barely extends past the tailgate.

Thirdly - and this is really good - the Outlander has a two-piece rear door; a big part that opens vertically and a little one that flips down and can be used as a seat or a load-extender. Range Rovers costing over four times as much have a similar arrangement.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

I leave the little tailgate in place to provide a nice ledge against which to rest the decking, with a few degrees of elevation so it won't fly out going up a hill.

Not that it would, because I have secured the load to a rear seatbelt with a ratchet tie-down strap, then fixed down the main tailgate with strong twine and tacked an old tea towel to the end of a piece of timber as a long-load warning. At least I think it's an old one.

Is there no end to Outlander's versatility? Because the rear seat split-folds, I could have brought two helpers to the yard, or one helper and the dog. Because it's easy to load the cargo area with the smaller tailgate piece lowered, I'm looking at all sorts of other possibilities: bags of cement, garden mix, a new barbecue, an assemble-it-yourself garden shed?

And just when you think it couldn't be more versatile, look at this: more seating is hidden under the cargo deck. A push here and a pull there and presto, a seven-seater.

Discover more

New Zealand

Driven Car of the Year: And the winners are...

16 Dec 05:53 PM
New Zealand

Mazda 3 outsells Ford, Holden in Aussie

05 Jan 11:00 PM
New Zealand

Mitsubishi ASX: Competent and compact

27 Jan 04:30 PM
New Zealand

Qashqai's 'luxury' cameras present a new world view

26 Apr 05:30 PM

The seats are small though reasonably easy to get to, but they trash the cargo space. If seven go shopping, don't plan on buying more than a couple of bags' worth.

As for the rest of the Outlander all-wheel-drive, it looks good despite a cartoon-like grinny nose that I assume is supposed to suggest power and authority; the interior feels a bit cheap; and the 2.4-litre petrol engine is uninspiring, more so with the CVT automatic gearbox.

On the other hand, the CVT has six "shift points" that can be accessed via the gearshift or paddles and, when used, liven things a bit. It handles and rides well, too, even with a load of decking.

Who needs a ute when you can bring it home in an Outlander?

And here are some comparisons (indicative prices): Holden Captiva 7 2.4 SX (FWD), $41,890; Honda CRV Sport five-seater, $53,200; Hyundai Santa Fe 2.4 five-seater, $53,990; Nissan Qashqai Wagon (FWD), $40,800; Toyota RAV4 2.4 five-seater, $43,290.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

Wellington
|Updated

'Peace of mind': New radar to enhance weather monitoring in Nelson

New Zealand

NZ follows UK in condemning Russian cyber attacks

New Zealand

New children’s series filmed in Bay of Plenty premieres this weekend


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

'Peace of mind': New radar to enhance weather monitoring in Nelson
Wellington
|Updated

'Peace of mind': New radar to enhance weather monitoring in Nelson

It's hoped the $5m equipment will help prepare the area for future disasters.

19 Jul 12:57 AM
NZ follows UK in condemning Russian cyber attacks
New Zealand

NZ follows UK in condemning Russian cyber attacks

19 Jul 12:54 AM
New children’s series filmed in Bay of Plenty premieres this weekend
New Zealand

New children’s series filmed in Bay of Plenty premieres this weekend

19 Jul 12:00 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP