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Old 3rd August 2010, 17:32   #1
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Mitsubishi Outlander or Toyota Fortuner

Hello BHPians

One of the reason I joined team-bhp has almost immediately started paying back. i.e. to do what we Indians do the best and that is to give advice (no offence meant whatsoever)

A friend of mine is out to buy a SUV and is badly stuck between Mitsubishi Outlander and Toyota Fortuner.

On the price point, both are within his budget. I know him way too well and he is so confused as of now that he may throw both out of the window and buy a third which does not even figure in the discussions. Please help me help him. Some back ground on the problem at hand.

About 5 years back he bought a Ford Fusion going against his wife and countless people who said "what the heck, at this price you could have bought a car with a tail i.e. a Sedan". He listened to his heart and bought a Fusion. But everytime he undergoes some ordeal which is part and parcel of owning a Ford (am I being biased here?) his wife does not let the opportunity go and gives him a piece of her mind. He is satisfied with the car rather in love with his car but like many other Ford owners (I am one of them) can not go about convincing all with his decision.

Amidst all this, now has come a time when they are looking for a SUV. They were all set to book a Fortuner when all of a sudden Mitsubishi unveiled their "all-new" Outlander and I saw this guy’s jaws dropping. Even Rohit Bal's Outlander theme based collection did not cut the ice with his wife and she is dead against buying another vehicle which can look good feel good but is not a mass selling item.

Could you guys come out with a discussion that can convince either one of them (either the wife to buy or the husband not to buy)?

Not to mention, while you folks shall do the hard work, I shall walk away with credit
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Old 3rd August 2010, 20:26   #2
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Well neither are proper off roaders. The fortuner looks much bigger whereas the outlander looks more sporty.

The power output is around the same i.e 170bhp but the fortuner is diesel and the outlander is petrol. The outlander also has a 6 speed CVT with paddle shifters so your friend is bound to enjoy that.

The low speed ride is apparently stiff in a fortuner, the outlanders ride is quite good. And it has Mitsubishi handling.

Tell your friends wife to look at the innova and spot the similarities in the interiors, then tell her shes paying 10 lacs more for that.
The outlander has much better interiors, and the great Rockford Fosgate music system.

To sum it up the only 3 reasons i would buy a fortuner over the outlander is if i wanted a diesel, or 7 seats or a butch looking suv. Dont forget the fortuners waiting period.
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Old 3rd August 2010, 20:53   #3
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Fortuner and Outlander are not similar vehicles eventhough they are priced similarly. Outlander is a petrol softroader and the Fortuner is a conventional diesel SUV. Ask your friend about his preferences and select one of these accordingly. I'd suggest Fortuner. Its not at all perfect but its the best SUV you can get at this price range. Outlander doesn't retain any value and your friend will have to sell it for peanuts after a couple of years whereas, Fortuner has the best resale value.
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Old 3rd August 2010, 22:44   #4
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New.Novice ask your friend to buy the Toyota and not the Mitsubishi.

Toyota is a all rounder and has good resale too which is not the case with Mitsubishi's
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Old 3rd August 2010, 22:51   #5
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Looking at the title, i thought it was the other way(wife wanting classy softroader while friend his heart stolen by the butch suv).

Another factor that may come into play is the waiting period of fortuner.

BTW, are they willing to wait for many a month?? Fortuner is sure to take a while.
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Old 4th August 2010, 11:39   #6
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The Outlander and the Fortuner are poles apart from each other. Please list out a few requirements of your friend from his new vehicle like expected usage in terms of kms/month,no of people travelling, terrain used on, expected ownership time of the vehicle etc to be able to arrive at a justified conclusion.

Having said the above, to sum it up in a single line, the Outlander is, at best, a city and highway softroader,which handles better than the Fortuner but is let down by its petrol engine and hence the associated costs, Mitsubishi's poor ***, price and the lack of a low ratio 4wd. The Fortuner on the other hand is true blue SUV built on a truck chassis, having a torquey diesel beneath its hood, a proper lever shift low ratio box, very robust build quality and proven *** from Toyota. It leads its segments in many countries that it sells. The downsides are iffy ride quality, spongy feeling brakes and interiors similar to the Innova.

Hope it helps.
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Old 4th August 2010, 11:54   #7
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@akshay1234 “Well neither are proper off roaders” – From what do you make such a sweeping statement - that the Fortuner is not a proper offroader, for a LWB 7 seater? Have you driven it or tested it extensively? A Fortuner is an extremely capable and reliable vehicle - as long you keep its LWB limitations in mind.

