since 1976
since 1976
By Lee Pang Seng
SPACE is often a priority with vehicle owners looking for a vehicle to accommodate his family transport needs. Fitting the bill is either the MPV (multipurpose vehicle) or SUV (sport utility vehicle).
Well before the MPV came strongly into the picture, the Malaysian market saw only commercial vans. But things changed when a new strategy was adopted to stay afloat in the market following Proton’s entry in the mid-1980s. The non-national brands decided to dress up its commercial vans and market them as family vehicles.
In a way, it worked as the market then was spoilt for choice among the respective brands. It also showed that the market was ready for such family vehicles, albeit at affordable prices. Despite this strong acceptance, it wasn’t till the early 1990s that some car companies decided to promote the proper version of MPVs.
By then, passenger vehicle buyers had come to accept the higher prices of the non-national brands and there was a growing market for MPVs. Although the national brands offered their respective version to tap the market, the non-national segment was big enough to see a fair variety of MPVs being introduced.
A recent success story is that of the Mitsubishi Xpander. Since it was launched in 2020, Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia (MMM) sold more than 40,000 Xpander MPVs to top the non-national segment. With the recent launch of the Xpander facelift that features a second model variant for the first time, MMM is confident of reaching out to more MPV buyers with a more contemporary proposal.
That the Mitsubishi Xpander had caught the imagination of so many family types wasn’t surprising. The Xpander has sharp looks in the Dynamic Shield Design front, spacious interior with flexible arrangement, decent handling dynamics and stability, and a 1.5-litre engine with ample power that is frugal on fuel consumption.
The Xpander facelift was given styling updates that gel with the times while standing out from the crowd. While the Dynamic Shield Design is retained in front, there are now T-shape LED (light emitting diode) headlamps. For the perfect balance, the rear combination lamps also carry T-illumination LED taillamps.
These certainly added a new sparkle to the already contemporary looks that are also freshened up with striking.17-inch dual-tone alloy wheels. The previous Xpander model came only with 16-inch alloy units. For the higher spec Xpander Plus variant, extra goodies come in the stylish tailgate spoiler, interior scuff plates and the silver accent front and rear bumpers (the Xpander gets only black ones).
The updates inside the latest Xpander see a sporty steering wheel with audio and cruise control, digital climate control and premium soft touch for the dashboard. Even some family types wouldn’t mind a sporty touch here and there, and MMM says the new sporty steering wheel is adapted from the Lancer Evo 10.
To extend the premium aura, the Xpander Plus comes standard with a wireless handphone charger on the central console (located ahead of the transmission shift knob), nine-inch multimedia display with Apple Car Play and Android Auto compatibility and leatherette seats all round. The multimedia display offers access via a capacitive approach.
Adding to the creature comfort of the driver and passengers are the leatherette centre console armrest and a second-row armrest with cupholders that is foldable. The flexible interior is retained with the 50:50 split third-row seatrests and 60:40 split second-row seatrests. You could fold away the seatrests in any combination to achieve the space you need for your sizeable items.
Carryover items from the old model are in the cargo floor box with compartments, underseat multi-purpose storage trays, glovebox with double compartments and third row side pockets with cupholders. For the driver, the telescopic and tilt adjustable steering wheel is another item that is carried over.
A contemporary addition is the electronic parking brake and brake auto hold features while the Xpander Plus comes with the all-round monitor with images displayed on the multimedia screen. The latter would be most useful in parking the fairly large Xpander, dimensionally, in tight parking spots. At 4475mm in overall length, 1750mm overall height and1730mm overall width, the Xpander is by no means small and such visual aids would be practical in the urban environment.
We didn’t quite put that to the use during the media drive that MMM organised but we had other insights into the Xpander that told us why this MMM MPV is doing so well. MMM’s classification of the Xpander as an MPV is in a grey area as an MPV usually defines it as a one-box vehicle like that of a van. An example is in the old Perodua Alza while the new Alza is more of an SUV as it’s a two-box vehicle (one housing the engine and the other the passenger compartment).
What matters more is the interior space and the flexibility that either model variants provide. Running on a fairly long wheelbase of 2775mm, few would doubt the spacious interior the Xpander provides for seven people, including the driver. The second-row seats could be slid front and rear to provide ample legroom for the third-row occupants. Despite that, we feel the third row is best for children or short trips for adults.
With all the seatrests up, the cargo area is just about right for two standing luggage. For a family on holiday, that luggage space does not seem enough. However, if one half of the 50:50 split third-row seatrest is folded, it might just accommodate a family of six with holiday luggage included.
The media drive covered winding secondary roads that were bumpy in some areas as well as highways. With its independent MacPherson strut front and torsion team rear, we found the suspension well set up to offer a decent ride all round, which we could vouch for as a rear seat passenger. MMM says the rear dampers are bigger in the new Xpander and this means it would perform consistently well without getting too hot, especially on highway drives. We certainly had no complaints during the highway sections.
The bigger 17-inch alloy wheels were fitted with 205/55 R17 Bridgestone Ecopia tyres that appeared to complement the suspension performance. Road noise was a distant note from a driver’s and front passenger’s perspectives. However, we found the transmission of road roar via the C-pillar (the third roof pillar) rather loud as a rear seat passenger. For sure, we couldn’t catch a nap during the highway section.
As a driver, we found the large body profile susceptible to strong cross winds that were encountered on the highway. There was a tendency for the Xpander to meander a little when it was buffeted by these cross winds. Without running into cross winds, the Xpander felt glued to the road, even at robust speeds. There was little wind noise intruding into the passenger compartment and we could carry a normal conversation, even at a robust pace.
The 1.5-litre (1499cc) MIVEC engine is retained and it comes with a decent output of 77.2kW (105PS) at 6000rpm and 141Nm at 4000rpm. Power goes to the front wheels via a four-speed automatic with manual shifts via the gear knob. The output felt adequate in moving an MPV with a kerb weight of 1275kg at fairly robust speeds.
MMM says that there was no need to go for a five- or six-speed automatic or even a continuously variable transmission (CVT) as the four-speed unit is found to work well, based on customers feedback. We took a stab at seeing what mileage we could get on the highway via the average fuel consumption readout on the driver’s instrument panel.
Driven at a constant highway speed within legal limits, we achieved a consumption of a low 7.0L/100km (about 14km/l) over a 30km-plus stretch. We believed the Xpander could go below that fuel consumption point when driven over a longer distance to show that it could be almost as miserly on fuel as a 1.5-litre MPV with five- or six-speed automatic transmission.
We enjoyed the drive through the winding stretches of Ulu Langat as well. There was reasonably good directional feedback from the front wheels and this allowed us to explore the Xpander limits a fair bit through the twisty bits. Body roll was quite well checked and we could hold fairly good speeds through the meandering course.
At the end of the day, the Xpander was at home driven along at a leisurely pace as it was at a robust pace on the highway. In urban centres, it fitted right in with good engine torque allowing it to move along without too much engine grunt. That should help keep urban fuel consumption down. And it’s right up there in interior space and ride comfort against its peers. We believe these qualities have endeared the Xpander to many Malaysian customers.
Yes, the new Xpander might be a little pricier than before but at RM99,980 on the road without insurance, it remains an affordable and attractive MPV in the market. And if you want more, just pay an additional RM10,000 for the Xpander Plus to enjoy all the dazzling extras, including the DVRs (digital video recorders) up front and the rear.
