Mitsubishi Xpander 1.5 auto review (2021): A spacious MPV that lacks quality – Expert Mitsubishi Xpander Car Reviews

The 7-seat compact MPV segment was once dominated by Toyota’s Avanza, until the Suzuki Ertiga and Honda Mobilio arrived, offering more modern alternatives. The Mobilio was later replaced by the BR-V while both the Ertiga along with the segment stalwart Avanza received updates in 2019. Mitsubishi wants in on the MPV action and has introduced the Xpander to the local market.

The demand for compact people movers is surprising for a segment often considered entirely forgettable by most of the automotive world. Products like the Renault Triber continue to be a surprise sales hit in the local market, while the Avanzas and Ertigas of the world continue to notch up the respectable annual volume for their respective brands. The Xpander then has its work cut out for it, particularly in a segment where the products offer such similar packaging.

Styling

This MPV segment isn’t where those responsible for awarding aesthetic exterior designs turn to for candidates, mostly because the utilitarian nature of these products usually results in a van-like silhouette as designers look to maximise interior space.

While this is certainly true in the case of the Xpander, it isn’t simply a bland block with a Mitsubishi badge slapped on either end. The brand has applied its so-called ‘dynamic shield’ design language to the exterior, giving the Xpander a familiar front and rear-end design that resembles the Pajero Sport. Whether this design is appealing or not is an entirely subjective topic, but there is no denying that look unmistakably like a modern Mitsubishi product.

Interior and space

The interior of the Xpander is where we were less than impressed, with many trim elements and various surfaces feeling overly cheap and unlikely to stand the test of time. The lid for the storage box in the centre console continually came off and while we can appreciate that this is intended as a budget offering, we simply feel as though the interior quality is not up to standard.

In terms of standard features, there is a multifunction steering wheel, front and rear electric windows, electrically adjustable side mirrors and rear Park Distance Control. The infotainment system is a colour touchscreen system sourced from Sony, it features a reverse camera, Bluetooth, USB as well as both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality and is acceptably fast, relatively intuitive and has a good resolution.

Practicality is the Xpander’s true trump card, offering seating for seven occupants, even if the third row is best used for children. There are also a variety of handy storage areas throughout the cabin, including a drawer under the driver and passenger seat, two large cup holders and a storage bin in the centre console, cup holders, 120-watt power sockets, storage and ventilation for second and third-row occupants and a segmented boot partition for storing items too.

The second and third rows of seats can fold individually, allowing for a variety of loading and seating configurations. With the third row of seats folded flat, there is an impressive 781 litres of boot space to make use of, while folding the second row flat provides 1 608-litres of boot space, meaning an entire mountain bike can be loaded in the rear, without the need to remove its front wheel.

Performance and driving impression

It would be easy to criticise the Xpander for having a slightly asthmatic 1.5-litre naturally aspirated engine and archaic 4-speed automatic gearbox were it not for the fact that all of its key rivals within this segment have the same set-up. Out on the road, we found the product to be acceptably stable on the highway but it is really more suited to the urban environment.

Safety

The Xpander comes with 2 airbags and outer rear ISOFIX child seat anchor points. It was crash-tested by the New Car Assessment Program for Southeast Asian Countries (ASEAN NCAP) in 2018. It achieved a 4-Star rating, equating to 71.66% out of a possible 100%, including 30.08% for adult occupant safety, 18.68% for child occupant safety and 13.89% for its safety assistance systems.

Fuel economy

Mitsubishi claims a fuel consumption figure of 7.0 L/100km, however, our week with the product resulted in a combined consumption figure of 8.2 L/100km, which is still reasonable for a vehicle of this type.

Pricing

Our 1.5 automatic test car was listed at R319 995, making it slightly more expensive than both the Ertiga and the Avanza. The price includes a 3-year/100 000km warranty and 2-year/30 000km service plan.

Verdict

While the Xpander is certainly a practical product with a versatile interior, its slightly higher list price and inferior service plan and warranty and questionable interior quality make a product like the Suzuki Ertiga more likely to get our vote within this segment.