In the early 2000s, the automotive global market, especially Asia, saw the rise of seven-seater family cars, specifically MPVs. Sure, there were other high-capacity models that could function as a family car, but it can also be argued that sedans were more popular before that era. Also, most of those seven-seater models that came before MPVs were either SUVs or just mere variants of vans or even commercial vehicles.
The Mitsubishi Grandis seven-seater MPV
To that end, Mitsubishi wanted to cement its position in the global MPV market. As such, it sought out to replace the aging Space Wagon with the Grandis. And no, the Grandis is by no means the brand’s first MPV, but it was the first one to bear the car maker’s new common front fascia design. The one that was eventually used by the 2003-2012 Lancer, the 2007-2010 Mitsubishi Outlander, the 2007-2011 Eclipse, among others.
Going back to the Grandis, the Philippine market received it in 2005. And compared to the older Space Wagon, it was superior in terms of power and on-board features. It also lost the sharp corners and odd proportions of the older model.
For an MPV from the early 2000s, it looks well proportioned
When it comes to engines, the Grandis’ 2.4-liter inline-4 4G69 gasoline engine can still hold a candle against the more modern MPVs, at least when it comes to output. That’s because it can make a beefy 165 horsepower and 217 Nm of torque.
Do note though that it also used a rather primitive four-speed automatic transmission. According to previous and current owners, the Grandis was fairly smooth, but at the same time it was holding back the said MPVs performance on the highway. The four-speed was also probably the cause for the Grandis’ being not too fuel efficient. It was also a bit heavy with a curb weight of 1,625 kg.
It offered tons of legroom, with plenty of room to spare for cargo
On that note, one cannot expect it to have the same fuel efficiency as the lighter Galant 240M sedan which also used the same 2.4-liter 4G69 engine.
Regardless of the aforementioned, the Grandis was praised for being roomy. Its interior also had nice features like a leather-wrapped steering wheel, leather seats, 60:40 folding second rows, LED backlight for the gauges, automatic climate control, and an AM/FM/DVD/MP3 audio player which even had a TV tuner.
In other markets, the Grandis had a manual variant. The Philippine-spec model also received a touchscreen later in 2009
So, are the Grandis still around? Well, it was discontinued globally in 2011. This is despite the fact that it actually sold rather well globally with 55,729 units sold from 2004 to 2006. It even won the “Best MPV award” at the 2009 Bangkok International Motor Show.
In 2008 however, global sales slumped to just 8,283 Grandis units. It was even worse in its home country of Japan, where only 281 units were sold in the same year.
After that though, MPVs had since become more commonplace in the ASEAN market. Mitsubishi itself has entered this segment with the Xpander and Xpander Cross. Relatively, they’re less premium than the Grandis, but they’re now selling like hotcakes in the local market.
So, do you want a Mitsubishi Grandis? For this, you might want to check out Philkotse’s car for sale section.