IT'S big, brash, and an unapologetic throwback to another age, but by gum you'd want it on your side in a fight.Mitsubishi's latest Shogun is the perfect car should you ever decide Southport needs a regime change, so indomitable are its looks, build quality and hard-as-nails off-roader stance. Paint the letters ‘U' and ‘N' onto the bonnet of the very white 3.2 diesel version I tested and you could even pass yourself off as a peacekeeper, because this is exactly the sort of tough trooper of a vehicle the United Nations swears by. It's good enough for them, but is it still good enough for us?
Clamber up into the seven-seater cockpit and you'll be impressed not only by the vast amounts of space it offers, but also by the fit and finish of the interior itself - flashy it isn't, but you get the impression it was built for tougher jobs than the school run. In fact, the only passengers who will be complaining are the rearmost ones, because you'll struggle to keep anyone over six feet tall happy in the third row of seats for long.
Out on the road the Shogun drives exactly how you'd expect a tall four-wheel-drive weighing it at three tonnes to, with the 168bhp V6 pulling well enough but being lumbered by the way the body rolls into the corners. The handy rear camera helps make parking a doddle and the oodles of torque are perfect for towing trailers and caravans, but you'll never escape the sheer size of the Shogun.
But it's biggest problem is the same one which affects all of the really big off-roaders, because buying one of these is bound to attract the unwanted attention of bystanders, who don't care what you have to tow or carry. Driving a Shogun - or a Discovery or Grand Cherokee for that matter - seems to attract an endless series of dirty looks, flicked fingers and scathing remarks.
The Shogun is tough as nails, unstoppable on the rough stuff and a titan of the towing world. But politically correct it isn't.
As published in The Champion on October 6, 2010
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