The Outlander has one big advantage over other 4x4s in this weight class – seven seats. The rear of the cabin may be cramped and the seats fiddly to fold, but they’re there if you need them.
With the back seats in the floor, we found room for all our holiday luggage. However, the practicality judge was not impressed with removing the towball to get to the winder and release the spare wheel.
In the lane-change test the Mitsubishi leaned heavily and pushed wide rather early. A 30-60mph time of 17.8 seconds shows that overtaking while towing needs a long stretch of clear road. Still, straight-line stability at 60mph and up was secure.