If cars were purchased purely on showroom appeal, then the new Mitsubishi Outlander would be an instant bestseller.

Boasting handsome exterior styling and attractive detailing, the new Outlander results from a determined effort by the Japanese car maker to take this fourth-generation version of its popular medium SUV more upmarket.

Bigger, bolder and more substantial looking than its predecessor, Mitsubishi says the Outlander is new from the ground up and built on a shared Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance architecture.

The engine is also an Alliance unit, but Mitsubishi’s engineers have tuned both engine and suspension to ensure the Outlander has its own personality.

The 2.5-litre direct-injection petrol four-cylinder is the only engine option currently, but a plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) version arrives in the third quarter of this year.

The petrol four-cylinder boasts category-competitive outputs of 135kW/245Nm and is matched to an eight-speed step-shift CVT.

The combination works well for the most part, accelerating smoothly and respectably quickly, although at 1760kg the Outlander is on the heavy side, so is by no means a stand-out performer.

The model range starts with the five-seat Outlander ES, priced at $34,490 and rises through LS, Aspire, and Exceed, to arrive at the top-spec Exceed Tourer AWD, costing $50,990 (MRLP).

A combination of five and seven-seat ES models and both two and all-wheel drive variants of the ES, LS and Aspire brings the number of available model variants to nine.

We’re testing the well-appointed Exceed AWD which boasts among its standard features colour-coded exterior body trims, dual panoramic sunroof, power driver and passenger seats, 10-speaker Bose premium sound system, wireless phone charging, power tailgate and 20-inch alloy wheels.

There’s also a generous suite of standard safety kit, including traffic sign recognition, emergency lane assist, front junction assist, rear automatic emergency braking, predictive forward collision warning, rear cross-traffic alert, four-camera multi-view system and auto-levelling LED headlamps.

The interior is handsomely trimmed and generously equipped with heated diamond-quilt pattern leather seats, leather steering wheel and shift knob, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, 10.8-inch head-up display and a 9-inch central audio display featuring embedded navigation and wireless Apple CarPlay.

Unlike most category rivals, the Outlander boasts a third row of seats, albeit seats that are compact and for occasional use only.

A rotary drive mode selector situated behind the mouse-like gear selector on the centre console allows the driver to choose from six drive modes.

Steering wheel paddle shifts provide pseudo manual control of the gearbox and Mitsubishi’s sophisticated S-AWDC brings together a range of traction and electronic handling aids.

But while there’s grip aplenty and the electric power steering is well-weighted and accurate, the ride is disappointing – the stiff-legged suspension and lack of body control causing the Outlander to feel wayward on anything but perfectly smooth bitumen.

While the latter might scare some more dynamic-focused buyers away, the Outlander’s seven-seat versatility, plus a 10-year warranty and 10-year capped-price servicing, will likely swing many more in its favour.

Key stats

• PRICE: $48,490 (MRLP).
• ENGINE: 2.5L direct-injection petrol four-cylinder (135kW/245N).
• ANCAP SAFETY RATING: Five stars (2022).
• Fuel consumption: 8.1L/100km (combined).
• WARRANTY: 10 years (when serviced at a Mitsubishi dealership).
• FOR: Attractive design, well-priced and equipped, long warranty and affordable fixedprice servicing schedule.
• AGAINST: Stiff ride and vague handling, variable interior quality, tight third row, space-saver spare, potential delivery delays.