@ New.Novice:
The Fortuner and Outlander cater to fulfilling different set of user needs. Let me use an analogy: some women prefer metrosexual males, and some women prefer tough/ high testosterone guys who might not be so sophisticated or caring in some situations. Depends on what appeals to you, and suits your wants/needs better [FONT=Wingdings][/FONT]
I drove the two vehicles back to back in the same morning. I was impressed with Outlander’s creature comforts, and Fortuner’s great mid-range acceleration that makes highway driving and overtaking a breeze.

The Outlander has a more luxurious feel, better handling and braking. But it only becomes fun to drive when you use the paddle shifters - and then fuel efficiency goes for a dive. Outlander is great for driving in the city, on highways and on dirt roads. But it has high TCO. I compared Fortuner, Outlander and GV TCOs, and left out Outlander from the final shortlist because of operating costs, and lack of service network (since I plan to take the vehicle to roads less traveled, and rough-use the vehicle extensively).

Fortuner is a robustly build workhorse that can last for 10+ years. It can handle almost all offroading challenges that a LWB 7 seater can be realistically expected to overcome. The interiors are not so impressive, but can be ‘fixed’ with an ICE upgrade and leather seat upgrade.
In case you are interested: Outlander competes with the Rav4. And Fortuner is positioned above Rav4 in countries where both vehicles are present.
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Old 4th August 2010, 12:00   #8
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New.novice... here are my 2 cents:

I am for the fortuner because:

* Toyota - brand name, quality, resale
* Much better A.S.S. than Mistubishi's beaten up A.S.S.
* Diesel engine, good mileage, lower running costs
* relatively cheaper parts cost than the outlander
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Old 4th August 2010, 12:23   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by akshay1234 View Post
Well neither are proper off roaders. The fortuner looks much bigger whereas the outlander looks more sporty.
Akshay1234 the Outlander is not a proper offroader, the Fortuner on the other hand makes the rough look like silk. In the sporty looks Dept the Fortuner was meant to look Mean and Butch not a sissy like the Outlander.

Quote:
Originally Posted by akashay1234 View Post
The power output is around the same i.e 170bhp but the fortuner is diesel and the outlander is petrol. The outlander also has a 6 speed CVT with paddle shifters so your friend is bound to enjoy that.

The low speed ride is apparently stiff in a fortuner, the outlanders ride is quite good. And it has Mitsubishi handling.
Here i agree the diesel does have a capacity to take you peacefully around 750kms on a single tank. The outlander would need refueling way before this. The paddles on the outlander make it a little simpler but this by no means states the manual transmission is a pain. I have been using my Fortuner more often now since my ML is in for service and in traffic i dont find it a pain as i thought it was. I did not like driving the car due to its being a manual but now i love it.

Low or high speed the suspension is not hard by any means, It is a very comfortable car and has excellent handling both at low and high speeds. The outlander is like the CRV more of a Softroader than a big boy SUV that the Fortuner is.

Quote:
Originally Posted by akshay1234 View Post
Tell your friends wife to look at the innova and spot the similarities in the interiors, then tell her shes paying 10 lacs more for that.
The outlander has much better interiors, and the great Rockford Fosgate music system.
I agree the interiors of the Fortuner do not reek of elegance or give a rich feel like the outlander does but it does manage to deliver the goods. The Fortuner music system is not bad either. You do have an option of changing the Music system, so i would not base my buying a car to the Music system.

Quote:
Originally Posted by akshay1234 View Post
To sum it up the only 3 reasons i would buy a fortuner over the outlander is if i wanted a diesel, or 7 seats or a butch looking suv. Dont forget the fortuners waiting period.
The last row folds up like the prado if not required so it does become a 5 seater. The only downside is the wait for the car. I would get another Fortuner anyday over the Outlander. A friend of mine has the Outlander and she repents not taking the Fortuner due to the wait. So basically for her the Outlander was a spill over from a Fortuner.

Quote:
Originally Posted by n.devdath View Post
Having said the above, to sum it up in a single line, the Outlander is, at best, a city and highway softroader,which handles better than the Fortuner
I beg to differ on this one. Both cars handle equally well in city conditions. Take them offroad and the Fortuner would not even have to make an effort to eat the Outlander alive.

[qoute=n.dedath;2010525]The downsides are iffy ride quality, spongy feeling brakes [quote]

Now your talking of the first batch of Fortuners like mine that had the Spongy brake peddles. There were tests done and the Fortuner even with the Spongy Brake peddle had the best braking in its class. I have not had an issue with my car comming to a halt even at 140kmph. Toyota has recalled this lot and a free upgrade has been done. They now ride on brakes that come on the Prado. The new Fortuners also run on the same brakes on a Prado. So the question of spongy brakes has been eliminated.

