• Only one engine option
• 2.4-litre diesel provides reasonable power
• Eight-speed automatic gearbox only 

Choosing an engine for your Mitsubishi Shogun Sport shouldn’t prove an arduous task – there’s only one currently offered in the UK market.

Mitsubishi Shogun Sport diesel engines

The 2.4-litre turbodiesel engine produces 181hp and 430Nm of torque, yielding a 0-62mph time of 11.0 seconds and a top speed of 112mph.

Out on the road, it’s got a reasonable amount of pulling power and should be just about enough for day-to-day use. Work it hard, however, and you’ll know about it, as refinement dips considerably in the higher reaches of the rev range. Thankfully, power peaks well before at around 3,500rpm, meaning forays up to the red line are rare.

Overall, it lags behind rival offerings that are punchier, smoother and more user friendly.

Mitsubishi Shogun Sport transmissions

Again, there’s just one transmission on offer in the Shogun Sport – an eight-speed automatic. It can be hesitant when rushed and often looks to climb the gears quicker than you might wish, leaving you out of the optimum power range at crucial times.

Manual override paddles are fitted behind the steering wheel and respond well enough so long as you forget any notion of them making the car feel sporty.

Handling

• Clearly designed for off-road, not on-road use
• Feels large and unwieldly on the road
• Excellent ability over rough terrain 

The Shogun Sport belies its name with passable on-road handling that never feels remotely sporty. This comes in spite of advanced multilink rear suspension, designed to improve all-round comfort and control.

Turning in to any kind of bend elicits a good deal of bodyroll (where the body of the vehicle leans on the chassis) from the Shogun Sport, although it stops short of feeling unstable. The steering, however, is vague and devoid of feedback, plus it needs a disconcerting amount of lock to make a turn.

We’ve no complaints about outright grip – the Shogun Sport will hang on gallantly through corners – yet you’d be a brave person to drive it quickly when the road isn’t straight. It feels extremely large to pilot, and you’ll find yourself often double checking each corner of the vehicle to ensure there’s enough room on narrow roads.

Excellent off-road ability

We’ll stop short of saying that the Shogun Sport makes up for its lacklustre on-road driving manners with its impressive off-road ability, but few vehicles will be better suited to a life of mud-plugging on the farm.

There’s a new Terrain Control System with four off-road settings; Gravel, Mud/Snow, Sand and Rock. Each preset tweaks a number of parameters – including automatic transmission and virtual limited-slip differential settings – to suit the immediate driving conditions.

Super Select II 4WD also allows drivers to switch from regular rear-wheel drive to four-wheel drive at speeds of up to 62mph, while a rear differential lock improves off-road capability on the most rugged terrain.

The latter works by ‘locking’ the rear axle so that the rear wheels both spin at the same speed regardless of how much traction is (or isn’t) available.

Other features designed to improve the Shogun Sport’s off-road ability include a 218mm ground clearance and 700mm wading depth; elements we got to try during the car’s UK launch.

We can confirm, having taken on a fairly challenging off-road route, that the Shogun Sport is a capable off-roader that will make light work of most terrain found in the UK. Particularly impressive was its wading capability, easily able to drive through a large pond well over half a metre in depth.

Class-leading towing capacity

The Shogun Sport has a maximum braked towing weight of 3,100kg, with a trailer nose weight of 125kg and roof load capacity of 80kg. Total payload capacity is 600kg.