Mitsubishi Shogun Owner Reviews: MPG, Problems & Reliability

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The Mitsubishi Shogun is an old school 4x4 and all the better for it. The SUV is certainly not cutting edge which has as many advantages as it does disadvantages. For instance, the car is relatively narrow (1,875mm across compared to over 2 metres for many rivals). Together with excellent visibility (plus a rear reverse camera) from a design that avoids the high waistline of many rivals and a good turning circle, this makes the Shogun far easier to use than you would expect in the winding streets of the market town where we live. Getting out of it in tight car parking spaces is also easy as the tall design lends itself to relatively tall and not over-wide doors. Performance is sprightly, if a bit noisy under acceleration though this is never overbearing and refinement is good on motorway journeys. Economy is decent for a 2.5 tonne motor. Road tax for 2011-15 and 2017 on versions is not too much of a burden compared to other used rivals at the same price. On handling, yes, it is not as nimble as a Discovery but it always feels predictable. Ride quality again is not class leading but it’s definitely better than I expected having read the motoring press, and it settles down at speed or fully laden. Cabin is very well screwed together and comfortable and the seven seats are great for trips with the extended family/children/friends. The major controls are very intuitive. Infotainment and trip computer are dated but I don't really use those (smart phones tend to be better at navigating now than most OEM systems on cars anyway) and at least they got one thing right on the infotainment - the sound quality is excellent for the radio/CD/MP3/Aux. All-in-all a great, reliable family car with a handsome design that stands out from the crowd.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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First off, I’m a massive car fan. I’ve owned Porsche, BMW and the latest Mercedes in many forms. And I reiterate what many say: the motoring press (especially Top Gear) spout absolute rubbish about this vehicle. I wanted a safe, reliable, good sized 4x4 family vehicle. And I didn’t want to pay the best part of £40k for (even) a used Discovery or XC90 which are probably at the top of the game for what I wanted. It’s a smart looking car with a rugged and ‘old school’ appeal. The driving position is excellent and is much easier to manoeuvre and place on the road than a normal large estate. The brakes are strong, smooth and progressive with discs all-round. The front heated seats are extremely comfortable and relaxing to sit in. I’m 6ft and have no problems getting comfortable. The view out is great - you’ll not find many vehicles with such a commanding position. I drove mine from Scotland to Hertfordshire when I picked it up and arrived home feeling relaxed and unstressed. There’s loads of space in the back seats and the boot is a decent size for all our baby clobber. It’s well equipped, lacking nothing from any other vehicle I’ve owned. The ride on most road surfaces is lovely and smooth. Yes, the secondary ride can be a little unsettled - but you never have to worry about potholes. It’s less wide than my old Mercedes and no longer; being less of a delicate soul in nature (it’s utilitarian and better for it) and with running boards, I have no worries parking it in places where I winced at in other vehicles. It has seven seats if you need and a huge sunroof. You’ll be surprised at how the engine will pick up and get you down the road: motorways are no problem and the power comes through a great lump of torque. Bad points? Few really. Yes, it’s not as refined or as pleasant to be in as the above competition, but it will not leave you stranded and will keep going. The engine is a brute - but it’s a large capacity 4 cylinder diesel, so what do you expect. It will do 28mpg on the motorway and I typically get 27mpg on 15 mile runs. Overall, this is a workhorse car: part of the family, it doesn’t cost a fortune to buy and it feels like it will go on and on. In an age where pretty soon this type of car will be killed off by the electric revolution, if you want one - get one now.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Fantastic car for my use in the plant and haulage sector Well made, handles well , quite powerful, good manual gear box Good on and off road, very reliable. Why buy a land rover defender and pay over the odds for something that is not as well made and very agricultural

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Fantastic, never had anything go wrong with it or the last Shogun that i had for 5 years

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Seems to keep going ok

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No Red thumbs down

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A fantastic all-round car. Tows superbly, looks excellent, nice bit of power, rides very well for a 4x4, boot could be a little bigger.

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Good especially when i pass other 4wd stuck in the sand and i drive past effortlessly