As far as the ride quality goes it is a SUV so do not mix the ride with the comfort that you get in a car or a softroader. I find the fortuner in the same league of the Prado and the X5. I own quite a few SUV's and know the difference in their ride qualities.

Last edited by speedy : 4th August 2010 at 12:39.
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Old 4th August 2010, 12:26   #10
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Wow, what a revealing discussion. Boy, do I love this forum.

As some of you mentioned, yes I should have listed some of the preferences and driving requirements for this couple to be able to provide adequate decision points.

This is a family of four (two kids below 10)
They dont drive more than 200 kilometers a week at max, and this is strictly within City driving. Therefore, Petrol Vs. Diesel is not a criteria in terms of mileage. It can play a role in terms of driving and he hasn't driven a diesel yet.

Once he get a SUV, I am not sure how it will be, but while I did a lot of "out of station" car trevellng even in a Maruti 800 I have not really seen him taking his Fusion out a lot. He prefers trains/planes over cars for long distance travels.

His wife is more sold on economy than looks, therefore, she prefers a brand which is easy and "cheap" to maintain than buying a drool which can later turn out to be a white elephant.

This guy is more on "I have arrived" quotient (reason I think he bought a Fusion over others) and in particular has a bias towards SUV's. Though let me say HE WOULD BE THE LAST PERSON I know would go for an off-roading. So even SUV would be driving on finest of tarmac available to him.

The much talked about Waiting Period thingy with Fortuner is not a major concern for him for two reasons. 1. He actually wants a little delayed delivery as he wants to buy cash down and expecting some amount from his company's IPO slated for later this year. 2. His waiting period would actually be less as he has some very close relatives working with Toyota at some senior level.

Hope these pointers would help the discussion, let me know if more inputs are needed.
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Old 4th August 2010, 12:31   #11
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[qoute=n.devdath;2010525]The downsides are iffy ride quality, spongy feeling brakes
Quote:
Now your talking of the first batch of Fortuners like mine that had the Spongy brake peddles. There were tests done and the Fortuner even with the Spongy Brake peddle had the best braking in its class. I have not had an issue with my car comming to a halt even at 140kmph. Toyota has recalled this lot and a free upgrade has been done. They now ride on brakes that come on the Prado. The new Fortuners also run on the same brakes on a Prado. So the question of spongy brakes has been eliminated.
As far as the ride quality goes it is a SUV so do not mix the ride with the comfort that you get in a car or a softroader. I find the fortuner in the same league of the Prado and the X5. I own quite a few SUV's and know the difference.
Speedy, chill Sir. I said "spongy feeling"brakes,not ineffective or bad brakes. It is a known fact that even post upgrade Fortuners have warranted the need for discs at the rear.

I compared the ride quality of both the vehicles since they were the ones in question and a comparison was only natural. Which is why I explicitly mentioned that the Fortuner is a true blue SUV while the Outlander is a softroader.

By the way,I have an extended road test of the Fortuner this weekend.
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Old 4th August 2010, 12:32   #12
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Fortuner bookings are closed for now. Speculation is that it may open again in early 2011. Fellow members have their car delivery date as late as March, 2011.

So, if your friend is indeed going for Fortuner, then he gets the next chance in the above time frame.
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Old 4th August 2010, 12:34   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by akshay1234 View Post
Well neither are proper off roaders. The fortuner looks much bigger whereas the outlander looks more sporty.

The power output is around the same i.e 170bhp but the fortuner is diesel and the outlander is petrol. The outlander also has a 6 speed CVT with paddle shifters so your friend is bound to enjoy that.

The low speed ride is apparently stiff in a fortuner, the outlanders ride is quite good. And it has Mitsubishi handling.

Tell your friends wife to look at the innova and spot the similarities in the interiors, then tell her shes paying 10 lacs more for that.
The outlander has much better interiors, and the great Rockford Fosgate music system.

To sum it up the only 3 reasons i would buy a fortuner over the outlander is if i wanted a diesel, or 7 seats or a butch looking suv. Dont forget the fortuners waiting period.
^ + 1 to that. The Innova-esq interiors of the Fortuner are a big big let down. I'd recommend the Outlander over the Fortuner. This is assuming there is no preference for petrol or diesel.
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Old 4th August 2010, 13:03   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by n.devdath View Post
The Fortuner on the other hand is true blue SUV built on a truck chassis, having a torquey diesel beneath its hood, a proper lever shift low ratio box.
Im quite sure its not built on a truck chassis, but it shares its chassis with the innova and the hilux. And the lever shift for the 4WD box seems a generation behind, even the safari and the endeavour have shift on the fly 4WD knobs.

