Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia has opened the order books for the Mitsubishi Xpander which will be introduced here in Malaysia sometime next month right away as the facelift model. It will be sold in a single variant and will be locally assembled in Pekan, Pahang.
If you thought it looked impressive through the pictures, you should see it in person. That Dynamic Shield front end which has been revised in certain areas is like nothing offered in this segment that consists of the Honda BR-V, Toyota Rush and Perodua Aruz.
It’s powered by a 1.5-litre naturally-aspirated 4-cylinder engine with 105 hp and 141 Nm, paired to a 4-speed auto gearbox to drive the front wheels.
As it is the facelift model, several areas have been tweaked and they include a revised a front grille design – featuring two slates instead of three in the pre-facelift model – along with a more pronounced Mitsubishi emblem, newly designed crystal block LED auto headlamps, and redesigned 16-inch wheels. Completing the front is the two-bulb halogen fog lamp that doubles up as daytime running lights as well.
Towards the side, you’d notice the keyless entry feature along with a shark fin antenna that replaces the bee-sting antenna in the pre-facelift model. At the rear end, the Xpander features L-shaped rear LED combination tail lamps with a fog lamp positioned in the centre of the bumper. The Xpander will be available in four colours – Red, Quartz White, Platinum Gray and Diamond Black.
Moving inside, right away you’d notice a few things on the Xpander’s steering wheel; it comes with a voice command feature and even cruise control! Up ahead is a 4.2-inch multi-information display that shows the vehicle’s parameters such as the water temperature, warning displays for the cruise control, and even when the key fob is low on battery.
Even more impressive is a large 9-inch touchscreen display with six speakers, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It also projects various views from the Xpander’s surround-view monitor with 360-degree bird’s eye view. The surround-view monitor is offered along with a front dashcam.
For the gadgets and other gizmos, there are two USB ports, and two 12V sockets but what you’d realise upon settling in is the abundance of storage spaces in the Xpander’s cabin. For starters, you have the centre console storage and glovebox (pretty standard stuff), with additional storage above the glovebox, by the door panels, compartments behind the front seat, front passenger under-seat storage, storage for 3rd-row passengers, and under the boot floor.
Refinement should be another strong suit of the Xpander as the front and rear windows are said to be thicker than industry standards while the cabin has been padded with thicker headlining and floor carpets. All this is supposed to reduce vibration and improve cabin insulation. The Xpander also features roof-mounted air-con vents in the second row.
As for the seating arrangements and space, the Xpander offers best-in-class headroom and cabin space with four different seating layout to offer more versatility. It is also the only vehicle in its class to offer a completely flat floor once the 2nd and 3rd-row seats are folded.
In terms of boot space, there’s 495-litres of space with the 3rd-row seats folded, 836-litres with the 2nd-row seats folded. If you’re mad enough to stack your cargo up to the roof, Mitsubishi says the Xpander will swallow more than 1,600 litres of cargo! Safety wise, the Xpander is equipped with ABS with EBD, brake assist, active stability control, hill-start assist, a brake override system and ISOFIX child seat anchors.
For those of you who’d like a closer look at the Xpander, it will be on display at these locations:
| Date | Venue | Time |
| 23-25 October | Toppen Mall, Johor Bahru, Johor | 10.00am-10.00pm |
| 29 October-1 November | Ipoh Parade, Perak | 10.00am-10.00pm |
GALLERY
