It’s during this summer long weekend outdoor adventure that a vehicle is asked to do everything from transporting loads of camping equipment and passengers, to passing slower vehicles on two-lane country roads, to driving through narrow park paths and then not taking up the entire campsite with its size.
There are three Outlander trim levels available, with my tester being the entry-level ES with four-wheel drive. It comes equipped with a 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine, mated to a continuously variable transmission.
Although on paper power is on the lower end of things when stacked up against four-cylinder-equipped competitors, it does a more than adequate job when it comes to the aforementioned passing, even when overflowing with three adults and all their gear.
In automatic mode, the CVT is about as nondescript and staid as they come, but things actually become surprisingly fun when you move it into manual mode. Doing this allows you to move up and down between six preset gears without the use of a clutch. After trying out manual mode, it’s rare I leave the CVT to do things on its own.
Built on a performance-oriented platform, the Outlander is probably the top choice in its segment for the driver who cherishes excitement over everything else. Steering is responsive and its handling rivals that of numerous smaller vehicles one might think would be more nimble.
The downside is that the Outlander’s ride quality suffers. The driver and front passenger seats are pretty good (including over extended trips), but road imperfections are even more pronounced in the rock-hard second row seats.
The Outlander ES forgoes the XLS trim’s full-time “Super All-Wheel Control” for the non-super “All-Wheel Control”, which is activated manually by the driver via a knob behind the shifter.
Though I don’t have a chance to thoroughly test its abilities, it’s worth noting the vehicle can be changed to “four-wheel drive” and “lock” mode any time those unpredictable situations arise.
As alluded to earlier, the cargo-carrying capacity of the Outlander is generous. The two higher-priced trim levels lose some of that ability with silly third-row seats, but the ES gets a flat carpeted load floor with extra underfloor storage. Plastic strips keep items from sliding around, and the mini-tailgate is handy for loading up heavier items, as well as keeping loose items from falling out when just the rear hatch is open.
The rear seats can’t be removed, but they do fold and tumble forward easily with the flip of a latch, adding even more space to the mix. When they’re being used by occupants, they recline slightly for a little added comfort.
The one thing that still sets the Outlander apart from others in its class is its subpar interior. The cockpit looks far too plasticky, and buttons and knobs are too small for the large-of-hand and the hard-of-sight. It doesn’t help that certain activation lights (for things like air conditioning or the rear defroster) are difficult to see in daylight.
Despite being a little rough around the edges, the Outlander manages to set itself far enough apart from other vehicles in its segment. There are plenty of options when it comes to features, powertrains and seating, and there’s only one model in the line-up that comes in at over $30,000.
If you’re looking for something that’s a legitimate mix of sport and utility, the Outlander is worth consideration.
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