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What's the difference: Mitsubishi Xpander vs Nissan Livina

You’re not seeing double because both have their unique design elements.

Autodeal on Sep 07, 2022

It's an open secret that Mitsubishi and Nissan are working together. These two brands are part of a bigger alliance with their partner Renault. What this partnership means to the everyday car buyer is that these three companies will end up sharing a few cars and technology.

One such example of this is the Mitsubishi Xpander and the Nissan Livina. Both of these vehicles are 7-seaters with the Livina being based on the Xpander. Both also occupy the same market segment for their respective brands and offer something unique to the market. With both of these cars being so similar we decided to make an article to help you identify what Nissan did to separate the Livina from its brother the Xpander.

Exterior

Starting with the exterior we can see that the Mitsubishi Xpander comes with the brand’s dynamic shield design language. This gives it a flatter and more angular front end that is accentuated by the new T-shaped LED headlights. Aside from this it also comes with a flat blacked-out grille and chrome accents on the sides of the grille that extend to the bumper cheeks. The lower bumper also carries much of the same angular design as the rest of the car further complementing its futuristic look.

At the back the Xpander comes with the same rear as it used to carry, however, its taillights have been updated with LEDs and the design has been changed to a T-shaped one to match its front fascia. The cuts of the lights are a bit more angular compared to its previous iteration but it works out with the overall design of the MPV. A body-colored accent has been added under the rear windshield which wasn’t present in the older model.

Moving on to the Nissan Livina, the MPV carries the brand’s V-motion design language while still maintaining the original shape of its brother the Xpander. It gets a massive V-shaped grille at the front that dominates the front facia which is flanked on either side by large halogen reflector headlights. While its LED daytime running lights are similar to the Xpander these are sleeker in design. The headlights are still found on the cheeks of the vehicle and are placed on top of the signal lights and halogen fog lights.

At the back, again it's a similar design to the Xpander, however, Nissan has added a sideways V design element to the taillights of the Livina. The design is also similar to that of the Xpander, however, it does come with a different bumper with faux silver diffusers and a black accent found under the rear windshield, the tailgate also comes with a slightly different design that isn’t as angular as the Xpander’s.

Interior

On the inside, the Xpander goes for a more horizontal theme for its cabin. Its dashboard comes with a three-color scheme with black being found on the top and bottom of the dash and brown with a silver accent being found in the middle. The air vents are also rectangular and all take a horizontal stance. The climate controls are also digital for the higher models of the Xpander with a small digital display available to show the fan speed and temperature. As for its controls, the fan speed can be increased with a switch and the same applies to the temperature. Something to note is that the GLS variant of the Xpander it comes with an electronic parking brake. The steering wheel of the Xpander also comes with a T-shaped design that matches its headlight and comes with a much more circular airbag design.

Moving onto the Livina and it takes the pre-facelifted interior of its sibling the Xpander. It comes with a more sloping design with a more mono-tone color scheme. Notable the side vents are shaped more like a rhombus, while the center vents are rectangular in design. As for its climate controls, these are operated by dial-type controls with no automatic climate control available. Notably, the Livina does not come with an AC button which allows you to only utilize the fans of the air conditioning system, and does not come with a rear defogger.

Aside from these minor differences, the layout of the two vehicles is the same all around except for the seat material. The Xpander only comes with cloth available and the Livina comes with Leather seats for its VL model.

Technology

In terms of technology, both vehicles are similarly equipped. Both come with a 7-inch infotainment system with no Apple CarPlay and Android Auto being available. They do, however, come with smartphone mirroring capabilities which you can access via a third-party application. Aside from this, both models do come with a reverse camera and reverse sensors available for their respective top-of-the-line variants. Something to take note of is that the Xpander has cruise control available as a feature while its sibling the Livina does not have it present in any of its models.

As for safety yet again both vehicles are similarly equipped with dual front airbags, ABS, hill start assists, traction control, stability control, and ISOFIX tethers. These are the industry standard for the segment so you can’t go wrong with either of them.

Power

Under the hood, both the Nissan Livina and the Mitsubishi Xpander are powered by a 1.5-liter naturally aspirated gasoline engine. It produces 103hp and 141 Nm of torque for both models. Both of these MPVs also come with either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic transmission that sends power to the front wheels. While the engine bays of these two vehicles are a bit different. For instance, the Xpander comes with an engine cover for its engine, while the Livina does not come with this option. Aside from that though everything else is the same between the two.

Price

Pricing between the two is where things get interesting. The Nissan Livina starts at P1,029,000 and goes all the way to P1,209,000 for its most expensive model. The Mitsubishi Xpander on the other hand starts at P1,050,000 and goes all the way up to P1,180,000 for its most expensive variant.

This shows that the Nissan Livina, out of the two MPVs is the more affordable one to go for if you are looking at the lower portion of the variant range. Its E and EL models are P21,000 and P1,000 cheaper compared to their GLX equivalents in the Xpander model range. It is also important to note that the Livina has four variants available in the Philippines while the Xpander only has 3. Speaking of the Xpander, when it comes to its top-of-the-range variant versus the Livina’s top-of-the-range variant, the Mitsubishi MPV comes out as the more affordable between the two.

Regardless of which of these two you pick for your next car, know that you are getting the same in terms of quality. Both MPVs are built well and come with their unique features to help set them apart. You really can't go wrong with either of these two and it all boils down to your personal preference between the futuristic dynamic shield design of the Xpander or the smoother V-motion design of its twin the Livina.