Prime
Outlander, X-Trail or Captiva?
What you need to know:
Both the Nissan X-Trail and the Mitsubishi Outlander have become popular because of their reliability, performance, versatility, practicality, and safety features. The Captiva is basic transportation at its finest; affordable, comfortable and impressively practical without appearing insultingly cheap and cheerful.
Of course the most “drivable” car is the one that is easiest and most enjoyable behind the wheel, which in this class is the Fores... sorry, no Subarus. In this class of three it is the Outlander that is the most engaging, but that is not saying much, it only highlights the woeful plight of the other two.
(Note: the 2011 Outlander and the 2014 Outlander are two different cars, so, I will go with the former). At least there is the XLS version to spice things up a little.
The X-Trail offers a certain blandness to the driving experience that can only be outdone by the opioid effect of the Captiva’s captain’s seat. The first generation Chevy (2011) is one very boring car to drive and to be in generally, sorry to say. It recently featured in a segment called “Meh Car Monday” on one of my favourite automotive websites.
The sheer levels of anonymity and nothingness that this car brings to the table are staggering. You could fall asleep just looking at it. It is generic to the point of invisibility.
If you want to know just how boring this car is, here is a little factoid; it was developed by Daewoo, who did not even have the gumption to stay independent and allowed General Motors to invade them and throw them little projects such as the Daewoo Winstorm, of which the Captiva is a captive import. The puns are writing themselves by this point.
How many have you seen out there? Yes, very few because the potential buyers probably nodded off in the middle of signing transfer paperwork and dreamt about a Fores... sorry, we agreed no Subarus.
Fuel efficiency
Well, Mitsubishi’s GDI has been developed over the years to iron out the initial kinks with the touchy and hypersensitive ECU programming that resorted to default non-fuel saving mode every time you even thought about the accelerator pedal. Now it actually works over a wider range of throttle openings to give outstanding economy, but only if you go for the little 2.0 litre. Avoid the 2.4 if you are a fastidious cheapskate (and miss out on the sweet spot of the Outlander lineup; barring any forced induction, which is that 2.4).
The 3.0 V6 is for those with shares in oil companies. The X-Trail comes a close second on a scoreboard that can easily be flipped by one injudicious prod of the long pedal, okay maybe two or three prods, but the Hostagea is left trailing. It is the second heaviest (1,685kg vs the X-Trail’s 1,437 and the Outlander’s 1,700kg, which is compensated for by MIVEC and GDI tech) and the crudest as well; and it comes with V6es of the 3.0 to 3.2 variety. There is a smaller 2.4 but still, you can see you will not be winning any fuel economy challenges with this thirsty horse.
Cost efficiency in parts
Look who comes swinging right back in the third round. It is the Chevy Hostage. That crudeness and weight I mention above means that the big, unstressed engines are simple and uncomplicated and unlikely to fail any time soon, as opposed to the gimmickry used by Mitsubishi to boost economy, optimise smoothness and eke out performance in the higher reaches of the rev range, all from the same engine.
It is a bit sad that Chevrolet pulled out of this market in which they sold Captivas as well, but did you ever notice? No. I told you this car is boiled white rice. They might or might not still stock parts for the Chevrolet Detainee, but even if they did not, there is the internet to help you source parts.
The Outlander is the flimsiest of the lot, with the X-Trail falling somewhere in between. The proliferation of these cars means parts will be easy to find, and probably cheap.
Resale value
Forget about it. You might recover some of your money by selling the Outlander shortly after you get it but where is the joy in that?
However, keep it longer and you are giving gremlins more leeway to make their presence felt, which in turn puts you at the mercy of mechanics.
The X-Trail is also quickly becoming a victim of market dynamics. Its brand plays against it; the Nissan badge has had its rep steadily weakening on the used-car market, which does not do resale value any favours. Price your car high and potential customers will simply do DIY imports.
As for the Chevrolet prisoner, well... nobody has ever heard of it, let alone seen one, so most likely nobody will be looking for one.
