Smooth as silk: Mitsubishi Grandis

Now here is something you will not hear said about Mitsubishi’s 7-passenger MPV: boring. The Lancer is okay, the Pajero has the requisite on-road presence, the Montero Sport looks rugged, and the Adventure doesn’t look so bad despite its age, but the Grandis certainly looks distinctive. With its raffish A-pillars, swept-back curves, and Space Shuttle-esque flanks, it will turn heads wherever you go. That’s no small feat for what’s ostensibly a tall, 5-door, 7-passenger wagon that’s almost (but not quite) big enough to be considered a minivan. We like the look a lot, and while part of us regrets that such a nice automobile will never sell in huge numbers for the very basic fact that it is not an SUV in this SUV-mad country, the better part of us would feel very good rolling around town in a car you won’t see on every road you tread on.

Were we to plunk down the one and a half mill that’s needed to drive one for keeps, we would be very smug indeed. Let the people have their four-wheel drive and ‘rugged styling’ image mobiles. We’ll take this 3rd generation Mom Mobile, cruising along through traffic in the front captain’s chairs or dozing at the back. Ahh, the back, where it’s got those nice, recline-able 60-40 split, leather-lined seats where the rear A/C vents are perfectly placed to cool your face and send you into la-la-land. We’re telling you now: when a car is just as good to sit in the back as it is at the front, then you’ve really got something going here.

For what is the Grandis but a discreetly luxurious, immensely useful wagon with the speed of an executive sedan and the comfortable, secure ride of the bullet train? Mitsubishi has had its share of missed opportunities, but they got almost everything right with the Grandis. Sculpted looks, wonderfully comfy cabin, stable handling, and enough verve in the engine room to keep things interesting.

Driving the Grandis through traffic and through winding countryside, it quietly does the job whether at snail’s pace or high-speed cruising. The 2.4-liter motor with the high-tech MIVEC variable valve timing provides more than enough thrust with a full load of passengers. At the same time it does not consume too much fuel. We got between 7 to 9 kilometers to a liter in a mix of city crawling and highway cruising.

The only available transmission is a 4-speed with INVECS-II programming and manual override. With the shifter on the center of the dashboard, it’s not exactly a car-like location (more like something you’d find in the MRT, actually), but it does do the job well enough while freeing up the space between the seats for passengers to squeeze through. Our only problem with the shifter was its tendency to stick in the "+" and "-" detents of the manual override gate; needs more spring-loading, if you ask us.

As for ride and handling, the Grandis is typical of Mitsubishis in that it’s tuned to give a responsive ride at the expense of a little comfort. All but the harshest bumps are filtered out by the front struts and rear multilink suspension. Though there is a discernible amount of body lean in fast and tight curves, the car willingly turns when asked to without undue histrionics from the chassis. While the brake pedal could do with a little less mush for the first few inches of travel, the stopping power is there and is supplemented by ABS.

Now for the seats. Ooohh, we could sleep for hours in them. The front captain’s chairs are generously padded, making them perfect for long rides. The 2nd row is almost as good, being split 60-40, with just the right height from the floor to comfortably sit and with the ability to slide and recline. Of course, the 3rd row is best reserved for nannies and the noisiest kids. If the nature of the trip requires it, the 3rd row magically folds into the floor to form a completely flat loading surface. If maximum cargo space is needed, the 2nd row can also be folded up and slid forward. Only the largest of families will ever need to further invest in a roof rack with the Grandis.

Driving the Grandis in the hills of Laguna or dozing in the backseat, one can’t help but wonder why more people still prefer SUVs than they do minivans or oversized wagons such as this car. But we guess that’s okay; Grandis owners have got one of the best kept secrets in town these days.