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Simply the best car I have ever owned. I use it for beekeeping on a farm so it goes off road. The boot is large enough for all my beekeeping kit. It is quiet in the cabin, smooth automatic transmission. Excellent brakes and tyres, lovely comfortable leather seats, heated front seats. Excellent visibility for driver. Lovely and warm in the cabin or if you want you can make it adequately cold at 23 degrees centigrade, any lower it is very cold. Heated wing mirrors which I paid extra for since the car was imported from Australia. Full sized alloy spare wheel winched up under rear of car, completely safe from theft. I have fitted Thule Roof rails which I leave on all the time and there appears to be no wind noise at all. LED headlamps give much better visibility ahead than my previous car, Hyundai Santa Fe. There is no annoying stop start. We have fitted a voice command Garmin Sat Nav rather than use Google maps where you have to plug your phone into. When I tank up it gives me a range of 380 - 400 plus miles based on previous mpg before tanking up. The adaptive cruise control is very good and keeps you at a safe distance away from the car in front. Central locking is good as no one can open a door until driver considers it safe to do so. The hand brake system is excellent, you select drive, push the electric handbrake to release the wheels and drive off. It does not roll back even on a steep slope like on the farm. Every time you leave the car it displays "See You" how many miles and months it is to your next service and it shows your current mileage. The 5 alloy wheels are of exceptional quality and only need a quick wash & wipe regularly. The electric window controls are fine with the driver having automatic up and down. The other 3 windows could have had upgraded switches fitted to make them automatic up & down too. There is good ground clearance under the car so speed humps even the largest won't damage the underside of this car. The tinted rear windows stop the car heating up too much in sunny weather. The boot when opened is like a roof over your head when it is raining. Lots of clearance above your head when boot is open. The outside rubber central locking buttons are really useful for locking and unlocking the car. The daytime running lights are really bright and have prevented many cars from having pulled out in front of me. It is an excellent long distance cruiser used in conjunction with the adaptive cruise control. You can adjust the speed downwards on the cruise control as well as upwards with your fingers with no feet on the pedals. If you are following someone exiting the "A" road or motorway exit, the car automatically brakes and all you have to do is steer. The car always keeps away from the car in front. As the car in front moves off the Shogun moves off at a safe distance and follows the car in front, all you have to do is steer. It takes some getting used to letting the car drive for but it can and it does really work. Whenever I am in a 20mph or 30mph zone I put it in cruise control to prevent breaking the speed limit. This is an excellent car and a joy to drive. It runs on diesel would recommend, Esso, Shell or BP as they have additives to keep the engine running smooth. In cold weather the windscreen blower quickly heats the glass and melts the ice. This car is probably the most reliable car you will ever find. I am hoping that Mitsubishi will resume importing this vehicle in the future so I can buy another one. Although I am hoping with regular annual services at EMG Duxford my car will last for many years. I have a 5 year warranty and a 5 year service plan!

What's the one thing you like most about your car?

Getting in it and realising what a fantastic comfortable and reliable car it is.

If you could improve one thing, what would it be?

Change x3 passenger window up and down controls to be automatic up and down on the driver pad to be the same as the driver window control switch.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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A lot of rubbish is written about these cars by the motoring press who have never owned them or used them in anger. I bought mine new from local dealer when living in rural Scotland. 115,000 miles and 8 years later I've only had one major problem – the dual mass flywheel. Other than that the expense has been on consumables (tyres/brakes etc) and diesel! I chose the 5 speed manual as it's lower on road tax with a cloth interior, and it's lasting very well. It's rugged and reliable even though the engine is a bit agricultural. It's very spacious, has a useful third row of seats (for smaller children), huge boot (with seats folded its great for carrying bikes or carting junk to the tip. It drives well on motorway, has good visibility and comfortable seats. It eats motorway miles to South of France or the Alps (and is very good in snow and ice). It has a simple manual 4WD system - none of that selector dial electronic nonsense - these cars do what they say they can do. Mine is on 18-inch wheels and is now on its second set of Dunlop M+S tyres, the first set lasted 65K miles! The heated seats are great and it has huge door mirrors, which are very good for towing.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Just traded it in for a 10 month old Shogun SG4, no problems with the car but I just wanted the facelift. This is a proper off road vehicle that will take you anywhere, pull a house down and carry a massive capacity. O.K. it's not as refined on the road as the newer crop of "wuss" SUVs but it is not an SUV, it's a real offroader. Will be changing the SG4 in another 4 or 5 years and it will not be for anything other than a Shogun.... well maybe a Land Cruser but even that's unlikely.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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In six years of ownershipI have just replaced all my road tyres as the bad weather has started even though my tyres were still road leagle.replaced battery had new sencer fitted to nearside front wheel axcle other than that no other repairs. as veicle is serviced regular.

