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August 10, 2017

Meet the Next-Generation Mitsubishi MPV: Xpander; Philippine Launch Slated in 2018 (w/ Video)


After previewing it a couple of weeks back, Mitsubishi has finally revealed the name of their next-generation MPV. Dubbed “Xpander”, this new next-generation 7-seater is specifically made, in Mitsubishi’s words, “xpand” Mitsubishi’s market presence through “xpanded” design, “xpanded comfort”, “xpanded e-convenience”, and “xpanded performance.”

Bad puns aside, the all-new Mitsubishi Xpander will be produced at Mitsubishi’s assembly plant located in Bekasi Prefecture. Churning out at a rate of 80,000 units annually, it will be available for sale by the third quarter of this year in Indonesia and other markets in ASEAN, including the Philippines, by early 2018.


For the Indonesia market, the Xpander is powered by a 1.5-liter 16-valve gasoline engine (4A91) fitted with MIVEC. Generating 105 horsepower and 141 Nm of torque, Mitsubishi promises punchy and dependable performance (even when climbing up steep hills at full load) as well as low fuel consumption and emissions. Mated to the engine is either a 5-speed M/T or 4-speed A/T.

Since this engine is specially designed to meet Indonesian car taxes, there might be a chance that Mitsubishi will fit a different engine for other markets (no official word on this though, but Mitsubishi shot down the possibility of a diesel).



The front-wheel drive Xpander features a unibody construction that provides high levels of comfort and driving stability. Yet, the generous 205 millimeters of ground clearance allow for an extra layer of confidence in traversing unpaved roads or going through floods.

Already promising the best interior room in its segment, the Xpander features a highly flexible interior fitted with an abundance of storage spaces including 16 bottle holders. The second row seats fold in a 60/40 split while the third row goes down 50/50. Both rows fold flat creating a wide and large cargo area. Careful consideration was also done to make the interior quieter. The Xpander uses thick, soundproof glass (laminated with an extra sound-absorbing layer). Safety is also pretty solid with dual SRS airbags, anti-lock brakes, and Active Stability Control available on higher-end variants.



Some of the creature comfort features include a dual aircon system with 8-power settings for the front and 4-power settings for the rear), Keyless Operation System with push-button start/stop, and a full-color LED display in the center of the instrument cluster with an eco-drive indicator.

Mitsubishi has already announced the pricing for the 2018 Xpander which starts at 189,050,000 Indonesian Rp. (~ P 718,000) for the base GLX M/T and goes up to 245,350,000 Indonesia Rp. (~P 932,000) for the Ultimate A/T.

The Philippines will get the Xpander in four variants, each one being offered in manual and automatic transmission flavors.


2018 Mitsubishi Xpander

Overall Length: 4,475 mm
Overall Width: 1,750 mm
Overall Height: 1,700 mm
Ground Clearance: 205 mm
Engine: 1.5-liter MIVEC DOHC 16-valve 4-cylinder
Maximum Power: 105 horsepower
Maximum Torque: 141 Nm
Drivetrain: Front engine, Front wheel drive

55 comments:

  1. There is a typo error:

    "... climbing steel hills ..."

    Otherwise, good article.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Corrected the typo on the second reading. Sorry, was rushing this.

      Delete
    2. WTF is with those headlights or fog lights? they are freaking HUGE!
      it looks like the predator's face
      https://www.geek.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/predator-625x350.jpg

      Delete
    3. It will have three-tiers of lights similar to the Nissan Juke.

      Top: Park Lights / DRLs
      Middle: Headlights
      Bottom (Round Ones): Fog Lights

      Delete
  2. Mitsubishi's Expanded AUV version of the ugly Montero.
    But to give them some credit, the looks of their ASX compact suv is 5-stars on the exterior design!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. autoactiv can't even design an original car from scratch

      Delete
  3. I wish they put the 1.8L mivec diesel engine from the asx too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. chances are, they won't, it would rather be an expensive choice in other markets where they are selling their cars whereby roadtaxes are determined based on engine displacement.

      It's meant to cater to those requiring a peoplecarrier capable of seating 7 souls without the hefty road tax being charged on vehicles with displacements north of 1.6L.

      Delete
  4. 4-speed?! Will be launched in 2018?!?!

    They could have at least put a CVT or a 5 speed auto.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amen to this one... 4-speed auto??? Hahaha...

      Delete
  5. this has got to be one of the ugliest front end designs ever! sayang i like the side view and the back end design pa naman and it's also a bit more affordable compared to toyota innova.

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  6. I think its rivals are supposed to be the avanza, mobilio and ertiga.

    Anyway the front end is pretty decent, definitely better than its rivals. But the futuristic look might turn off old school people like you and will attract younger buyers like moths to a flame.

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  7. It looks like a pretty cool car for that price! Folding 2nd and 3rd row seats would make this sell like hotcakes here.

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  8. I thought only super-budget automobile manufacturers like Suzuki does 4AT. I didn't know that established players like Mitsubishi still make them.

    Looking at you too, Toyota.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Actually, it was CVT that was originally meant for small, budget cars. In any case, 4AT is still the most durable type of automatic. CVTs break more easily. And with 4AT you still get the kick-down to a lower gear when accelerating. The only advantage with a CVT is the lower fuel consumption. The driving experience sucks, though.

      Delete
    2. Yes, driving experience will be sacrificed for fuel efficiency in CVT but isn't that what this target market is after? I mean who the hell drives MPVs for enjoyment?

