MITSUBISHI SHOGUN SPORT

I last drove a Shogun Sport a couple of years ago, and despite a few Shogun minor interior niggles, I quite liked it, so with the news of Mitsubishi’s impending departure from Sport the UK and Europe, I wanted to get my hands on one for one last hurrah.

On the road

This version of the Shogun Sport has been around since 2016, and is based on the series 5 L200, but ditches the pick-up’s leaf spring rear suspension setup in favour of a more complex multi-link arrangement, as well as an 8-speed auto ‘box. This equates to the ‘Sport working well on the twisty and undulating roads.

The Shogun Sport is a big 4x4, and once you get it on the road it feels like it, not that it’s a bad thing, but it feels weighty, like a proper 4x4 should.

On the subject of ‘proper 4x4’s, don’t expect the ‘Sport to handle the corners like a Discovery 5 with its fancy air suspension and so on, it doesn’t. There is a degree of wallowing around corners, but that’s fine, because ride comfort, that the ‘Sport has plenty of, is often more important than handling in a 4x4 like this.

Granted, 180bhp from the 2.4 litre turbo diesel isn’t going to set any world speed records, but I reckon it’s adequate and somehow suits its driving experience. I’m sure there’ll be generic car mags out there that’ll criticise its so called ‘sluggish’ performance, but will they mention important bits like its impressive towing capacity of 3.1 tonnes, which is comfortably more than most of its 7 seat rivals.

When it comes to overtaking, both on motorways and on normal roads, the 8 speed ‘box shifts quickly and smoothly, and if you want more control, it has paddle shifters on the steering wheel that makes it even more responsive.

Fuel wise, official figures say you should get around 32mpg on a combined cycle, but on average I was getting just 26mpg. Cruise control works whilst driving down inclines, which is nice.

Off road

The Shogun Sport comes with a useful amount of off-road kit, such as hill descent control, a locking rear differential and four terrain settings. To help with extreme off-road or towing situations, it also includes hill start assist, uphill control, downhill control, throttle release control and rapid kickdown control. Oh yeah, there’s also almost 9” of ground clearance, too.

In practise, despite being shod with road tyres, the Shogun Sport handled itself very well off the beaten track.

On one particular green lane I came across a bit of a hole on the right hand side, it’s been forming for over a year, but I haven’t seen it as worse as it is now. What made matters worse was that it was quite muddy and on an incline.

Gently driving into it I could feel the near side rear tyre leaving the ground and the ‘Sport ground to a halt, literally. I gently pressed the accelerator to see if it could work itself out, but even being in 4-low and locked forward motion wasn’t happening.

Engaging the ‘Sport’s rear locker I gently pressed the accelerator and the road biased road tyres found traction and I edged upwards and onwards with the minimum of fuss.

Out of the box the Shogun Sport is a competent 4x4, but if it was up to me I’d take it to somewhere like West Coast Off Road Centre and get them to add a few inches of lift and larger all terrain tyres.

Interior

As you sit in the comfortable drivers seat and look around the cabin, you get the sense that it’s more robust rather than luxurious. In other words there’s a lot of plastic. That said, it does look good and all the switches and buttons are nicely at hand.

Despite the ‘Sport being a large 4x4, you may be a little surprised at how snug it is whilst sat up front. The last time I had one I think I moaned about how uncomfortable the centre console would be on your left leg, especially if you like to ‘man-splay’, like I do, but they’re now fitted squishy pads for your knee to rest on, which makes a huge difference.

To be honest I didn’t use the infotainment system that much as it was far easier to plug in my iPhone and use Apple CarPlay, especially is it didn’t come with Sat-Nav.

On the other hand it does come with DAB, leather upholstery with electrically-adjusted front seats and dual-zone climate control as standard.

There’s more than enough room for a couple of children to be comfortable in the third row, and getting them in there is fairly straightforward. There’s a 503ltr boot with five seats in place which expands to 1,488ltrs with the second row folded.

Conclusion

Up in my neck of the woods, the Shogun Sport is quite a rare thing, but then so is the rest of the Mitsubishi range if I’m being honest. It’s not that they’re a bad car, far from it, but my nearest dealer is at least a couple of towns away and a bit awkward to get to. If I was on the market for a 7 seat SUV, there are loads of other dealerships on my doorstep.

But unlike other SUVs on the market, the Shogun Sport is a workhorse and not a lifestyle accessory, though I’m fairly confident that Mitsubishi may argue that point! What they won’t argue with is that it’s a proper rough terrain loving 4x4, and as such has a purpose, which isn’t necessarily doing the school run or looking pretty adorning a block-paved driveway in suburbia. If you like your 4x4s sturdy, then you should consider the Shogun Sport.

Available from just £29,975 OTR, including three years free servicing, the ‘Sport represents cracking value for money for customers in need of a tough and rugged 4x4.

more at » www.mitsubishi-cars.co.uk