Through a long 300km journey, with all types of terrain: from urban roads, highways, to national and provincial highways and even mountain passes; the 2022 Mitsubishi Xpander demonstrates the useful strength of a versatile 7-seater car.
The chosen route for the new 2022 Mitsubishi Xpander experience starts from Long Bien district, Hanoi. The car weaves through the streets, then enters the Hanoi-Bac Giang expressway; running straight more than 100km before leaving the expressway at the intersection near Bac Giang multi-purpose sports hall and continuing on the route along National Highway 31.
Along National Highway 31, the 2022 Mitsubishi Xpander is challenged with its flexibility when running through the town of Chu, in Luc Ngan district. This place is currently in the main lychee season, so it is crowded with traders buying agricultural products with long lines of container trucks waiting; the traffic is bustling and crowded.
Next, from Cam Dan bridge, the car will cross a more than 30km long mountain pass, with long slopes with a height difference of over 10°, before being able to reach the Dong Cao plateau. Unlike the atmosphere of Hanoi, the Dong Cao plateau will welcome the travelers on the Xpander with a cool mountain wind, large tall rocks, lush green grass with faintly visible pine trees exuding the air of the highland.
Through the long 300km journey, the 2022 Mitsubishi Xpander has been put to the test with various terrains, including: urban roads, highways, national and provincial highways, and even mountain passes.
Elevated luxurious design
The most noticeable change on the 2022 Mitsubishi Xpander is the front face design. The Japanese diamond brand still maintains the successful Dynamic Shield design language, but refines the lines to make the new Xpander’s appearance more modern.
Equipped with the “T-Shape” lighting system with 3 separate lenses on each side, it not only “elevates” the main lighting system of the previous Xpander in terms of aesthetics but also increases visibility for the driver – which means improving safety for passengers. This feature proves to be extremely useful when traveling on highways at night – which requires long-distance visibility.
The wheels of the new Xpander 2022 have also been upgraded, with new 17-inch rims that have a youthful and impressive design. Along with increasing ground clearance and refreshing the front and rear bumpers, the 2022 Mitsubishi Xpander has become taller and closer to the appearance of an SUV, rather than the practical MPV style it used to have.
Inside the interior cabin, the 2022 Mitsubishi Xpander is now more luxurious. The dashboard and door trims – visible and frequently touched places – are designed with leather coverings, intricate metal trimmings, giving a premium feel to the users.
Superior convenience features
The center console area has the most notable changes: the circular rotary air conditioning control knobs have been replaced by a neat digital panel. Especially, the car is equipped with the Max Cool quick cooling mode, which is extremely useful for markets with hot and humid tropical climates like Vietnam.
The previous clunky handbrake has been discarded and replaced with an electronic handbrake button that comes with the modern, beautiful, and useful Auto Hold hold braking mode.
The infotainment system for passengers has also been upgraded with a 9-inch screen, replacing the previous 7-inch screen. Along with that, intelligent connections such as Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and modern Type-C charging ports have been equipped on Xpander 2022 to keep up with the development trend of the Smartphone world.
The front seat passengers are also supplemented with a useful center armrest, which helps reduce fatigue during long journeys. Especially, separate compartments for water and tissue have been carefully calculated and integrated inside the armrest.
In addition to the spacious interior space that can comfortably accommodate 7 adults, Mitsubishi Xpander 2022 also provides convenient storage compartments, complete with charging ports and air-conditioning vents, making the trips more comfortable.
Impressive and practical performance
With an unchanged price, starting from 648 million VND (~$28,000) for the AT Premium version, it would be unreasonable for users to expect a car that delivers a sporty, powerful driving experience. However, over the past 3 years on the market and selling 60,000 units, Mitsubishi Xpander has proven its strengths.
The MIVEC 1.5L engine with 104 horsepower and 141 Nm of torque is completely confident to carry the load of 7 adults anywhere: from Ba Vi summit to Dong Cao plateau, conquering slopes with inclines over 10°. The Xpander 2022 is not powerful, but it certainly is not a weak car!
At high speeds on highways or national roads, Mitsubishi Xpander still provides the driver with the ability to overtake immediately, even with a full load of 6-7 adults. At that time, of course, the sound of the engine will enter the cabin, but the car will continue to move forward and not feel weak when accelerating.
According to the manufacturer’s announcement, the car consumes an average of 5 – 7.7 liters of gasoline per 100km of travel, depending on traffic conditions. This is truly a major advantage in the current era of rising fuel prices; especially for Xpander owners using it for service business purposes.
It is also worth noting that the Japanese brand Mitsubishi has been in the Vietnamese market for a long time and has proven its trustworthiness, durability, and product quality, establishing trust and a strong position in the minds of consumers.
Together with raising the ground clearance of Xpander 2022 to approach the SUVs of today, Mitsubishi also confidently announced the safe wading capability of the car up to 400mm – a useful weapon for drivers in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City to face flooded roads during the rainy season.
In addition, the Xpander 2022 driver is confident enough to be able to cross rough roads or “difficult” terrains that require the flexibility of a high-riding car with large approach and departure angles.
Parallel to the ground clearance improvements, Mitsubishi Xpander 2022 has also improved the suspension system, with larger springs and taller shock absorbers, increasing load-bearing capacity and providing stable operation, minimizing lateral swaying – instability. The Xpander 2022 has completely conquered the continuous curves of the mountain passes in a convincing and gentle way.
Thanks to the large size rearview mirror placed on the doors instead of the A-pillar to reduce blind spots, and equipped with proximity sensors and a reversing camera, the driver can confidently operate the Xpander 2022 in narrow spaces in urban areas or in densely populated areas such as school gates or market entrances.
In conclusion, it can be seen that the 2022 Mitsubishi Xpander has focused on adding highly practical changes to the car: from modern and luxurious design, to adding many practical amenities, and especially improving the impressive performance compared to the previous generation. Hitting the market’s needs will surely ensure that the Xpander 2022 continues to maintain its position as the king of the 7-seater MPV segment in Vietnam in the future.
Anh Phan (Tuoitrethudo)
