Reviews - Mitsubishi

Overall Rating

A 4x4 that looks like a car but has the capacity of a van. Derived from the Shogun Sport SUV this van started life as the Challenger before Mitsubishi decided to capitalise on the Shogun heritage.

• High level of equipment
• Comfortable cabin
• Stylish looks

• Poor visibility
• Trim doesn?t look very hard wearing
• Niche vehicle

The Sport Van looks just like the passenger carrying Shogun Sport car. The windows are blacked-out to conceal the lack of any rear seats, almost like it wants to pretend it's not a van making visibility a nightmare for parking. The Shogun is a nice-looking vehicle with the traditional 4x4 ruggedness enhanced by a chunky grille and bumper at the front, big oversize wheels and side sills. Black roof rails, door handles and mirrors complete the style to make this commercial vehicle a looker. The interior is comfortable and neat with wood inserts on the door and centre console. The side doors are hinged rear side doors and the open door can cause an obstruction when loading bulky items. There is useful access to objects at the far end of the cargo area and the tailgate is wide. The Shogun Sport vans engine is a 2.5-litre turbocharged and intercooler borrowed from the L200 pick-up. The range is just two models available the 2.5 TD 5-door in Classic trim with manual transmission or upgrade to the Equippe trim level. Standard equipment levels include central locking, electric windows, electric sunroof, electric mirrors, driver and passenger airbags, a cargo area lamp and a height adjustable driver's seat. Equippe customers also get air-conditioning, alloy wheels and various exterior styling accessories. Its capable for off-road and load carrying work but not quite as good on the road, the 114bhp available helps it reach a top speed of 93mph, 0-62mph takes a slow 16.8 seconds and fuel consumption of 27.2mpg is thirsty for a van. At low speeds the impressive torque means that the Sport pulls strongly, if a little noisily, and it will cruise at motorway speeds but be wary when over-taking as power takes awhile to kick in.

The Shogun Sport van is a good product. The engine and mechanicals are proven to perform and last while the vehicle is more stylish than other vans as from the outside it looks like a car.