Mitsubishi Grandis 2.0 DI-D Range Car Review

Facts At A Glance
Car: Mitsubishi Grandis DI-D range
Prices: £19,914-£22,349 – on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 14-15
Emissions: 176g/km
Performance: 0-60mph 10.8s / Max Speed 121mph
Fuel Consumption: [DI-D] (urban) 33.6mpg / (extra urban) 50.4mpg / (combined) 42.8mpg
Safety: Twin front, side and curtain airbags, ABS with EBD
Dimensions: (length/width/height mm) 4755/1795/1655

GRANDIS AS GRAND DOES

Our Rating: 6.3 / 10

Can A Large MPV Survive In The Modern Marketplace Without A Diesel Engine? It Can, But Not For Long. Hence The Importance Of Mitsubishi’s Grandis DI-D. Steve Walker Reports…

When launching a new car, the ideal scenario is for it to hit the ground running. It’s all about momentum, arriving on the scene with a bang and capturing the public’s imagination. In the early days, the expensive advertising campaign is at its most persuasive, the marketing machine is firing on all cylinders and the product has yet to be royally slated by assorted cynical hacks. Mitsubishi’s Grandis was never really given the chance to build up this all-important head of steam because the range was launched incomplete, lacking that vital ingredient - a diesel engine. The requisite oil-burner belatedly arrived and now the Grandis has a second chance to make a good first impression.

The public’s initial perception of a vehicle is vital. That’s why manufacturers make big play of ‘launching’ their latest models rather than donning a false beard and surreptitiously placing notes in corner shop windows or loading a few hundred onto transporters and shipping them out to the dealerships under cover of darkness. They want the buying public to know that there’s a new product on the block. The problem in the case of the Mitsubishi Grandis was that all the buying public wanted to know was when a diesel engine would be available.

The situation wasn’t helped by the engine that Mitsubishi did plumb into the Grandis from day one. The feisty 2.4-litre petrol unit has 162bhp and a 10s 0-60mph capability, which is mightily impressive for this kind of vehicle. Unfortunately, combined fuel consumption of only a fraction over 30mpg gave family buyers in search of a large MPV an uncomfortable tingling sensation in the wallet region which often prompted them to look elsewhere. Today, Mitsubishi’s 134bhp DI-D diesel engine is offered in the Grandis and people should be more able to see past the fuel bills to appreciate the vehicle’s other qualities.

The 2.0-litre DI-D engine is a turbocharged DOHC 16-valve unit of the direct injection configuration. Its 134bhp output is generated at 4,000rpm and there’s a sizable 310Nm of torque available at 1,750rpm. Mitsubishi actually sourced the unit from Volkswagen and with it installed, the Grandis takes on a healthy turn of speed. Full size 7-seat MPVs that can hit 60mph from a standing start in 10.8s are rare indeed and the 121mph top speed will be more than adequate. Of course, it’s economy rather than performance that drives buyers in this sector and returning an average of 43mpg, Grandis DI-D is well capable of wrestling sales from rivals. You will pay around £1,200 more for a DI-D than you would for the equivalent petrol Grandis but the superior economy and punchy engine characteristics make this look like good business.

Let’s try to get a handle on the Grandis’ dimensions. At 4755mm long, it’s a good 10cm longer than a Ford Galaxy. It’s also a good deal narrower, its wasp-waisted 1795mm width making it less broad in the beam than a Ford Fiesta. That swooping roofline also means that it’s low slung, never reaching more than 1655mm off the deck, making it low for an MPV. That’s about 14cm lower than a Toyota Previa. If headroom in your garage is an issue but you need seven seats, the Grandis is an interesting option.

The Mitsubishi certainly scores over rivals in terms of sheer space available inside and by the innovative nature of its seating arrangements. The car’s ‘Hide & Seat’ concept involves a rear row of seats that can be individually folded away into the floor in a simple operation that takes seconds. No longer will you have to fold and tumble seats, leaving ugly, greasy mechanisms exposed, nor will you need to risk a herniated disc by lugging these bulky units into the garage only for the cat to spend a penny on them whilst you’re out. With the second and third row of seats folded in place, there’s 1545 litres of cargo capacity available. Park it in a sal