Mitsubishi Xpander: What to expect?

It’s true that Mitsubishi has been selling cars in Malaysia for quite a few years now. However, its product lineup feels short even today. It’s not that Mitsubishi isn’t capable of making great cars, it certainly is. But the manufacturer is just not interested enough for providing the best that it has got in our country. However, things could start to change as Mitsubishi is planning to introduce its brand-new Xpander in Malaysia. Yes, that’s right. The Xpander is a new entry-level MPV that has created a swirl in other ASEAN countries. So what should you expect from the Mitsubishi Xpander? Let’s find out.

Modern exterior

Mitsubishi is going to try and do the unusual with the new Xpander. Unlike conventional car designs, the Xpander would have a different approach, especially at its front where there would be a slight rearrangement of lights. So at the top, there’d be sleek LED DRLs joined together by a large chrome grille and the headlamps would reside below the DRLs. This design philosophy itself makes the upcoming Mitsubishi Xpander quite special.

The rear end of the Xpander would be a bit less aggressive and won’t be as sharp as the front. There is supposed to be a roof spoiler and large taillights. While the overall appearance of the new Xpander would be very modern and futuristic, it might be a little too much into the face for some people.

Omotenashi Principle

The new Mitsubishi Xpander is most likely to be based on Mitsubishi’s new Omotenashi Principle. This principle gives importance to hospitality. So the interior of the new Xpander should be very generous when it comes to space and comfort. The second row of seats would feature a sliding mechanism to allow adjustment as per passenger’s requirements. It also makes it easier to create more legroom with this feature. Also, to enable easy ingress and aggress to the last row, the middle row seats could be tumbled with a button.

Interior quality and features

As we mentioned earlier, the Mitsubishi Xpander is going to be an entry-level MPV in the 7-seater segment, therefore, it wouldn’t be the most luxurious vehicle out there. Don’t expect to get high-quality leather seats or soft materials on the dashboard. Mitsubishi would use hard yet good quality plastic in the making of most of the interior parts. This wouldn’t be the best quality cabin that you would be in, but it also wouldn’t be a cheap one either.

As for the entertainment, we are expecting to see a large 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Bluetooth connectivity, GPS navigation, and Easy Link smartphone connectivity. The steering wheel might not be available in leather but is very likely to get mounted controls for audio and cruise control.

Engine options

Mitsubishi has been very quiet regarding the upcoming Xpander specs, however, it is being speculated that perhaps there is going to be only a single engine option available. It would be a 1.5-litre petrol engine with 104 PS of maximum power and 141 Nm of peak torque. As far as the transmission is concerned, there could be two options, either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic. In other countries, the Xpander is an FWD vehicle and the chances are that it’s going to remain so for Malaysia as well.

Safety features

We know that Mitsubishi has been boasting about the 4-star ASEAN NCAP safety rating of its new Xpander. This is not going to change for the Malaysian market. What it means is that the MPV would be a safe car and would have safety features like ABS with EBD, Hill Start Assist, Traction control, Vehicle Stability Assist, and at least dual front airbags. Obviously, we would love to see more airbags, but more on that when all details become officially available.

So, these were some of the features that you should expect from the upcoming brand-new Mitsubishi Xpander. There are no solid details as to when the Japanese firm is planning to bring it to our country but a launch date sometime in Septemeber looks feasible. That’s a long time from now. There would be other cars launching in this time period which might be rivals to the Xpander even before its launch. It would be good if Mitsubishi could push things a little ahead and prepone the launch of the car. As far as money is concerned, the Mitsubishi Xpander price would be somewhere around the RM 78-79000 mark.

Would you be interested in the Mitsubishi Xpander? What are your opinions about it? Let us know!