Mitsubishi Motors in the UK recorded its best September for almost 15 years with 3,200 car sales.

This is a 35 per cent increase compared to September last year despite challenging market conditions in the motor industry.

The consistent popularity of the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is a significant contributor to this success, with 1,325 units sold last month a jump of nine per cent compared to the same month last year, and a total of 5,731 units year-to-date.

Rob Lindley, MD of Mitsubishi Motors in the UK said: “The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV continues to be popular with buyers, while the all-new Eclipse Cross and Shogun Sport models are helping the brand win over new customers.”

While the PHEV with its electric style add-ons I have to say just the ordinary 4x4 Outlander is a pretty good buy and one of the best on the market.

After all Mitsubishi, which is based in Tokyo, has been building cars for more than 100 years developing new vehicle genres and pioneering cutting-edge technologies.

They suffered a bit in the UK in the past but are looking better and better now and have always been good value for money.

I like their new brand strategy expressed in their “Drive your Ambition” tagline - a combination of personal drive and forward attitude.

The Outlander is both spacious and versatile with either five or seven-seat layouts. It is the middle of three SUVs with the Eclipse being the smaller one and the Shogun being the biggest one. The opposition comes from Honda, Nissan and Kia, all of which are pretty good.

There is a six-speed manual gearbox as standard on diesel versions and an optional six-speed automatic on some of the models. All versions of the Outlander have four-wheel drive.

The controls are pretty simple and you get a decent view from the driver’s seat, aided by large door mirrors. The high-set seating position helps visibility, as well.

There are rear parking sensors on most of the models and front parking sensors on all models with a reversing camera on all bar one of the models.

The Outlander rides pretty well but can be a bit harsh on rough roads but there is a light steering. On the fast roads it is as good as other SUVs and reasonably quiet on the motorways.

There’s bags of leg and head room on the inside with plenty of storage cupboards as is the want of manufacturers these days. It’s quite easy to lose your sweets or gloves. There are two cup holders in front of the gearlever, a useful storage tray for a phone and a front centre armrest with an integrated storage compartment.

If you’ve got the seven seater the back two seats are just for children. The third row of seats splits 50/50, while the second row splits in the conventional 60/40 fashion. You can keep some seats in position for loading bigger items or drop all of them flat to create a huge load bay.

Prices are from around £27,000 but there are plenty of good deals out there. The top of the range comes in around £40,000 with items which include sat-nav, DAB radio, a 360deg camera, heated front seats, a powered tailgate, LED headlights and an electric glass sunroof. There is premium nappa leather, an Alpine audio system and extra safety kit.

All versions have a 12-year anti-corrosion warranty and three years’ pan-European roadside, home and accident assistance.

All versions come with stability control and seven airbags, including one to protect the driver’s knees. Top models get plenty of sophisticated safety measures, including lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control and a collision mitigation system that applies the brakes in the event the car senses an imminent crash.

A space-saver spare wheel is standard on all diesel models, while hybrid models get a tyre inflation kit.

Service intervals are 12,500 miles or 12 months for both hybrid and diesel models.