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Excellent in all aspects,except m p g also huge increase in road fund licence

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No Red thumbs down

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Very good value for money when compared to range rover/discovery.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Excellent, albeit raw, commuter and tower as well as doing everything you expect this car to do. It can get may places, it tows, it carries people and decently comfortably as well comparing the price to comfort. Reliability is vastly better than comparable luxury vehicles such as Land Rover, X5 or similiar. This is a laster amongst luxury cats, but still decent. Mine has done 230k km. No problems other than due to usage, such as brakes, worn suspension and worn belts. Other than that it is like clockwork. Only thing to look out for in these cars is rust, rest is robust.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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I use this truck for both commuting to work and off-road for fishing & shooting. On-road, it's about as comfortable as you'd expect for a large 4x4. It's maybe not quite as refined as others, but unless you're expecting Bentley comfort along with the off-road abilities of a Defender you'll be hard-pressed to find too much to complain about. Niggles? Not many. Mine needed new ABS modulator rings and a transmission switch failed, leaving me with intermittent Super Select 4WD. Both easily fixed, and fairly cheap. Truck's great on long distances, and has room enough for practically anything you'll find you need to carry. Plenty of space, plenty of comfort, and plenty of toys. There are a few really useful stowage boxes too (something my last truck, a Terrano, was sadly lacking) Commanding driving position, good road manners (although the 285/55/18 tyres on mine tend to hug white lines and road seams a tad) and a real luxury feel to the truck make it a pleasure to drive. One thing though? Don't drive it too briskly or you'll pay the price at the pump! My worst mpg was 18 when I first bought it. I put it down to not being used to an automatic (and the box is clever enough to learn your driving style, so initial mpg should and will improve) My best was 32 on a motorway run. But then, you won't be buying a Shogun for its fuel consumption, will you? You'll love it ;-)

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Don't believe what the motoring press write about this car - I've had this car nearly two years now and it has really grown on me and is a great vehicle. I use it mainly as a towing/holiday car, as it tows our 1.2-tonne van in 5th gear without the need to drop down unless you're on slower A-roads. On motorways it pulls the van very well and can power past slower trucks with the van unaffected by their turbulent air. The highest mpg I've got has been 40mpg at a steady 60mph drive down the motorway for 90 miles with just myself and 200kg of tools and tank of fuel, which is incredible considering the size of the car and it's a proper 4x4 rather than one of the electronic systems that brings in 4x4 for a few seconds (like the Tiguan 4Motion). Normally I get around 33-34. Towing it drops to about 22-23mpg. I find the seats very comforable, I've driven virtually non-stop from the south to north of France and got out feeling like I'd only just sat down. The critics mention the suspension is a little harsh, yes when new and unloaded it can be but load it up and it comes into its own. The ride is very sensitive to tyre pressures - drop them slightly when empty and pump up when loaded up and it transforms the ride comfort. Personally I've bought the car to keep for at least 10 years and I didn't want a car with too much electronic technology. Discoverys, Land Cruiser etc use air suspension, which is great until it fails (and they do often) and then it's £3k per axle to fix, so give me coils and shocks any day. The manual gearbox has now been discontinued on the LWB which is a shame in my opinion as it's smooth and easy to use. I always drive in 4x4 (4H) mode, it feels much more planted to the road and improves the feel and driving experience, especially on A-roads. Another motoring journalist negative comment has been the slow-geared steering. Yes, when you initially jump in, you find you need to move the steering more than other cars but you soon get used to it and on long journeys it's actually helpful as it means keeping on track is easier and you need less corrections. I've had my 18" alloy wheels professionally powder coated satin black and, against the Eiger grey colour, they look superb (don't know why they aren't an option in black). If you want the latest fashion statement brimming with electronics and toys all ready to fail out of warranty, then this car might not be for you, but if you're after a well made, reliable, spacious workhorse that won't cost the earth to fix after the warranty has run out, then I think they're great.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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its very good with towing my horse trailer

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Yes Green thumbs up

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far to many faults with sensors

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No Red thumbs down

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never let me down

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No Red thumbs down

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It does exactly what we need; a large car because of a back injury and capable of towing our caravan. But, it costs a fortune to run and i think it is only going to worsen as the car ages.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Brilliant tow car. Good looker too. Has prestige image. Could do with a higher geared steering (too many turns needed). Needs rear sensors for safe parking. Lovely on motorways but sometimes a little wide for town use.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Excellent

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No Red thumbs down

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Dont buy one to many engine problems and no one is bothered to sort it out mitsibushi have no interest in what you tell them we can not get the the mpg they advertise from 8mpg to 18 is all we can get.

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No Red thumbs down

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This is my 4th shogun so they must be good

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No Red thumbs down

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I have owned my SHOGUN SG3 for 7 years and apart from needing a new battery it has never let me down and still has the original tyres at 36000 miles. To date no other parts have had to be replaced and even though I use off road for shooting it still drives like new on the road. I have just purchased a new 2018 Shogun SG3 and am impressed at the improvements whilst it still maintains the true look of the Shogun. It now has a 5 year warranty and for a discounted price of below £32000 is true value for money. I still have my 2011 Shogun as I am reluctant to let it go yet but when I do will be able to sell with confidence that it will serve its next owner as well as it has served me.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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great car but despite many shogun drivers' and mitsu's claims i simply cannot improve the fuel consumption. best is 24 mpg ... but that's driving 100km/hr on a straight for approx 300km

