Mitsubishi Shogun Sport review - Practicality, comfort and boot space

With just a single bodystyle available and seven seats as standard, the Shogun Sport is an obvious contender for buyers who need the ultimate flexibility for passengers and luggage.

Size

One of the largest cars in this segment, the Shogun Sport is both longer and has a bigger wheelbase than the Hyundai Santa Fe and Skoda Kodiaq at 4,785mm and 2,800mm respectively. In addition, it is also considerably taller than its key rivals - almost 150mm more than the Skoda and Hyundai - which is in part due to the high-riding stance. The Shogun Sport offers 218mm of ground clearance, which is of significant benefit when taking the vehicle off-road although it can make climbing aboard more difficult for some passengers, especially those getting into the third row of seats.

Leg room, head room & passenger space

All three rows of seats offer good head and legroom, and of particular note is that the third row is sufficiently spacious to accommodate children and shorter adults with ease.

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Up front the driving position is helped by electric seat adjustment and the Shogun Sport’s high ground clearance, giving a commanding view of the road ahead. Over the shoulder and rearward vision is slightly compromised however, due to the tapering window line towards the tailgate. This is mitigated somewhat thanks to the standard fitment of a reversing camera on all models.

Storage space within the Shogun Sport’s cabin is sufficient but not exceptional, and is limited to door bins, a storage cubby in the centre console and the glovebox. Cup holders are available between the front seats and in the second row armrest, with bottle holders in both front door pockets.

Boot

Because of the seven-seat configuration the Shogun Sport can be arrange in a variety of layouts, with the ability to fold the third row individually and the second row in a 60/40 split. With all seven seats in place the boot offers a modest 131 litres, increasing to 502 litres with five seats unfolded and 1,488 litres in a two-seater layout. These figures lag behind both the Kodiaq and Santa Fe, although the latter offers little measurable space in seven-seat mode.

Using the boot is also more of a challenge with the Shogun Sport because of the high ride height and boot lip, compounded by the false floor that houses the third row of seats. The boot itself has a generous aperture but an electric tailgate is not available.

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Towing

Well-suited for towing trailers or caravans, the Shogun Sport can accomodate a braked trailer up to 3,100kg in weight and is assisted by both Trailer Stability Assist and an additional towing mode for the automatic gearbox dubbed ‘Uphill Control’, designed to optimise its performance for more challenging conditions.