Faux-wheel drives the next big thing: Mitsubishi
2WD softroaders are tipped to make up half the compact SUV marketFour-wheel drives that look like four-wheel drives but are actually only two-wheel drives are the next big growth area in the booming compact SUV market, which is up by 36 per cent so far this year. So says Mitsubishi Australia, which launched a front-wheel drive version of the Outlander today priced from $28,990 -- slashing the starting price of Mitsubishi's compact SUV by almost $5000.
"These vehicles are the new [station]wagons," said Chris Maxted, the product manager for SUVs at Mitsubishi.
"People who were driving [Australian-made large wagons] are now driving these. SUVs don't have the family stigma attached to a wagon and young couples who don't want to be seen to be driving a family car are quite comfortable in these types of vehicles.
"They're also seen as an alternative to small hatchbacks," Maxted stated.
Five years ago there were no 2WD compact SUVS on the market but they now account for 20 per cent of sales in the category -- even though only six of the 22 contenders are currently available in 2WD.
According to figures suppled by Mitsusbishi, half of all Toyota RAV4s sold are 2WD and the figure is also strong for Hyundai ix35 (30 per cent), Mazda CX-7 (40 per cent), Nissan Dualis (82 per cent) and Mitsubishi's own ASX (51 per cent).
"If the market is already 20 per cent 2WDs then you can see it won't take too long to reach 50 per cent once more vehicles go on sale," Maxted said.
"Customers in this part of the compact SUV market are very price sensitive. They're coming out of small cars and $30,000 does seem to be bit of a barrier."
In the case of the FWD Outlander, there is one rather big compromise. To get the 2WD Outlander under the $29K mark curtain airbags (standard on the other models) are now optional ($850).
Apart from that glaring omission, the 2WD Outlander has the same equipment as its 4WD counterpart but gains a slightly larger fuel tank (up from 60 litres to 63 litres) because there is more space without the rear drivetrain.
The 2WD Outlander is part of a wider model review for Mitsubishi which today formally introduced a revised equipment and sharper pricing on the Lancer, Triton, Challenger and Pajero ranges.
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