The pumped-up Mitsubishi Xpander Cross has received a facelift which includes an intricately styled front end and plenty of rugged trim throughout. The polarising looks of the refreshed minivan crossover are unlikely to hit our shores though after a launch of the original never materialised at its inception.
The three-year old Xpander Cross has gone under the knife on both its exterior and interior with its debut happening at the 2022 Indonesia International Auto Show. The front-end includes a redesigned fascia which continues the split-headlight theme feeding into the T-shaped grille. Functionally, the indicators have been repositioned into the uppermost cluster to aid with better visibility.
The bottom extremity retains rugged looking trim that is prominent throughout the car, combining black plastic with faux anodized trim as contrast. In each corner of the Xpander Cross are 17-inch alloy wheels with chunky tyre walls to absorb road imperfections for the emerging markets in which it will go on sale. Most notably, the refreshed model has had its front and rear overands lengthened by 95 mm.
Sufficient ground clearance of 220 mm in the CVT and 225 mm in the five-speed manual means that the Xpander Cross will be able to handle a fair amount of treacherous terrain without risking damage to the bodywork or mechanical components housed within. Considering the 1,5-litre MIVEC petrol motor only powers the front wheels, we can’t imagine it is capable when the going gets tough. Although the 77 kW and 141 N.m do make it an economical and affordable family hauler in the three-row MPV segment.
On the tech side of things, the facelifted Xpander Cross has also received a raft of safety and amenity upgrades. This includes the technical Active Yaw Control (YAC) system that improves handling in corners by applying braking force onto the inside front wheel.
The facelift also gets an electric parking brake, digital instrument cluster and larger-than-before 8-inch touch infotainment screen. The manual buttons and knobs of the climate control from before have been replaced with a screen while a wireless charging pad is included in the Xpander Cross too.
Related: New Mitsubishi Xpander Cross: SA launch of seven-seater ‘imminent’…
Despite initial interest in the Xpander Cross a few years ago, the local portfolio of Mitsubishi only includes the standard model and we can’t imagine that we will receive this facelifted derivative either.
