Why buy a 4x4? Well there are two possible reasons. One is for practicality's sake if, for example you have a caravan to tow, or a large family to carry down a bumpy track to your remote country abode every day. The other, and far more common, reason is for image. Then, of course there are so many camps of 4x4. There are the small SUVs, which baulk at the thought of the smallest pothole. There are the mid-range practical workhorses which can earn their keep as well as pose, and then there are the elite. The crème de la crème, in which one commands the road, safe in the knowledge that the car will perform beautifully off road as well as on, should the occasion one day arise. Of course it never does.

The Shogun falls into the second camp, the practical 4x4, designed just a little more for rugged use than the other 4x4s. Its looks don't let it down, although the office was split. Personally I don't mind it - it may be that I'm a sucker for 'chunky' which this pulls out all the stops to be, but some of our staff detested it. The 2003 model has been subtly revised to give it a smoother yet slightly chunkier appearance than the previous model. The front end has a new grille, emphasising the three diamonds, restyled halogen headlight units and a colour-coded bumper. The side-mouldings have been updated, and the rear lights and bumper have undergone minor restyling. Finally new alloys complete the list of noticeable changes, introduced at the beginning of this year to help flagging sales. Notably prices have remained the same as the previous models.

The range consists of nine models, three short wheelbase (SWB), all with the 3.2 DI-D engine and six long wheelbase (LWB) models - five of them with the DI-D engine and one with the GDI V6 power plant. There are also six additional 'Warrior' and 'Field' special editions, including the only SWB to be powered by the GDI engine.

First impressions of the car are OK, but no better. The doors open and close beautifully, but feel insubstantial. Although the external detailing is chunky, it has still not managed to depart from that dreadful Japanese habit of fiddly over-detailing, with a plethora of side strips, badly attached extras and horrible little orange lights above the running boards that look like some extra from a '70s space film. The spare wheel is displayed as a monstrous chrome-encased trophy on the back of the vehicle as with older models, and it still looks awful.

The instrument panel is dire. It looks almost as if it is trying to be retro, but missed by about 50 years, landing unfortunately in the mid '80s, but I think in reality they've forgotten to update it since the first model. It's a slab of cheap grey plastic with circles set into it, containing the basic, ugly gauges. All the warning lights are along the top of the dash, very nearly causing me to run out of fuel on one occasion as they're all neatly obscured by the steering wheel for someone of my height (6' 3"). The twin glovebox is a neat addition, offering large amounts of storage space, which are frequently useful in this sort of vehicle. The rest of the dash is awful though - an ostentatious slab of the fauxest faux wood you could ever imagine which is badly fitted. The crowning glory is the infra-red receiver for the remote control, a giant black carbuncle glued onto the edge of the 'wood' like some back-street aftermarket fitment. In fact the only blessing from a style perspective is that Mitsubishi have deleted the useless altimeter, 'inclinometer' and compass.

One thing I can't complain about (well, almost not at all!) is the satnav, undoubtedly the best system of any car I've yet driven. The controls are nearly all on a remote, which is maddening until you've actually discovered it! But once you have, controlling it from the palm of your hand instantly has a futuristic feel. The mapping is excellent, the voice is a little non-u (but forgivable) and the general interface is superb. It is accurate to centimetres, and is able to direct one literally to the very front door of your destination. The only things that let it down are the nasty relay click when the voice cuts in or out, and the way it only speaks through the left front speaker, giving the impression that your guide is hiding in the passenger footwell. Finally, and by far the worst, one is denied basic functions of the system whilst driving. This is sheer stupidity - especially as there are still enough functions available to cause a multiple pileup, or whatever else you're expected to do. Worse still, putting the gearstick into parking doesn't resolve the situation; not even turning off the engine will help. You can only wait several minutes for the system to assure itself you're not moving before it'll cooperate. It also asks you for your agreement every time you start the engine. But apart from these niggles it is truly a marvellous system.

The large glass sunroof brightens up the cabin no end. It has tilt and slide controls and the same anti-trap mechanism as on the windows. The seats are well appointed in leather, but it's that awful Japanese stuff which looks as though the poor cows have been fed on a diet of carrier bags and bin-liners. It's a far cry from a Range Rover's interior, and worse still marks terribly easily, which is unfortunate for something that's meant to be practical. The seats themselves are however very comfortable indeed, and offer an excellent driving position. The third row of seats is ingeniously installed under the floor of the boot, and swings out and unfolds before clipping into place. Very neat indeed, and a huge selling point for those families who need to transport more than the usual five people, but don’t want to have the load space compromised with bits of folded seat all over the place.

The engine is great, with bags of torque (quite enough to kick the back end out in two-wheel-drive mode should you be feeling particularly rebellious), but oh, how it lets you know it's working away under the bonnet. Driving most noisy cars through a tunnel a little too fast is a delight, but take this anywhere near one and you'll find yourself trying to cover your face as well as your ears. It's actually not quite as bad as the Land Rover Discovery, but it's not far off. I’d be inclined to opt for the V6 GDI, which manages to deliver nearly 80 per cent of its maximum torque at just 1,500 rpm, but this would have a detrimental effect on running costs as it delivers 7 mpg fewer than the diesel.

On the motorway, the Shogun is comfortable and composed, although there is a surprising amount of noise when encountering rumble strips or cats eyes. On twistier roads it leans dramatically through corners if pushed, but manages to just about hang in there, and the suspension soaks up the bumps very capably. The steering is excellent - sharp and precise, with a surprisingly short rack for this class of car. Off road, although we never managed to lose traction, it grounded out too easily on a couple of occasions due to the multi-link rear axle. The four-wheel drive system is switchable. Normally the car is rear-wheel-drive, but the front pair can be brought into play if required by shifting the stubby second gearstick forward. Moving it forwards again maintains four-wheel-drive and locks the rear diff. The final position selects low-ratio 4x4. This can all be performed while on the move which is very useful for negotiating different terrains without having to stop each time to change the configuration. The 5-speed automatic gearbox features INVECS-II learning. This has a computer control which apparently monitors each individual's driving pattern and adapts the timings of each gear change to suit the driver's style. There are also manual and sport modes, although automatic is generally quite sufficient. The manual mode is rather slow on the uptake, somewhat negating its usefulness.

How would I sum up the Shogun? Good but not great. It doesn't appeal to me as an aspirational vehicle of any description, and driving it does not make me feel special, which something like the BMW X5 does. But then I live in London and I don't have five children. It does the job well, but has too many rough edges and lack of finesse for my liking. The overall quality is below what I've come to expect from a £35,000 car.