After five years of doing business in Canada, Mitsubishi admits it still has a problem with the way it's perceived in this country.

Or, more to the point, the way it's NOT perceived. Mitsu cars and SUVs are just not on the radar screen for most Canadians.

As national marketing director Larry Futers says, "Ninety-eight percent of Canadians do not consider Mitsubishi when buying a car."

So how then does the company carve a niche for itself in the Canadian marketplace?

"By offering consumers a unique value proposition," Futers says.

He believes they "have to push the performance envelope" by stressing Mitsu's many racing successes, including its recent and unprecedented seventh straight Dakar rally championship in the world's most gruelling off-road event.

But until then, he adds, "We need a price advantage until our brand is better known."

That's where the new 2007 Outlander can help. It's the most affordable six-cylinder Japanese SUV offered for sale in Canada and is the result of more than 50 years of SUV production, going back to the early 1950s when Mitsu made Jeeps under licence for the domestic Japanese market.

With a wheelbase of 105 inches and an overall length of 182 inches, it's comparable in size to Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V.

Outlander's power is provided by a new 3.0-litre, 24-valve aluminum V6 that delivers 220 hp at 6,250 rpm and 204 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,000 rpm. It's coupled to a six-speed automatic transmission, with steering wheel paddle shifters on the upscale Outlander XLS.

The drivetrain is more than adequate for the 3,670-lb. vehicle and will provide owners with a good blend of performance, fuel economy and quiet operation.

For 2007, Outlander is built on a new platform that also will be used by Mitsubishi's Lancer, Evolution and Sportback in model year 2008. It's a robust platform, with more torsional rigidity than the previous model — something that was quite evident here on California's twisty canyon roads where, even when pushed hard, the Outlander refused to become upset or unbalanced.

Handling is enhanced by anti-sway bars front and rear and an innovative aluminum roof panel that lowers the vehicle's centre of gravity — always a concern with a tall, top-heavy SUV.

Standard equipment includes power locks/mirrors/windows, cruise control, A/C, auto-off halogen headlamps and keyless entry. Standard on XLS are climate control, heated leather seats, a nine-speaker, 650-watt Rockford Fosgate sound system and a smart fob that allows you to open the doors and start the engine without taking the key out of your pocket.

Even the base Outlander LS comes with an impressive array of active and passive safety features — seven air bags (including a segment-first driver's knee air bag), active front head rests to protect against whiplash, a tire pressure monitoring system and disc brakes front and rear with ABS and EBD (electronic brake-force distribution).

A navigation/rear entertainment system — rather pricey at $4,000 — is available on Outlander XLS and includes a 300GB hard drive with six gigs sectioned off as a music server. This automatically copies any CD played by the sound system and can hold about 1,200 tunes.

The electronically controlled all-wheel-drive system is driver selectable rather than on-demand. A dashboard switch enables the operator to choose between FWD, 4WD auto and 4WD lock.

Mitsubishi calls this AWC, for All Wheel Control. In auto mode, the system distributes torque to the rear wheels as needed, depending on road and driving conditions. Lock mode, only to be utilized at low speeds when the going is really difficult, turns Outlander into a true 4x4 and distributes torque evenly between front and rear wheels for maximum traction.

Towing capacity is 2,000 lbs for Outlanders equipped only with FWD and 3,500 lbs. for AWD models.

New for 2007 is a standard "flap-fold" tailgate. Open the rear hatch and the low tailgate stays in place. Lighter items can simply be lifted over it and stowed in the cargo hold. But for heavy items, the tailgate flips down to give you a knee-level loading floor height of just 23.6 inches. Built-in cargo rails make it easy to slide bulky items into the vehicle. And with the second row of seats lowered, there's 72.6 cu. ft. of available storage space.

But if the flap-fold tailgate is a good idea, the XLS's third row seat is an idea that should have been left on the drawing board. The best thing about this seat is that it folds flat into the floor. As a seat, it's only suitable for younger children on shorter journeys — although it could be used as a place parents send them as punishment for misbehaving, rather than to their rooms.

Mitsubishi turned a profit last year and opened six new stores across the country. This year more sales growth is anticipated and 12 more dealerships are scheduled to open.

If there's one near you, check out the new Outlander. It may prove to be the right vehicle, at the right size and the right price, for your family's needs.

Pricing for Outlander LS starts at $25,498 for the FWD model, $30,198 for LS with AWD and at $32,998 for the upscale XLS.