Review
There's lots to like about the Shogun, and it certainly deserves to be high on the list for anyone seeking an uncomplaining old-fashioned mud-plugger. But don't whatever you do buy one thinking that it can hold a flame to the crop of modern "soft-roaders" in terms of driving manners or refinement.
The restyled front end won't be to everyone's taste, but in the cabin Mitsubishi has sharpened up the Shogun's case with an all-new dashboard and far higher-quality materials than the very plasticky previous generation version. Equipment levels are impressive too, especially towards the top of the range. Buyers can choose between long and (the slightly pointless) short wheelbase versions, with the long wheelbase offering lots of space for five occupants plus a cavernous boot.
Overseas markets still get the option of a petrol V6, but only the 3.2 litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine is being offered in the UK. It's the area where the Shogun feels furthest from the pace set by smoother and more powerful rivals: the engine manages to be both loud and slow, especially when working with the five-speed automatic gearbox that most punters opt for. Add the suspension's tendency to crash over imperfections and the insipid dynamic experience and few Shogun drivers will ever choose to go quickly.
Where the Mitsubishi still really scores is in the wild, where low-range gears, advanced stability control and a battery of lockable differentials allow it to plough its way through the sort of terrain that would halt pretty much anything else. But for road use it feels old and out-evolved.