While some potential customers will want a powerful V6, an option many of its compact competitors offer, no such engine has been announced for the near future. Instead Mitsubishi keeps good company with Toyota and Honda, who also haven't swayed to less fuel efficient powertrains. The Outlander's 140-hp 2.4 L inline 4-cylinder moves the SUV along at a reasonable pace nonetheless. While 140-hp doesn't seem like a heck of a lot compared with the Toyota RAV4's 148 and the Honda CR-V's 160 it trounces the Toyota in maximum torque at 157 lb-ft compared to 142, and comes close to the 162 lb-ft offered by Honda. What's more, the Outlander's torque reaches peak levels at a low 2,500 rpm, compared to 4,000 in the RAV4 and 3,600 rpm in the CR-V.

Why does torque matter? Most people purchase an automatic transmission, which makes high-revving horsepower less advantageous than a wide torque band. The features popularity is probably why Mitsubishi will only be offering an automatic in the Outlander. It's a smooth shifting 4-speed with Sportronic manual-mode shifting capability, an exclusive feature among Japanese brands in this compact SUV class. The manual mode is excellent for navigating steep grades in inclement weather as well as increasing control during two-lane curving highway driving. An LCD display signifying which gear is engaged sits conveniently in the gauge package.

Yes it's a formidable handler, much beyond most in the SUV class. The unit body design produces excellent torsional rigidity while its independent suspension is compliant with fairly little body roll. The roads around Montebello, Quebec were far from refined, and the Outlander held its own at high speed. Stretches of bumpy, undulating pavement immediately became gravel without notice, hardly causing the little SUV any concern. While I drove its sibling SUVs on a grueling off-road course I kept the Outlander to light-duty gravel roads. After all, if you want to go where no man, or truck, has gone before, buy a Montero. Forgetting that, the Outlander performed admirably over moderate terrain, even when pushed to pavement speeds. All the while it provided SUV-like command seating with great visibility in all directions.