New Car Review - Mitsubishi Grandis

I remember visiting a motor show a few years back, spotting Mitsu-bishi's stand and instantly turning to do something more interesting like queue for a cardboard cup of flat cola.

Quite how Mitsubishi turned from one of Japan's most innovative car manufacturers to an also-ran is another story altogether, but of greater interest to UK buyers is that the company is on the rise again.

Cars like the Evo, the Outlander and the latest Colt have rekindled interest in this brand and the Grandis MPV proves Mitsubishi are back in the business of building realistically priced desirable cars.

If you equate MPV motoring with setsquare styling, dull road manners and the resignation that an ever-growing family has dispatched any notion of fun behind the wheel to a distant memory, the Grandis will come as a welcome tonic.

Looking rather like an inflated Honda Stream, the Grandis appears to have been squeezed form a tube rather than bolted together on a production line. Some of the detailing, that long rear overhang for example, is by all conventional wisdom deeply unfashionable but walk round the car and it all works very neatly.

A full seven seater, the Grandis is powered either by Mitsubishi's 2.4-litre 165bhp petrol engine or their 134bhp 2.0-litre DI-D diesel and is priced from £18,499 to £23,699.

Although the Grandis may not be the complete MPV, it nevertheless will prove very attractive to those who need an MPV but don't want to be seen behind the wheel of a bus. An MPV you could even want? Mitsubishi could be onto something here.

FASTFACTS

CAR: Mitsubishi Grandis range

PRICES: £18,499-£23,699 - on the road

INSURANCE GROUPS: 13-14

CO2 EMISSIONS: 176-237g/km

PERFORMANCE: (2.4) 0-60mph 9.8s / Max Speed 124mph

FUEL CONSUMPTION: (DI-D) (combined) 43mpg

STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front, side and curtain airbags, ABS with EBD

WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: (length/width/ height mm) 4755/1795/1655