The Mitsubishi Shogun is a big SUV which can be taken off-road and handle difficult conditions and uneven terrain. It is also a car with a fearsome towing capacity and a huge amount of space and a price tag that falls below £30k for entry-level versions.

On paper - and indeed on snow, as we found out - the Mitsubishi Shogun is a real winner for those who need extra grunt and off-road ability.

However, the Shogun also faces some stiff competition, including the Toyota Land Cruiser and the very good Land Rover Discovery. Is the Shogun good enough to beat its competitors?

Performance

All Shogun specifications use a 3.2-litre four-cylinder diesel engine that delivers 197bhp and is mated to either a five-speed manual or automatic transmission as standard. There’s more than enough power to cope with anything the British countryside can throw at it. Both transmissions have low-range gear which are ideal for getting through any tricky conditions.

The Mitsubishi Shogun is one of the best towing cars around and can handle up to 3,500kg, more than many of its rivals and matching the Discovery.

Very much a workhorse, performance on the road is a little less impressive. A 0-62mph sprint time of 9.7 seconds (10.4 seconds with an automatic ‘box) is not bad, but the car does not quite have the kind of acceleration that a Discovery can offer.

Ride and Handling

Like with other large SUVs, however, the focus on being good to drive off-road means the Shogun’s handling on the road is less impressive.

The Shogun, with its four-wheel drive setup, tall ride height, chunky tyres and lockable centre differential, feels at ease while moving along off-road terrain. Like with other large SUVs, however, the focus on being good to drive off-road means the Shogun’s handling on the road is less impressive. Here the Mitsubishi struggles slightly as the suspension feels bumpy, although corner roll and handling aren’t big issues for the SUV. Overall though, it does not feel as composed on the road as either the Land Rover Discovery or Toyota Land Cruiser. Refinement is a weak point as well, as the diesel engine in the Shogun sounds quite noisy in most circumstances.

Interior and Equipment

Outside of Britain this Mitsubishi is sold under either the name Pajero or Montero.

Inside the Shogun delivers solid plastics, plenty of binnacles and a commanding driving position. Hard-wearing and durable, the materials are all built to last and drivers need have no worries about build quality. The Mitsubishi Shogun is not purposefully packed full of the latest technology but the all models do come with climate control, MP3/CD player, electric windows and alloy wheels. Move up the range and there is an easy-to-use satellite navigation, rear-seat DVD screen and automatic lights in range-topping models. However, the Shogun really comes into its own when it comes to interior space. There are three rows of seats and the third row can be folded flat into the floor for extra storage capacity. Standard boot capacity in the five-seater is an impressive 663 litres. With the rear seats folded the boxy rear end offers a whopping 1,790 litres of space. However, the boot is accessible through a hinged rear door that could be difficult to find space to open if parked in a usual car park. A split tailgate would be much more practical but this small complaint is not enough to reject the Shogun as impractical.

Cost

Starting from a little over £26k, the Shogun’s pricing vastly undercuts the Discovery and Land Cruiser.

Big SUVs don’t tend to offer low running costs and the Shogun is no different in this regard. With the manual gearbox the Shogun returns a combined fuel economy of 34.4mpg and 36.2mpg and emits between 207g/km and 213g/km. When using the automatic transmission instead, it records between 33.2mpg and 34.4mpg combined and emissions range from 216g/km to 224g/km. These figures closely match both the Discovery and the Land Cruiser, which both emit 213g/km of CO2. The Mitsubishi does have one advantage over competitors regarding costs however. Starting from a little over £26k, the Shogun’s pricing vastly undercuts the Discovery and Land Cruiser. Even the Shogun’s range-topping specification, costing under £37k, is noticeably cheaper than these main rivals.

Our Verdict

This is not a sporty car that will get heads turning but it is certainly one of the better put-together SUVs on the market today. Mitsubishi has a good reliability record and the Shogun, towards the bottom of the range, is an affordable alternative to the likes of the Land Rover Discovery. Compared to rivals, the Discovery and Toyota Land Cruiser feel better to drive on the road and are more stylish. However, if you are looking for a car that can cope with rain, mud and snow and you are in need of something with a strong engine capable of towing heavy loads then the Mitsubishi Shogun does make sense.