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Extremely capable car - off road in the Kalahari dunes or in town. Ticks all my boxes. Love the shape - go drive a 10 year old Shogun to see how well they actually are. Unfortunately quite expensive but no money spend on gadgets and gimmicks. Headlights the best in 4x4 world. I will not mention VW in terms of fuel consumption. When you buy a big 3.2l engine you don't expect it to be frugal. Get real on this issue. Much safer car than a Discovery. Can supply references where one went down a 80m slope towing a caravan and all people came out without a scratch. A Discovery rolled on a straight road in Namibia after touching a vehicle from the front two days ago. People were seriously injured. The other vehicle had minor damage. Don't know what criteria the testers use. But they are from a different planet. My 2nd Shogun (called a Pajero in SA).

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Yes Green thumbs up

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This is now my 3rd Pajero/Shogun. I had a 2001, 2007 and now a 2012. There is no better vehicle. We tow a caravan. NEVER had ANY problems. Fantastic vehicles.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Really love the car! Comfortable! Good looking! Quick!

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Feels and sounds a little agricultural but that it will go on forever. Extremely well equipped and comfortable. Better towing vehicle than my previous discovery 3 and should be more reliable

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Yes Green thumbs up

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This car is the biggest let down I have ever felt when buying a car. I purchased the vehicle when it was 5 years old with 20,000 miles on the clock and paid a premium for it due to the milage expecting it to be superb being Japanese. Sadly, the infotainment system on the car is lousy. When you have the Radio on in the car you can't hear the parking sensors – decent cars suppress the radio when these sound. The Satnav will only take a maximum of 5 postcode digits making it really difficult to operate and program, the resolution on the screen is poor, too. I use the vehicle to tow my caravan which weighs 1500kg, the car allegedly has a towing capacity of 3500kg. Unfortunately, when towing on the motorway the Shogun continually hunts between the gears. It is unable to remain in a single gear on the flat and continually jumps from 4-5 or 3-5 when on any slight incline. Whilst passing through motorway road works where the speed is limited to 50mph i have to select 3rd manually on the auto to stop the gearbox from slipping. Cornering is very poor and with the caravan on is even worse probably due to needing a long tow bar because of the spare wheel mounted on the back door. I really can't understand why the police use theses cars, because economy is appalling, on normal running around I'm lucky to get 25, on short trips anywhere between 15-18mpg. When towing on the motorway at around 50-57mph I can achieve around 20mpg but this drops at 60mph. I only get about 16mpg when towing on urban. Despite my total dislike for this vehicle it does have some positive points, it is reliable and has never let me down. It has seven seats which my wife loves, it has a nice large boot and rear air-conditioning for the dogs. Maneuvering around sites with the van is a doddle and reversing the caravan onto chocks, for example, is childsplay to this vehicle. It has no issue towing up gradients and has a reasonable amount of torque, but not that good considering it has a 3.2-litre engine.

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No Red thumbs down

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I have used Shoguns since 2004. I loved the petrol version which was super smooth and quiet and fast too. Petrol was phased out and now diesel only. Bit rattly round town but very good on the motorway. These are fantastic cars. The motoring press must simply be test driving some other car. Whatcar gave it a ludicrous one star. Personally I give it 10/10. Does everything you want it to do in a no fuss way. A good looking car in and out. Solid and reliable with many standard high spec features. I get quite annoyed about the ill informed motoring reviews. Great car, one of the best out there.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Since owning this Shogun, I've had a recon steering rack put on and new wiper linkage, also two new back brake calipers plus fuel injector problems... Nearly forgot a new hazard switch costing £65 to buy and put in.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Good looking, comfortable vehicle let down by noisy rattling dashboard due to cheap plastics. Also, the tyre wobbles. I returned to the garage but their help was minimal - nothing like what was promised on purchase. In reality the customer service from both the garage and head sales office could not be worse. I have rung customer complaints and been promised a response on 3 consecutive days, but nothing has been done so far.

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No Red thumbs down

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The motoring press are pathological deceivers, churning out the same old negative crap about this vehicle with the consistency of a broken record. I have owned many of the so called high end vehicles that are constantly lorded by the msm, including 4x4s by Audi, BMW and Land Rover, so I am comparing my ownership experience to these vehicles. That is ownership in the real world, not just driven for 10 minutes and then go and write some bull***t that conforms to my paymasters wishes. The Shogun is exceptional value, drives great on and off road and feels like it may last for 1000 years. The technical aspects concerning the Shogun have already been written here by real owners, so no need to reiterate what is already obvious... it is beyond brilliant! If you are in the market for a large 4x4, stop listening to the 'Nea Sayers' and go and buy one.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up