It’s the eternal battle of sedan versus SUV and this time around, it’s the soon to be launched Mitsubishi Outlander versus the Skoda Superb. The former is offered in only the top spec trim while the latter is in the top-of-the-line L&K trim. Here is how the cars stack up against each other.
This is a bit subjective and that’s simply because it is down to the fact of whether you want the SUV body style or the sedan body style. Both cars offer unique appearances and are possibly the best in terms of design philosophy of their respective parent companies.
The Superb is long, low and wide. Its signature elements comprise the headlamps, moustache grille and those rather sharp tail lamps that really help it stand out. In the Outlander, it’s a (slightly) different story as the car is an SUV and a big one at that. This means its signature element is presence. This is accentuated by the bright colour palette, large face and the funky design of the alloy wheels.
On the face of things, there is everything that you would expect from a car in this segment. Power driver seat, climate control, touchscreen infotainment system, leather upholstery and in the case of the Outlander space for 7.
But poke a bit deeper under the skin and you will find the extra touches that give the Superb a definite upper hand. There are more airbags, a less cluttered dashboard, three-zone climate control and it has a larger wheelbase when compared to the outlander. One of the Superb’s party pieces is of course, its massive boot whose capacity can be expanded massively with the rear seats folded down. One place where the Outlander does have an upper hand is that the visibility all-around due to it being a vehicle that sits higher off the ground.
This L&K spec Superb is powered by 1.8-litre turbocharged four-cylinder unit producing 177bhp/250Nm and mated to a seven-speed AT sending power to the front wheels. The 2.4-litre unit in the Outlander is a naturally aspirated unit producing 167bhp/222Nm and mated to a stepped CVT with six gears. It gets an AWD on demand and a differential lock. In other global markets you get the Superb with AWD system but this is not offered in India due to lack of demand.
What puts them so close is that they are priced at Rs 31.84 lakhs and Rs 29.99 lakhs (both ex-showroom Delhi). This difference of Rs 1.85 lakhs is considered acceptable in this part of the market. Currently, Skoda has more dealers and a bigger pan-India presence than Mitsubishi but the Outlander is an SUV and that’s the latest flavour in the market.
