Well, it’s official. Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia (MMM) has confirmed that the Mitsubishi Xpander will make its launch debut here this year. The seven-seat “crossover MPV” first made its global premiere in Indonesia back in 2017 and has since been introduced in other ASEAN countries.
“The Xpander is not just an important model for MMM, but across the ASEAN region as well. As of June 2020, the car has reached cumulative sales of around 256,000 units,” said Tomoyuki Shinnishi, chief executive officer of MMM.
The success of the Xpander in our neighbouring countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam reflects how well-suited this car is to meet the needs of Malaysian customers. MMM is very excited for a thrilling year ahead with the introduction of this impressive seven-seater crossover in Malaysia later this year,” he added.
An exact launch date wasn’t provided in the company’s official release, and other details like specifications and pricing remain a mystery for now. It also isn’t known what variants we will be getting, as the Xpander comes in both standard and Cross guises, as seen in other markets.
The only bits of information we do know is our local-spec Xpander will be the facelifted version, which was introduced in Indonesia a few months ago, based on spyshots posted earlier this month. Additionally, the Xpander sold in other markets is only powered by a 4A91 1.5 litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine, mated to either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic driving the front wheels.
As there are no other engine options available for the Xpander, the MIVEC mill is likely the one we will be getting, with 105 PS at 6,000 rpm and 141 Nm of torque at 4,000 rpm. From a local context, the Xpander will compete against the Honda BR-V and Perodua Aruz, both of which feature 1.5 litre engines as well.
Of the three, the BR-V’s powerplant pushes out 120 PS and 145 Nm, while the Aruz serves up 102 PS and 133 Nm. Aside from the BR-V that comes with a CVT, the Xpander and Aruz come equipped with four-speed automatics instead.
In terms of dimensions, the Mitsubishi model is 4,475 mm long and 1,750 mm wide, which is 18 mm longer and 15 mm wider than the BR-V, while its 2,775 mm wheelbase is 113 mm longer than the Honda’s. The Xpander also has larger dimensions compared to the Aruz, which measures 4,435 mm long, 1,695 mm wide and has a wheelbase spanning 2,685 mm.
Focusing on pricing, an important aspect in this segment, the BR-V range currently retails for RM86,726 (OTR without insurance) for the base 1.5 E, with the higher-spec 1.5 V going for RM93,420.27 – these prices factor in the SST exemption scheme that runs till the end of 2020.
The Aruz also comes in two variants, with the base 1.5 X priced at RM68,526 and the 1.5 Advance at RM73,226. As we don’t have official pricing for the Xpander yet, we can only infer Indonesia’s figures, which range from 217.8 million rupiah (RM63,625) and peaks at 275.1 million rupiah (RM80,364).
With the Xpander finally set to be launched here, the budget, seven-seat crossover MPV segment is about to get a lot more interesting. Which of the three options attract your interest best? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
GALLERY: 2020 Mitsubishi Xpander facelift (Indonesia market)
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A very good looking crossover MPV. More sporty and stylish that the current competitor models. Down on power compared to BR-V but looking at the pictures, the Xpander seems to have more practical storage compartments. Personally i like the beige color interior, for me Black is boring.
Xpander = MPV Rivals.
Xpander Cross = SUV Rivals
I think the best features only can match Mitsubishi Triton Low to Mid Spec = 2 airbags
just like Honda BR-V, Toyota Avanza
I wish Proton come back with Mitsubishi, i love Japanese design car. I want see Proton come back with Mitsubishi because JDM4LIFE of Malaysia. What if Proton REbadge that Mitsubishi Xpander Cross, umm, that mean JDM Fan more like that SUV for Tuner guy, more fun driving Japanese car than Chinese car.
U want Mitsubishi then just buy one.
Wow, what a great MPV. Once this comes out the Exora will see a heavy drop in sales.
Now top 7 seater is Aruz. Pity Prootn may drop Exora completely.
Then we will only have China Geely cars made other than the Saga
Mitsubishi Xpander is rather direct rival to Toyota Avanza, Nissan Livina and Perodua Alza. Becuz seven-seat SUV is Honda BR-V, Perodua Aruz.
As long safety not compromised, you can win BR-V.
Back to the future for Malaysian. 2 years product appear in our market today.
More options for us cutomers. On paper Xpander looks like the best compared to competition. Will have to wait for the launch and the price.
Of the three the Spender is better looking but Aruz is a lot cheaper…your choice Malaysians
Honda BRV got the best packaging n power,
Mitsubishi
A car nobody asked for, ugly as hell too
It’s finally here.. the best looking Cross over MPV
Weak car like aruz,better come with manual optjon
I heard it Will start selling in September unfortunately if MMM has brought it earlier, it would grab a lion share of the 7 seaters market. Even worse now now with the recently car price revision by the previous government to protect the third national car could make the price higher than previously (like BR-V)
Mini Delica?!
THIS ABSOLUTELY COOL SUV, BETTER THAN X70 (AKA BOYUE). I WANT SEE PROTON BACK TO MITSUBISHI AND LOTUS. JDM&UKDM4LIFE
Some people argue that Xpander is MPV, should not compare with BRV, which is SUV. For me, there is no different, really. If you say BRV is SUV, then why you want to have 7 seats. I call it as MPV also correct as from the world itself Multi Purpose Vehicle.
I will compare the Xpander with:
1) Avanza (many people claim that it is outdated but the price is competitive).
2) Rush (many people will think that not worth to buy Rush as Perodua copies almost exactly identical, just small changes here and there)
3) Aruz (many people still think that buying national car is a class lower than japanese)
4) BRV (sorry to tell that the exterior look is not my taste and out of proportion. The third row seat is too cramp even for small kids and the cushion is very thin)
5) Grand Livina (a bit outdated without any update)
If Xpander price is at the correct range, I think it is a strong contender among the competitors above.
If brv is suv, that’s the most ugly SUV on earth
quote: 5) Grand Livina (a bit outdated without any update)
New generation of Livina is actually an Xpander in our neighbour Indonesia. Same car different front-end.