This is rather surprising. The 2022 Mitsubishi Xpander facelift is set to make its debut in Indonesia at the 2021 Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show (GIIAS) next week, but the refreshed MPV has been revealed, by MMC itself in the carmaker’s FY2021 Q2 financial report. Intentional or not, we don’t know.
That’s the car you see above, listed in the document as a new model that is “coming soon”. It matches both the official teaser by Mitsubishi Indonesia released earlier this week (pic below), as well as spyshots from last month.
Look at the headlamps for the biggest change. Sideways-T shaped LED headlamps replace the vertical block seen on today’s car, with the slim, horizontal units going in deep to meet the Dynamic Shield grille. The LED DRLs on the upper tier are longer and more prominent.
This is our first look at the facelift grille, and while the sunken cheeks outline remains, the insides have a new look. The upper part of the grille (where the logo is) is now in two smooth pieces, rendered in black. It’s a cleaner look than the current chrome-heavy style. Below that is another similar trim piece, and the rest of the grille is covered in honeycomb mesh.
On the lowest part of the face, the round fog lamps remain, but the design of the “skid plate” is new and less fussy than the previous four-hole design. The blade-style two-tone wheels are also in a new design. We don’t have a good look of the rear yet, but spyshots hint at a new bumper with vertical cutouts at the sides, joined by a strip.
Here’s a timeline recap for the Xpander. We first saw it as the XM Concept at Indonesia’s GIIAS 2016, and the production version made its debut in the 2017 show. A very minor update involving the grille and equipment surfaced in Indonesia in early 2020.
It took some time for the Xpander to reach Malaysia due to the fact that CKD local assembly had to be set up, but the updated version finally arrived in November 2020. MMM has been on a high this year, with the Xpander acting as a capable sales wingman beside the company’s main model, the Triton pick-up truck. The Xpander is currently the best-selling non-national MPV here; of the almost 13,000 bookings collected since launch, MMM has delivered 5,756 units until September 2021.
Like fellow three-row people carriers Honda BR-V, Toyota Rush and Perodua Aruz, the RM91,369 Xpander is powered by a 1.5 litre naturally-aspirated engine. The 4A91 MIVEC unit has 105 PS/141 Nm and it sends drive to the front axle via a four-speed automatic gearbox. Notable kit include bi-LED reflector headlights, 16-inch alloys, keyless entry with push start, quilted leather seats, a 9.0-inch touchscreen head unit with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and a 360-degree camera plus dashcam.
It’s the season for new MPVs. The second-generation Honda BR-V was revealed in September in Indonesia, and segment grand daddy Toyota Avanza will finally be renewed next week – see leaked shots of the standard Avanza, sporty Veloz version and its Daihatsu Xenia twin here.
GALLERY: Mitsubishi Xpander in Malaysia
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Look so stylish but still offer 2 airbags for current model, memang Tan Chong’s kedekut style
No, the newer xpander will offer 6 airbags, cvt, new dashboard, and ADAS for some spec
This is just a facelift, it still comes limited to only 2 airbags in the car.
No AEB no buy!
Ngl this facial looks the best out of any current Mitsubishi lineup. Just need to work the muscle up i guess.
Haha our Indonesian bros will be pissed with us leaking the official pics
nope, they have new better looking BRV, New veloz & Avanza.
Yuck! So ugly front lamp set!
Xpander & Outlander are 7 seaters, Eclipse 5 seaters is suitable for some small family, why MMC not bringing it in?
Other than pickup trucks, poor resale value, No point bring in when there is no demand on MMC Models.
Mitsubishi xpander is selling very well. Apart from chip shortage, the high bookings have contributed to a 6-7 month waiting period.
Let’s see if it’s still tin kosong for Asean.