      About CVT reliability, in the past yes, they were shitty. But now improvements have already been made and newer CVT are now fairly durable. No need to worry as long as you follow maintenance schedules.

      Delete
  9. 4AT may suffer a little in terms of fuel economy. But they are proven technology. Less gears means less gear hunting and switching. Preserving the AT shift mechanisms leading to bullet proof reliability.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. True. If taken care of properly, a traditional automatic like 4AT can last even longer than the rest of the car, including the body! From what I've heard, a CVT can't really be fixed once it's broken. The whole thing has to be replaced.

      Delete
  10. 4AT may suffer a little in terms of fuel economy. But they are proven technology. Less gears means less gear hunting and switching. Preserving the AT shift mechanisms leading to bullet proof reliability.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I heard 9 speed at honda uses in the crv have been recalled numerous times. More gears = more trouble

      Delete
  11. And also cheaper to build.

    ReplyDelete
  12. 2018? Naku... Expired na wrong para sa mga humabol Ng new car excise tax

    ReplyDelete
  13. Yes, the 9 speed are having problems while the cvts are perceived to be less durable, but 4 speed? That's too old tech. Fuel economy will surely suffer. And this is gasoline engine. Mitsubishi should've used 5 or 6 gears transmission. There no technical problems with those already.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What can you do? This is developed for 3rd world countries.

      Delete
    2. well it's already too good in all aspects so they had to cripple it somewhat, right? expect a nicer A/T in the facelift. yeah i know it's marketing BS

      Delete
  14. Is this in the same category of avanza and ertiga? If it is, even though for me the design is overkill, ill still pick this over avanza and ertiga

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah it is. Hell it can even compete with the BRV.

      Delete
  15. I'll still choose this over brv, even though brv has slight power advantage

    ReplyDelete
  16. avanza ertiga mobilio BRV are gonna get massacred. gotta hand it to mitsu they went all-out w/ this one. class leading in all depts (size, ground clearance, styling, folding seats) except the 4AT but that's probably for cost reasons. i'll just get the M/T problem solved :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. I just had an epiphany. The mitsubishi adventure will soon be phased out and this is the closest thing you can replace it with. And holy shit, this is the new generation adventure!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Sa mga bibili nito UTANG NA LOOB wag nyo na pag didikitan ng kung ano ano sticker, chrome at body kits. Over designed na siya. Bili nyo nalang ng makapal na gold necklace pera nyo!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tama ka paps! Kaya iwas po sa pagdaan palagi sa Banawe, naaadik na ang karamihan sa pagpapalagay ng mga chrome sa brand new Fortuner Montero at MUX nila. Dios mio, ang sagwa talaga! Maganda na sila as stock.

      -Mr.Walang Pambili ng Montero

      Delete
  19. Just hope that this mpv doesnt break the 1.2m php mark

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. goto honda & mitsu indonesia websites. Xpander is priced-matched w/ mobilio. so Xpect this to cost less than BRV here in pinas, which is gonna hurt BRV sales even more. Xpander is big trouble for mobilio and BRV

      Delete
  20. The dash looks and feels a lot like the Vios G when it was still beige...

    On the 4AT, yeah probably cost reasons. Or let's see - perhaps the Indonesian regulators had something to do with that decision, and they might consider something else here.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah it does! On the outside it looks an "Xpanded" Honda Jazz with the old Honda City's grille. It's a mishmash of other manufacturer's design. Mitsubishi sure has creative designers.

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    2. You'right,the sales taxes for 4AT is just 10 % when 5AT and CVT is 30%

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  21. 4 AT for a gasoline? Shoild have put CVT in there or just use the 5 speed manual.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Seems good...
    but for a family car... why the beige seat color????

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Sport variant has black cloth seats.

      Delete
    2. yeah i hope MMPC wouldn't be dumb enough to sell the beige on the low-end GLX

      Delete
  23. 4at than cvt for cost cutting, it'll be more expensive if they'll use cvt

    ReplyDelete
  24. rear end is under-styled relative to front. Xpect some radical restyling of the rear in the facelift!

    as for CVT it's not a durable Xmission for a 7-seater like the Xpander which might get used as a workhorse. CVT is ok for lightly-driven small hatch. but for regularly hauling people up baguio the CVT is gonna fail. see how towing is prohibited on many CVT's

    remember this is a LMPV low-cost MPV. 5/6-AT would bring the cost higher

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  25. I agree! 2 thumbs up! Cvt will just tow away your money in your wallet when it broke down

    ReplyDelete
  26. Looking at the specs, it would definitely be the best of its class in terms of practicality and comfort.
    This will sell like hotcakes if it's priced competitively sub 1M for the TOTL variant.

    ReplyDelete
  27. when will be the exact date of release here in the ph? i think it will be the replacement for their adventure line up

    ReplyDelete
  28. sana mas mababa ang price compared sa mobilio. sana presyong ertiga lang

    ReplyDelete
  29. our family been in a auto repairs for more than 20 years..and CVT is the worst thing ever..

    ReplyDelete
  30. ano po tire size ng mitsubishi expander?

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  31. The front looks insanely rubbish.

    ReplyDelete
  32. So much going on, it looks pretentious and doesn't exude class.

    ReplyDelete
  33. 2018 is the "Battle of Crossovers" - the Mitsubishi Xpander, Toyota Rush,and the new Suzuki Vitara GLX.

    ReplyDelete

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