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The Mitsubishi Xpander Cross will debut on March 13

A launch event is now slated along with a price of P1,255,000.

Earl Lee on Mar 04, 2020

Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation (MMPC) announced that the Xpander Cross will be making its debut on March 13 and with a purported price tag of P1,255,000. With the regular Xpander looking like a mini-Montero Sport already, the Xpander Cross builds on that platform and inches closer to the brand’s ladder-frame SUV offering.

As seen in the Indonesian launch, the Xpander Cross features a chunkier exterior with extra cladding and different wheels that now come in 17 inches in diameter. There are elements of ruggedness scattered throughout the cabin such as a faux skid plate, roof rails, and thicker tires which bring the ground clearance to 225 mm in height. In contrast, the regular Xpander only stands at 205 mm in height.

Similar to the Xpander, the same 1.5-liter MIVEC gasoline engine is retained in the Cross version. This small-displacement motor is suspected to make 103 hp and 141 Nm of torque, which is the exact same figures as the normal Xpander. The rest of the specifications are still unreleased by MMPC, but we suspect that it will be similar to other South East Asian models. The gasoline powerplant will be mated to a 4-speed automatic transmission that uses the traditional gated-type shift lever.

The Xpander Cross will fit into Mitsubishi’s lineup as a sort of “upgrade” to the Xpander. Coming in at P1,255,000, we can expect the soon-to-be discontinued GLS line topper to be a base for MMPC to build on in terms of specs. It could have the same number of airbags, the same touchscreen infotainment as well as other tech and safety features.

As for variants, no news has yet been said about the number of variants to come to the Philippines. As an MPV, it is a bit more expensive than what most of us are used to, but as a middle model between a small MPV and a midsize SUV, it could do well.