Quote:
Originally Posted by nilanjanray View Post
@akshay1234 “Well neither are proper off roaders” – From what do you make such a sweeping statement - that the Fortuner is not a proper offroader, for a LWB 7 seater? Have you driven it or tested it extensively? A Fortuner is an extremely capable and reliable vehicle - as long you keep its LWB limitations in mind.
No I havent driven it or tested it extensively. Agreed it is a capable vehicle, and being a toyota it is bound to be reliable. Sure it will be able to do leh and ladakh easily, but so will the outlander. You have put it well (the bold part) and I agree with that. Also it wont be able to do the sort of offroading we see in the 4x4 section in Tbhp, hence my comment not a proper offroader. Oh BTW have you tested it extensively?

Quote:
Originally Posted by speedy View Post
Akshay1234 the Outlander is not a proper offroader, the Fortuner on the other hand makes the rough look like silk. In the sporty looks Dept the Fortuner was meant to look Mean and Butch not a sissy like the Outlander.
On rough roads im sure the Fortuner scores over the Outlander. About the looks, agree about the Fortuner, but the Outlander dosent really look sissy-ish IMO. BTW abhi im not thinking of buying any of these.

The paddles on the outlander make it a little simpler but this by no means states the manual transmission is a pain. I have been using my Fortuner more often now since my ML is in for service and in traffic i dont find it a pain as i thought it was. I did not like driving the car due to its being a manual but now i love it.
I never said manual is a pain. But inspite of the diesel torque there is still a clutch right. An auto will be more convenient. Paddles are just for fun.

Low or high speed the suspension is not hard by any means, It is a very comfortable car and has excellent handling both at low and high speeds. The outlander is like the CRV more of a Softroader than a big boy SUV that the Fortuner is.
Dont you find the car wallows a bit at lower speeds over bumps, like all suvs?

You do have an option of changing the Music system, so i would not base my buying a car to the Music system.
The decision shouldnt be based on a music system but a 650w stereo stock is always nice isnt it?

EDIT - Just saw new.novice's 2nd post - From what you have listed now, it seems the Fortuner will be a better choice. Since in terms of maintenance and running it will be much easier on the pocket than the outlander. A Fortuner in white with a vip number is sure to get your friend a lot of attention.

Last edited by Akshay1234 : 4th August 2010 at 13:07.
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Old 4th August 2010, 13:19   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by New.Novice View Post

As some of you mentioned, yes I should have listed some of the preferences and driving requirements for this couple to be able to provide adequate decision points.
According to what has been mentioned by you on their criteria. I think they best need a Softroader and not a SUV. the reason being they dont offroad or embark on long journeys. Their city driving needs and comfort factors are taken into consideration in a Softroader. "The I have arrived" thingy would not be satisfied by either of the cars, for this he would need a Audi/BMW/Mercedes/Porsche SUV. Toyota and Mitsubishi are not considered A listers by anyone.

Hey just came into my head and something that fits both need the BMW X1. It has the i have arrived thing along with the softroader availability and is announced to be in the 25 lakhs range.

Quote:
Originally Posted by n.devdath View Post
[qoute=n.devdath;2010525]The downsides are iffy ride quality, spongy feeling brakes

Speedy, chill Sir. I said "spongy feeling"brakes,not ineffective or bad brakes. It is a known fact that even post upgrade Fortuners have warranted the need for discs at the rear.
Yes but that would be a one off now. It is not the case for mine and 10 other cars i know off. You mentioned the problem but you somewhere forgot to mention that it has been rectified and the issue is no longer there. This would play a role in the decission making of the car.

Quote:
Originally Posted by n.dedath View Post
I compared the ride quality of both the vehicles since they were the ones in question and a comparison was only natural. Which is why I explicitly mentioned that the Fortuner is a true blue SUV while the Outlander is a softroader.

By the way,I have an extended road test of the Fortuner this weekend.
I agree and i just elaborated on what i know as i own the Fortuner and my Best friend she owns the Outlander. I also added what i have felt in ride qualities between the so called big boys and the smaller Fortuner ( small is purely price wise compared to the expensive SUV's).

All the best for your road test of the Fortuner and i hope she does not dissapoint you .


Sharing a link of what Autocar in their Toyota offroading event put the Fortuner through.

http://www.autocarindia.com/news/for...car-go-roading

Last edited by speedy : 4th August 2010 at 13:21.
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