If you want to ogle some serious, heavy-duty vehicles, head down to Gatcombe Horse Trials. The event is well under way today in Gloucestershire and it’s packed with mud-splattered, off-road exotica.

You might think the Cotswolds is prime territory for Land Rover but Mitsubishi has a strong following here – partly thanks to the company being based in Cirencester. Yep, Waitrose car park is rammed full of them.

Mitsubishi has made subtle changes to the Shogun over the years but it still instantly recognisable. These days the styling looks outdated and even in its most luxurious form, lags behind the rest.

People who buy a Shogun aren’t generally looking for street chic, they want something that will handle a horse box and plenty of go-anywhere ability. That’s where the Shogun scores – boosted by an extensive equipment list that you won’t find on a similarly priced, entry-level Discovery, for example.

Unfortunately, first impressions of the Shogun reveal it feels cumbersome and heavy, with rather vague steering. All that off-road ability means that it’s compromised on-road. And with many of its rivals offering a better combination of both, the big Mitsubishi doesn’t feel like the king of the road anymore…