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Unibody, enlarged sibling of the Xforce/Outlander Sport won't, however, replace the incoming all-new generation bakkie-based Pajero Sport.
Destinator has been altered slightly, design-wise, from the DST Concept. Image: Mitsubishi
Its public unveiling happening at the Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show that starts in the nation’s capital, Jakarta, on Wednesday (23 July), Mitsubishi has removed wraps from the DST Concept as the production Destinator bound for ASEAN markets.
‘Stretched’ Outlander Sport
Devised as a three-row version of the Xforce, known in South Africa as the Outlander Sport, the Destinator has already been ruled-out as the replacement for the Pajero Sport, but serves as step-down from it as well as the “normal” Outlander to become the brand’s most accessible seven-seat SUV.
Similar to the Xforce/Outlander Sport in that it rides on the same unibody platform, the Destinator appears little changed from the DST that premiered at the Philippine International Motor Show last October, as it only omits the flush doors handles and replaces the side-mounted cameras with traditional mirrors.
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Along with a different grille and the same L-shaped LED headlight clusters as the Xforce/Outlander Sport, Mitsubishi has made similar subtle changes to the rear by fitting a new bumper, but retaining the same light clusters and wraparound window.
Down the side, the slats on the C-pillar have also been kept, as has the wheel arch cladding and black door sills. However, the fuel filler cap moves to the left in response to the steering gear shifting to the right.
Dimensions
Mounted on 18-inch alloy wheels, the Destinator’s dimensions amount to an overall length of 4 680 mm, height of 1 780 mm, width of 1 840 mm and wheelbase of 2 815 mm.
Compared to the Xforce/Outlander Sport, these represent gains of 290 mm, 120 mm, 30 mm and 165 mm respectively. At the same time, ground clearance has increased from 193 mm to 214 mm.
All changed inside
Set to be produced alongside its sibling at the Bekasi plant outside Jakarta, the Destinator’s biggest difference from the DST Concept resides inside where the interior has been redesigned to mirror that of the Xforce/Outlander Sport.
As such, the dual displays have been dropped for a 12.3-inch infotainment display and an eight-inch instrument cluster recessed into the dashboard rather than freestanding, the futuristic steering wheel for a conventional one, and the various touchpads on the doors for the normal physical switchgear.
Also gone is the minimalist dashboard replaced by a more traditional layout with physical buttons, while the floating centre console has been “normalised” with a flat upper surface, conventional buttons and a gear lever.
While no details surrounding boot space was made official, Mitsubishi did confirm a 40/20/40 split arrangement for the second row, and select specification items such as ambient lighting, type-A and type-C USB ports, a panoramic sunroof and an eight-speaker sound system co-developed with Yamaha.
Notable safety and driver assistance systems comprise Adaptive Cruise Control, Auto High Beam Assist, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Lead Vehicle Departure Alert, Blind Spot Monitoring, Forward Collision Mitigation, six airbags and a surround-view camera system.
As with the Xforce/Outlander Sport, the Destinator gets Mitsubishi’s rally-derived Active Yaw Control system and a drive mode selector with five settings; Normal, Wet, Tarmac, Gravel and Mud.
Blown four-cylinder
Taking care of motivation, the Destinator retains the venerable 1.5-litre petrol engine, but with the inclusion of a turbocharger that sees power rise from 77kW/141Nm in the Xforce/Outlander Sport, to 120kW/250Nm.
Despite its chunkier proportions, the Destinator remains front-wheel-drive and with the sole transmission option of a CVT.
By comparison, the incoming next generation Pajero Sport will keep its ladder-frame design and receive propulsion from the same 4N16 2.4-litre turbodiesel engine as the model it will be based on, the new Triton bakkie.
Not for us, yet
Confirmed not only for Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam, but also key other markets in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and Africa, the Destinator, for the moment, hasn’t been approved for South Africa.
Should approval be given, expect it to only arrive next year positioned between the Outlander Sport and the normal Outlander.
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