Mitsubishi says ‘no’ to leaving with well-devised new Destinator

By its own admission, Mitsubishi Motors South Africa hasn’t had the easiest times in recent years as the monthly National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa) sales figures often show.

Tough going

Often struggling to sell more than 200 units, the highest being 205 in July last year, the three diamonds car marker has seen its share of the local market shrink on the back of more affordable and tech-laden brands from China.

ALSO READ: Mitsubishi Destinator pricing leaks ahead of South African debut

Despite this, and trading on its heritage of reliability, dealer support and dependability, it has indicated that it isn’t ready to leave South Africa soon.

Change of focus

Admitting it has become somewhat of a forgotten brand, it further added that mainstream success is not the intended target.

Instead, appeasing to a certain niche is how it views itself, with a line-up of products squarely aimed at a select audience.

Approved for South Africa earlier this year, the Destinator is Mitsubishi’s first arrival as part of its local market restructuring.

New destination

Aimed at developing market, the Indonesian-made Destinator is in effect an extended wheelbase version of the Xforce, which debuted last year as the Outlander Sport.

As part of a dual-purpose role, the Destinator replaces both the ASX and Eclipse Cross in becoming Mitsubishis’ most affordable seven-seat SUV below the full-size Outlander.

Sitting above the Xpander MPV and Outlander Sport in that order, the Destinator hasn’t been envisioned as a rival for Chery or Great Wall Motors (GWM) as neither offers a similarly priced three-row alternative.

As in its home market, the South African-spec Destinator has the same drivetrain as the Outlander Sport, which proved underwhelming when tested last year.

The inclusion of a turbocharger has, however, had a dramatic effect, as has a considerably improved specification list.

In total, two versions are available, GLS and Exceed, with the latter being the sole example sampled at the official launch in Johannesburg this week.

Styling

Stylistically, the Destinator is similar to the Outlander Sport, from the Dynamic Shield grille, to the T-shaped LED headlights with silver outer surrounds.

Unique to it, though, are different wheel arches and cladding, and a silver instead of a body-coloured faux front skidplate.

The similarities largely stop from the D-pillar back as Mitsubishi has extended the Destinator’s length by 290mm and its wheelbase by 165mm to accommodate the third row.

Whereas the rear facia is again similar to the Outlander Sport, a silver imitation skidplate replaces the colour-coded item underneath the bumper, while the alloy wheels measure 18 instead of 17-inches.

Colours

At the same time, only two of the six colours are shared with the Outlander Sport – Blade Silver Metallic and Graphite Grey Metallic.

Unique to the Destinator is black, red, Quartz White Pearl and Lunar Blue Metallic.

Premium inside

Inside, the interior is lifted directly from the Outlander Sport, but with a more premium feel and upgraded materials.

That being said, the smudge-prone piano key black finishes on the centre console and around the infotainment system spoil what is an otherwise inviting place to be.

Resplendent with physical controls for all of the various functions, and on the steering wheel, the cabin is ergonomically sound and, unlike the Outlander Sport, furnished with a driver’s seat that drops all the way to the floor.

Spec sheet

At the same time, subtle tweaks have been made to the infotainment system, which measures eight-inches on the GLS and 12.3-inches on the Exceed.

The latter also gains imitation leather upholstery instead of fabric, an eight-inch digital instrument cluster versus the former’s 4.2-inch TFT, and an eight-speaker Yamaha sound system compared to the GLS’s six.

Moreover, both infotainment system has wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, while dual-zone climate control and a panoramic sunroof are reserved for the Exceed.

On the GLS, additional specification includes:

• LED headlights;
• climate control;
• keyless entry;
• push-button start;
• type-A and type-C USB ports;
• six airbags;
• reverse camera;
• rear parking sensors;
• Hill Start Assist;
• Active Yaw Control;
• Electronic Stability System.

For the Exceed, dual-zone climate control replaces the GLS’s manual set-up, as does a hands-free electric tailgate in place of the conventional manual opening lid.

Other standard items include:

• chrome exterior detailing;
• folding electric mirrors;
• roof rails;
• rain sense wipers;
• panoramic sunroof;
• cooled centre console glove box;
• wireless smartphone charger;
• ambient lighting;
• electric driver’s seat;
• tyre pressure monitor;
• surround-view camera system;
• front parking sensors;
• Adaptive Cruise Control;
• Forward Collision Mitigation;
• Lane Change Assist;
• Rear Cross Traffic Alert;
• Blind Spot Monitoring;
• Lead Vehicle Departure Alert.

Practicality

The Destinator’s main focus, though, is practicality where the second row folds in a 40:20:40 fashion and the third in a 50/50.

In a welcome departure from recent three-row products, gaining access to the third row is made easy by the middle tumbling forward, instead of only sliding.

The outer row will still appease only children as most adults will find legroom and headroom cramped regardless of how the middle is configured.

Strangely, Mitsubishi didn’t disclose boot capacity, as was the case when the Destinator made its world debut last year as the production version of the DST Concept.

A niftier inclusion is a pair of fold-up trays for the second row.

Welcome turbo boost

As mentioned, the Destinator’s biggest gain over the Outlander Sport is underneath its bonnet where the internally named 4B40 1.5-litre engine benefits from a turbocharger.

This means power and torque increase from 77kW/141Nm to 120kW/250Nm.

For the foreseeable future, drive is routed to the front wheels only as the Destinator doesn’t have an all-wheel drive option in any other market it is sold in.

A move that can be seen as deliberate to avoid clashing with the full-size Outlander, the boosted four-cylinder is again mated to a CVT.

The claimed fuel consumption is 7.2L/100km and tow rating for a braked trailer, 750kg.

Despite its front-hooking set-up, the Destinator’s “off-road” credentials, should an excursion take place, consist of a 21-degree approach angle, a breakover angle of 20.8-degrees and a departure angle of 25.5-degrees.

The drive

On the launch route, which started and finished on the outskirts of Johannesburg via the Cradle of Humankind, the Destinator felt, unsurprisingly, livelier than its sibling, but was still hobbled a bit by the CVT.

While significantly better thanks to the added torque, it becomes typically drone-pone at higher revs to the point of almost sounding laborious.

Taking manual control is also negated as no manual override or paddle shifters are provided.

Once up to speed, the engine pulls well, but setting off requires a steady foot as torque steer could occur should one stomp on the accelerator too hard.

Standard on both grades is a drive mode selector with five settings; Normal, Tarmac, Gravel, Wet and Mud.

At the same time, the infotainment system has a series of dedicated readouts, including a smart avionics display showing turbo boost, corner g-forces, tyre pressures and brake inputs to name a few.

Its ground clearance reduced from the Outlander Sport’s 222mm to 214mm, the Destinator feels composed and comfortable; however, the suspension’s soft side shows when cornering.

Prone to leaning, but far from out of control, the ride also felt under dampened on anything but smooth surfaces.

Conclusion

While some of the points mentioned can be construed as nitpicking or unlikely to be viewed similarly by buyers, the Destinator is a big improvement over the Outlander Sport for a comparatively minor premium.

An impressive arrival overall, the Destinator is a welcome entrant deserving of restoring Mitsubishi’s credentials as brand not to be ignored.

Price

Covering both models is a five-year/unlimited km warranty and a five-year/75 000km service plan.

• Destinator 1.5T GLS CVT – R489 990
• Destinator 1.5T Exceed CVT – R569 990

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