Road Test: Mitsubishi Grandis LS

Review by Peter Maniatis - 11/Jan/2008

As the number of seven seat SUVs and 4WDs continues to grow, it wouldn't be unfair to say that the humble people mover could be an endangered species in the automotive world. 

Yet with models like the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Tarago still attracting the attention of expanding family buyers, let's not write-off the people mover just yet.

Mitsubishi's Grandis is often forgotten amongst the bigger names, so we decided to take the entry-level $39,990 model for a spin to see if it still holds up.

Powered by a 120kW 2.4-litre 4-cylinder engine it's not the most powerful people mover in Australia, but it is one of the most efficient. It also gets a good amount of safety equipment for an entry-level model.

If you've got a growing family are in need a larger vehicle for the kids, their friends, their toys, school bags and all the other things that accompany every day family life,the standard five seat layout of most cars can often be barely enough.

But is the Grandis worth putting on your people mover shortlist?

As far as good value for money family van goes, the Mitsubishi Grandis certainly delivers the goods. It gives you seven seats across three rows, a comfortable driving chair, a modern looking instrument panel, plenty of viewing space out the windows and great fuel economy.

Driving the Grandis for a week didn't exactly set my world on fire, but it certainly was effortless and rarely had to worry about the car's size or roll centre. With a decent 4-cylinder and a suitable 4-speed automatic transmission, not to mention car-like independent suspension front and rear, you truly feel that you are driving a normal sedan and not a van or a big truck-like 4WD. 

It’s big plus for mine, the ease of driving. You just slide in - you don't have to hoist yourself up - turn the thing on and off you trot. Effortless. 

On your own or with a couple of small munchkins in the back, the Grandis is an easy to use vehicle that doesn't intimidate like some larger SUVs can.

For a lot of drivers, this is why a larger 4WD or SUV seven seater is out of the question.

The steering is fairly light, requiring little effort to turn and this helps when maneouvering through tight and congested places, such as the shopping centre car park. It has an 11 metre turning circle which is pretty good for a longish vehicle like this.

The Grandis is lighter than both Commodore and Falcon, tipping the scales at 1665kg, which further improves drivability.

Moreover, it cruises nice and quietly without drinking too much fuel on the highway and though it could have used another gear or two, the tiptronic shift system adds flexibility.

To that end though, the Grandis didn't feel as tight and secure on the road as I would have liked it (or as I'm accustomed to in driving my seven seater Ford Territory).

Another issue was the lack of ESP, which almost unforgivable from a modern Japanese car.

The 2.4-litre engine is an older version of the pump that is used on the impressive new Outlander. It outputs 120kW of power and I'd describe the engine as adequate, but certainly no rocket. Loaded up it struggled and particularly uphill – but the open road and short tripping to school and back will see most punters get the most out of the engine and this car.

Fuel economy was good as well – which means a bunch to everyone these days especially the target market of the Grandis. So big pluses for getting around adequately and getting some extra miles on the juice. It’s a good car, hassle free and easy to drive. 

Mitsubishi has included a pretty good stereo, which gets AM/FM radio and an MP3/WMA compatible single CD unit (the VRX gets two extra speakers and a 6-disc CD stacker).

Other standard features include air conditioning, cruise control, and more storage bins and pockets than you ever thought possible.

It's built well too – I like the fact the Mitsubishi can build some nice cars and great prices and not have to spend as much on advertising and glamour as does Honda and Toyota. I consider the Grandis the meat and potatoes of the people mover category, but not fast food like the Hyundais and KIAs.

Being the base model LS-grade Grandis you miss out on things that the VRX gets, such are reverse parking sensors, alloy wheels, leather seats and a sunroof. Even so, the LS Grandis is finished more than adequately with decent dash plastics and comfortable cloth seats, just don't expect anything of a super-high quality or plushness. 

But really, that’s okay for the segment of the market that this car is geared for. Keep the price down but make sure safety and fundamentals are in place. 

Six airbags as standard - including curtain airbags for the rear passengers - are very reassuring, as are inclusions such as the ABS and EDB. There's also 3-point seatbelts for all seven seats. 

Mitsubishi has developed a fairly strong frame for the Grandis that uses it's 'RISE' (Reinforced Impact Safety Evolution) technology to ensure the car doesn't fold like a paper bag in the event of a collision.

It's not surprising the vehicle is called the Mitsubishi 'Space Wagon' in Japan either, as the interior offers a huge amount of space. Though the boot has only 320 litres of space (most large cars have around 450 to 500 litres), fold the third row seats down and it opens up significantly. 

If you didn't have kids and luggage, and toys, and sports equipment and school books clogging up the interior, you could easily fit whole stack of surfboards, a few mountain bikes, or heaps of camping gear.

Overall: 3/5

If you are looking for a car to get the kids around during the week and zip the folks about when they come to town – with things like fuel efficiency safety, and a good warranty being high priorities – then the base model Grandis will do you well.

However, I can't help thinking than the $3,000 extra for the range-topping VRX model makes for even better value. Sunroof, leather, parking sensors, 17-inch alloy wheels etc. I've had the pleasure of driving this top end Grandis and it certainly lends itself to a more comfortable and luxurious feel, but in terms of ride, handling and versatility there's no difference between LS and VRX.

Still, for what you pay here, it's not a bad deal but up against very tough competition from Honda and Toyota, Mitsubishi may need to provide buyers with special deals to entice them over.

Though the humble people mover may not be around forever in its current form - the 'crossover' phenomenon being the current fad - growing families looking for an economical vehicle that's car-like to drive and seats seven without a fuss should definitely take one for a test drive.