The Wonderful Thing
by David Finlay (12 Jul 05)

First sold in the UK early in 2003, the current Shogun was even then not a completely new model. Apart from a few revisions including a drop in price and the addition of don't-frighten-the-horses styling (in contrast to the previous aggressive design which the company later acknowledged had harmed sales), this was essentially the same vehicle that had been introduced to the market three years previously.

Even then, it felt like a sturdy machine. The term SUV (or "sports utility vehicle") is increasingly being applied to 4x4s these days, but it doesn't seem appropriate in this case. Now more than ever, after the introduction of more refined and luxurious vehicles which certainly do rate the SUV tag, the Shogun feels like an old-school off-roader.

You get that impression from the moment you turn the key. The 3.2-litre turbo diesel engine clatters into life, and does little else but clatter until you switch it off. In this respect the Shogun always feels agricultural, yet I somehow don't have a problem with it. While other, more recently designed 4x4s almost seem to disguise their ability to tackle rough terrain, there is never a moment's doubt that the Shogun would be more than happy to scramble up a riverbank any time you wanted it to. I think there is something refreshing in this display of automotive honesty.

I'm less keen to raise a glass to the Tigger-like ride quality. I took the Shogun to the launch of another car, clocking up about 400 miles in the space of two days. I was impressed that I could do the whole trip on a single tank of diesel, slightly less so that I bounced all the way there and all the way back. And that included the long stretches of motorway. To that extent, the five-door long-wheelbase Shogun would probably have been the better option.

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