Mitsubishi re-launched the Challenger – it went missing for a couple of years – late last year and we spent most of the day off-road at a 4WD park west of the Gold Coast. If it has an off-road weak point it's the modest engine braking on steep descents. This will not faze experienced four wheel drivers accustomed to `feathering' the brakes, but really should have some form of hill descent control in the automatic versions, that make up the bulk of the model options.

The focus of our week-long road test was to see how the car adapted to the urban environment where no doubt most four wheel drives spend most of their time: commuting to work, shopping and touring. Also, Challenger is very much in the pigeon hole as family wagon. Underlying this was our test car, the top-of-the-line GLS variant complete with seven seats. The seats are usable – preferably by ankle biters – and is probably best described as a five-plus-two rather than a seven seater `people mover'.

Challenger – based on the Triton platform – but with some major suspension changes to fill the bill as a passenger vehicle as opposed to a workhorse or commercial application befitting Triton, is powered by a 2.5 litre turbo-diesel engine. There is a trend across many manufacturers towards these smaller, high-powered diesels in order to improve economy and reduce emissions.

In the not-too-distant past small meant under-powered. New injection and turbo technology has changed the goal posts and this 2.5 litre TD produces 131 kW at 4000 rpm and a whacking 350 Nm of torque at just 1800 rpm. In the entry level Challenger LS five speed manual, torque is rated at 400 Nm at 2000 rpm – just shy of the torque figure from Toyota's latest LandCruiser V8 petrol. Challenger is rated to 2500 kg for braked towing and 750 kg for unbraked.

The bottom line with genuine four wheel drives is the question: Could you live with this vehicle in the urban environment? For us the answer for Challenger is a definite `yes'. It's maneuverable enough for shopping centre and office car parks and the GLS has the extra benefit of the reversing camera and a large LCD screen well placed at the top of the console. Being a diesel the economy does not suffer greatly from city running and we returned 9.6 litres/100 kms which dropped as soon as we hit the open road. Mitsubishi claim 8.3 litres/100 km out of the entry level manual LS and 9.3 litres/100 km from the LS and XLS automatics. There is no petrol engine with Challenger.

The manual variant will be outsold by the five speed automatics with the manual appealing to those who may go off road more often and being the entry level car it will also have some appeal to those on a strict budget. The entry level five-seat LS manual costs $44,490 while at the top of the pile the XLS seven seat – as tested - is $58,890, and starting to encroach on Prado pricing. For some buyers the key to these vehicles is versatility. Challenger rates well with a seating system that can be as little as two seats, growing to three, four, five, six and seven, depending on needs.

When all seats are in use the cargo area is is squeezed to a thin wedge behind the third row of seats. A couple of small to medium suitcases and some soft luggage would see it chockers. Under this luggage area the floor lifts and there's a storage area for tools or valuables. Also, when the rear two seats fold – which does give access to a decent size cargo area - these seats fold into floor level, creating a neat an usable area of 1017 mm deep by 1375mm wide.

With the second row of seats folded this grows to a massive 1572mm by 1375 mm, with 1.0 metre between the wheel arches. Maximum payload for all variant is more than 600 kg. The rear is 1027 mm high. Mitsubishi supply a full size alloy spare – sensible for this type of vehicle.

Challenger's driving experience is still that of a 4WD. It's employs a full-ladder chassis as part of it's DNA for off-road work and as such will not deliver the type of driveability enjoyed, for instance by soft-roader stablemate Outlander. There is some body roll, particularly on sharp corners, but no worse than competitors and well within acceptable limits for a daily urban driver. As a country-cruiser Challenger is in it's element and easily soaks up kilometre after kilometre of high-speed highway running. With coil spring suspension all-round and stabiliser bars keeping body roll under control the overall ride quality is good, and becomes even better on uneven gravel roads, where the vehicle seems quite at home. For off road work the entire range is fitted with low range transfer and a rear diff lock.

The interior is functional and the XLS gets numerous luxury items inside and out which justify it's higher price. The grille is chromed, there's leather trim, power driver's seat with slide, duel height and recline movement, colour-coded side protection mouldings – which now look a little dated – privacy glass, wood-trim console and centre panel with cargo blind and net. XLS also gets fog lamps, headlamp washers and reversing sensors. It has Bluetooth connectivity. One omission we found was the lack of vanity lights to match the vanity mirrors on the sun visors. But, the visors feature tickets holders.

Verdict: Fitting in between Outlander and Pajero, the Challenger fills the gap and is a must-test-drive for anyone considering a medium size 4WD that offers safety, economy and versatility.

LS 2.5 L manual/auto five seat $44,490/$46,990

LS 2.5 L auto/ seven seat $48,890

XLS 2.5 L auto five seat $56,990

XLS 2.5 L auto seven seat $58,890

(*Manufacturers List Price does not include government or dealer on-road costs)

ABS Brakes: Standard

Air Conditioning: Standard

Automatic Transmission: Standard

CD Player: Standard

Central Locking: Standard

Cruise Control: Standard

Dual Front Airbags: Standard

Front Side Airbags: Standard

Stability Control: Standard

Traction Control: Standard

ENGINE: Turbo diesel

Capacity: 2.5 litres

Configuration: In-line four cylinder

Head Design: 16 valve

Compression Ratio: 16.5:1

Bore/Stroke: 91.1 mm x 95.0 mm

Maximum Power: 131 kW @ 4000 rpm

Maximum Torque: 350 Nm @ 1800 rpm

DRIVELINE:

Driven Wheels: 2WD/4WD

Manual Transmission: N/A in XLS

Automatic Transmission: Five speed automatic

Final Drive Ratio: 3.917

DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:

Length: 4695 mm

Wheelbase: 2800 mm

Width: 1815 mm

Height: 1840 mm

Turning Circle: 11.2 metres

Kerb Mass: 2110 kg

Fuel Tank Capacity: 70 litres

Towing Ability: 2500 kg (kg with braked trailer)

SUSPENSION AND BRAKES:

Front Suspension: Independent double wishbone, coil springs.

Rear Suspension: Independent three link,coil springs.

Front Brakes: Ventilated discs

Rear Brakes: Ventilated discs

PERFORMANCE:

0-100 km/h Acceleration: N/A seconds

Type: Diesel

Combined Cycle (ADR 81/01): 9.3 L/100km

GREEN VEHICLE GUIDE RATINGS:

Greenhouse Rating: 5/10

Air Pollution Rating: 3/10

(10=Best)

5 years/ 130,000 km