Mitsubishi SHOGUN SPORT VAN
Is It A Car? Is It A Van? Yes, To All Of The Above. The Shogun Sport Van From
Mitsubishi Is A 4x4 Vehicle With Car Looks And Van Capacity. Steve Walker Investigates
Have you ever thought to yourself: what I really need is a four-wheel-drive van that looks like a standard 4x4 car to all but the keenest observers? Thought not. Still, for a select few, a vehicle matching the above description would be an answer to their prayers. These people would view the Mitsubishi Shogun Sport van with the same awe and veneration that the rest of us might reserve for a
Lamborghini Murcielago, a Zinedine Zidane double drag-back or a chance meeting with Elvis whatever floats your boat.
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As you may have already guessed, the
Mitsubishi Shogun Sport van is derived from the Mitsubishi Shogun Sport, a mid-sized sports utility vehicle that sits in the middle of the manufacturers Shogun range. The Shogun Sport was originally sold as the Challenger in the UK but Mitsubishi decided to capitalise on the good name of their larger Shogun 4x4 and, following wholesale revisions, the model was renamed accordingly. The Shogun Sport van arrived in 2002 as part of the Mitsubishi 4Work 4x4 commercial vehicle range that also features the Shogun Pinin van, Shogun van and the L200 pick-up. Its been on sale ever since.
The Shogun Sport van range doesnt leave much room for manoeuvre with just one solitary model available. Buyers are invited to either opt for the 2.5 TD 5-door in Classic trim with manual transmission, or sling their hook. Fortunately, standard equipment levels are generous by commercial vehicle standards, ensuring that your £16,495 (+VAT) outlay will secure you central locking, electric windows, electric sunroof, electric mirrors, driver and passenger airbags, a cargo area lamp and a height adjustable drivers
seat.
"the Shogun Sport van sports blacked-out windows to conceal the absence of any rear seats"
Retaining the outward appearance of its passenger-carrying cousin, the Shogun Sport van sports blacked-out windows to conceal the absence of any rear seats. Apart from this unusually opaque glasswork around the rear, the vehicle looks precisely as a standard Shogun Sport would. This makes it ideal for users whod prefer the fact of their van ownership to be kept under wraps. Generally speaking, its a nice-looking vehicle with that traditional 4x4 ruggedness supplied by a chunky grille and bumper ensemble at the front, those oversize wheels and side sills at the sides.
Black roof rails, door handles and mirrors complete an effect that has bundles more to offer style-wise that your average commercial vehicle. The interior of the van is comfortable and neatly organised - there are even wood inserts on the centre console and the door linings for that extra soupcon of luxury. The Shogun Sport vans engine bay plays host to a 2.5-litre turbocharged and intercooled lump borrowed from the L200 pick-up.
Its a capable powerplant for offroad and load carrying work thanks to 177lb/ft of torque at just 2,000rpm. On the road the engines slightly less at home, the 114bhp available helps it reach a top speed of 93mph, 0-62mph takes a laborious 16.8 seconds and fuel consumption of 27.2mpg looks reasonable for a 4x4 but a touch thirsty for a van.
Likewise, a C02 output of 275g/km will have you featuring relatively highly on the Greenpeace hit list. At low speeds the impressive torque means that the Sport pulls strongly, if a little noisily, and it will cruise at motorway speeds without undue drama, although theres a marked shortage of oomph for overtaking. This problem can be successfully solved by the 135bhp power upgrade pack at a premium of £595 over standard list prices. The Easy Select 4x4 transmission system in the Shogun Sport van is also shared with the L200.
It manifests itself in the shape of a small additional gearstick to the left of the usual one and it allows the driver to switch transmission modes at speeds up to 62mph. Theres a low-range setting for tackling serious obstacles, a standard 4wd option for your everyday offroad outings and 2wd for the tarmac. The Sport is based on a tough ladder frame chassis with an independent double wishbone suspension set-up at the front and a one-piece coil sprung rear axel with a limited slip differential. This makes it more than capable of standing up to the kind of punishment most users will be intending to dish out.
The blacked-out windows around the Shogun Sport vans load area are as impossible to see out of as they are to see into and this can make reversing manoeuvres problematic. The driver looks back through the long dark tunnel of the load area and gets only a limited appraisal of whats around him from the window on the tailgate. Because of this, reversing out of driveways can become a case of edging out blindly in the hope that other traffic sees you and stops. Visibility issues aside, the load space is impressively large with length/width/height measurements of 1,750/1,370/960mm.
The area isnt as functional as youd get in a fully-fledged van but it should prove more than enough for most. The hinged rear side doors are retained from the passenger carrying Shogun Sport and the open door can cause an obstruction when loading bulky items. They do, however, give useful access to objects at the far end of the cargo area and the wide lifting tailgate should be adequate for stowing awkward loads. From the starting point of the standard Shogun Sport, Mitsubishi have altered only the bear minimum in creating this commercial vehicle version.
The positives produced by this strategy are the in-cab comfort and the high equipment levels. Potential drawbacks could be question marks over the long-term durability of some of the trim materials along with the shape and amount of space offered out back. That said, if four-wheel-drive is a must-have and it can carry all the things you need it to, the Shogun Sport van is a very good product. The engine and mechanicals are proven to perform and last while the vehicle is a cut above other vans aesthetically.
It even looks like a car so as not to put a dent in your street cred. Heres a commercial vehicle designed to do a very specific job in a niche market and it meets the requirements of that niche with some aplomb.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Mitsubishi Shogun Sport van
PRICE: £16,495 on the road excluding VAT ENGINE: 2.5-litre TD diesel with intercooler
PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 16.8s / Max Speed 93mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 27.2mpg, (urban) 21.7, (Extra Urban) 32.1 WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE: (length/width/height) 1750/1370/960mm
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