Tow test: 2005 Mitsubishi Grandis

No matter what its vehicle category, the Mitsubishi Grandis will appeal to a wide range of buyers.

By Tom Olthoff

While spending an enjoyable week driving a new Mitsubishi Grandis, CW debated whether to refer to it as a people mover or station wagon. Traditionally most people movers have a sliding door on the side and station wagons were based on a four-door passenger sedan. The Grandis doesn’t seem to fit into either category, but that is not a criticism. I’m happy to refer to it as a people mover or a large station sedan as it does justice to both descriptions and is an excellent multi-purpose vehicle.

According to Mitsubishi Motors, the company pioneered the people mover vehicle with three rows of seats 21 years ago when the Space Wagon was launched in Japan in 1983 and sold 435,000 units worldwide. Since then the Mitsubishi Starwagon has been a great success, as has (to a lesser extent) the Nimbus.

First appearing in Japan in 2003 and in Australia in late 2004, when it replaced the Starwagon and Nimbus, the Grandis’ assets are numerous: large, flexible interior; more power than its four-cylinder competitors; a tight turning circle; plenty of safety features and great styling.

People movers are less likely to be used for business or towing a boat or trailer. However, they are popular for shopping, driving to and from work, recreational pursuits, going on long trips and carrying bulky loads. By far the most important consideration when thinking about a people mover is the seating arrangements and versatility followed by price, deal and vehicle size.

Interior features
Seating arrangements are flexible and can cater for just about every possible use. The two third row seats can be individually folded and stored under the floor. The 60/40 split second row seat can be tilted and folded forward to provide a large, flat storage area that measures 1260mm x 1410mm x 1110mm. To enhance individual comfort the three-seater squab can be tilted and the back reclined. There is also a multitude of smaller storage compartments.

In front of the passenger there is a glovebox with upper and lower compartments as well as a separate lidded storage box in the top of the instrument panel. The front doors have bottle holders while cup holders can be found in the centre console. Both front seats have back pockets and useful seatback trays. Rear doors have bottle pockets as well as cup holders. In the back there are side console boxes and storage provisions under the seat.

To describe every feature found in a Grandis would take pages. Standard inclusions are power steering, power windows, electric mirrors with fold control, central locking with cruise control, variable intermittent wipers, front and rear air-conditioning and security coded radio/CD player.

The Grandis comes with only two options – the Luxury Pack and the Dual Sunroof.

The Luxury Pack includes the dual sunroof, alloy wheels, roof rails, leather wrapped steering wheel, wood grain gear shift lever, metallic-look power window switch panel and inside door handles, six-speaker audio and privacy glass.

Engine and transmission
The Grandis is powered by a new 2.4 litre MIVEC engine that combines high power output with low emissions and low fuel consumption.

For those with a technical bent, MIVEC stands for Mitsubishi Innovative Valve lift and timing Electronic Control, which can switch between high and low speed cam profiles to operate twin inlet valves. Forgetting the terminology, MIVEC basically means that it can offer efficient power production over a wide range of engine speeds and operating conditions.

The 2.4 litre four-cylinder engine delivers 121kW of power at 6000rpm and 217Nm of torque at 4000rpm. Mitsubishi claims that the Grandis engine is the most powerful in its class. On the road acceleration is brisk, making overtaking much safer. Fuel economy is 10.4L/100km.

Much of Grandis’ good on-road performance is the result of Mitsubishi’s INVECS II Smart Logic four-speed automatic transmission with Sports Mode manual gear changing. The in-dash, short gear lever is a delight to use, keeping selection movement short and precise.

On the road
As a large vehicle, first impressions of the Grandis may be that it could seem a bit of a handful on the road – but appearances can be deceptive.

The Grandis is actually 100mm shorter than a Magna and only a tiny 10mm wider. While the steeply sloping bonnet may initially make the length a little hard to judge, a high seating position gives the driver a commanding view of the road.

Thanks to the well-sorted four-wheel independent suspension, CW found the ride to be excellent. The steering is precise and handling on all types of surfaces was very predictable. Stability while cornering and when encountering strong side winds was never a concern, while braking was smooth and required little effort. To a large degree all this was the result of local testing that was undertaken during the development phase of the Grandis.

Towing
Although statistics indicate that people movers are not used for towing as often as other types of vehicles, the Grandis has all the characteristics that would make it ideal for towing up to the rated 1600kg. Its one stumbling block is the ball load – with a maximum allowable vertical load on the tow ball of 85kg, there isn’t much beyond a camper trailer that would suit the Grandis.

Regular readers and experienced caravanners will know that for stable towing we need about 10 per cent of the total trailer load sitting on the towball. Selecting a suitable trailer to put behind the Grandis certainly caused us to scratch our heads for a while.

After picking up the car from Mitsubishi’s Adelaide plant we headed to nearby Coromal Caravans in Adelaide and discussed our predicament with dealer principal Rob Butler. Rob suggested that a Coromal Excel with a ball load of 90kg would be the closest he could offer. As beggars can’t be choosers, we accepted the extra 5kg of ball load.

I should stress that it isn’t the vehicle that is in question, only the specifications. I have been informed that Mitsubishi Australia is negotiating with the parent company to address this anomaly so hopefully in the not-too-distant future the Grandis will have towing specifications that allow 10 per cent of the towed load on the ball like all the other Mitsubishi models.

As the Grandis is a reasonably large vehicle, the additional wind resistance created by the caravan is not nearly as great as with a normal passenger sedan, hence performance and fuel economy doesn’t suffer as much.

Although at 1125kg, the Excel wasn’t near the car’s maximum, an additional tonne behind any car will soon sort the capable from the not-so-capable.

Those familiar with Adelaide’s geography will know that heading south from the Coromal dealership at Darlington means going up a steep hill without the chance of a run-up. Thanks to the free revving engine and transmission characteristics, the hill was scaled without any trauma. And touring through the picturesque Fleurieu Peninsula was effortless.

The Mitsubishi Grandis is one of those vehicles that tend to shine brighter the longer you drive it. While on a long trip the third row seats may not be every adult’s idea of comfort, five grownups and a couple of kids will be more than happy in this versatile people mover, or large station wagon.

If something like a Mitsubishi Grandis appeals to you but you are concerned about the towing specifications, there is a good chance that sometime in the future this will be rectified.

For those who only want to tow a small van, camper or trailer, CW didn’t see any drawbacks. Have a chat with your local Mitsubishi dealer or check out the website, www.mitsubishi-motors.com.au.