Used Mitsubishi Shogun Sport 4x4 2000 - 2008 review

To be harsh, the Mitsubishi Shogun Sport is most like a pick-up truck. It's effectively a renamed version of the Challenger it replaced, and both have their roots in a commercial vehicle.

There's little safety and security kit, and the unsettled ride feels every ripple in the Tarmac. That stiff suspension means that, over mid-corner bumps, the rear end can skip out of line all too easily, which is difficult to correct thanks to the slow steering.

A Nissan X-Trail will be far better on-road, but if you need an off-road workhorse, a Shogun Sport will suit you down to the - muddy - ground.

Oddly for such a big car, space is quite tight in the front, and you notice the lack of reach adjustment on the steering wheel. There's plenty of head- and legroom in the back, though, as well as a spacious boot that's spoilt only by a high sill.

The Shogun Sport is a relatively low-cost way into a 4x4, and cheaper than a Jeep Cherokee or Nissan X-Trail. Even the Kia Sorento, supposedly a budget buy, is more expensive as a used car at any age.

However, the running costs are not nearly so attractive. Even on the diesel version, you'll get much less than 30mpg, which compares very poorly to the near-40mpg of a diesel Nissan X-Trail or the 36mpg of a Kia Sorento.

The Kia and Nissan also make the Shogun Sport's regular maintenance look expensive, but any unscheduled work could be even worse. Warranty Direct says the average cost for Mitsubishi repairs is higher than those for prestige brands such as BMW, and for other 4x4 makes, including Land Rover and Jeep.

Although there was a short-lived dual-fuel version of the Shogun Sport, your choice is basically a 3.0-litre V6 petrol or 2.5-litre turbodiesel. For us, it's the diesel every time.

Although they're less powerful than the petrol models, diesel models have lower gears, so it's almost as strong at low revs as the larger V6. It's also more suited to off-road use and returns better fuel economy.

It's also cheaper to insure, because (unlike the petrol) it's available in basic Classic trim, and this is the version we think makes the best buy. The Shogun Sport is a workhorse, so there's no point shelling out for luxuries you don't need.

That said, Classic is the only version with no air-con, so you may decide to upgrade to Equippe or (with the V6 petrol only) Elegance. For the ultimate in luxury (including leather upholstery), you'll need to find a Warrior model, which was introduced in late 2003.

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