Mitsubishi Shogun 3.2 GLS DI-D

BUILT like a brick penthouse. I wish I'd thought of that, because Mitsubishi's billboard ad slogan for the all-new Shogun range neatly sums up the big off-roader's continued appeal: it's well-constructed and smells of money.

The third generation luxury 4x4 went on sale in May in GLS trim for short (three-door) and long wheelbase (five-door) petrol and diesel variants with prices from ú27,995 to ú37,995 on-the-road. A less exotically specified GLX will be introduced in September and Mitsubishi has already showed its hand on prices - the three-door 3.2 DI-D GLX will become the entry model at ú24,995.

In a full year it expects to shift 2,000 Shoguns, about 1,500 Shogun Sports (the ex-Challenger relaunched in March from ú18,995) and 5,000 'baby' Shogun Pinins, born in January and weighing in at a healthy ú13,995.

Long wheelbase formats will account for 65% of UK Shogun sales and 45% of those will have the 3.2-litre DI-D direct injection diesel rather than the 3.5-litre V6 GDI gasoline direct injection petrol. Of the 35% three-door balance, the majority is expected to go for the 162bhp, 275lb-ft DI-D - the subject of this report and Mitsubishi's research indicates that 88% of purchases are business-funded with users predominantly married males within the 45-54 age group.