Mitsubishi Express 2020 Review

The new 2020 Mitsubishi Express van is functional, capable and easy-to-drive. The fundamentals are solid, it is fairly easy to load and unload, and it does a good job of hauling stuff from point A to point B – just like the Renault Trafic on which it’s based.

Beyond the restyled grille and Mitsubishi badges, there are no physical differences between this vehicle and the Renault Trafic, a vehicle that’s built a strong following in Australia as the fourth most popular van in its segment.

There are, however, differences between the Mitsubishi and Renault vans when you look at pricing and aftersales support.

The Mitsubishi commercial van is offered in short-wheelbase and long-wheelbase body styles, with two diesel engines and auto/manual transmissions depending on the engine choice. Pricing is as follows:

GLX 1.6 SWB – $38,490 (manual)
GLX 1.6 LWB – $40,490 (manual)
GLX 2.0 SWB – $42,490 (auto)
GLX 2.0 LWB – $44,490 (auto)

That makes the Express slightly more expensive than the Renault Trafic, which is priced between $36,490 and $52,490, but the Renault also offers five-seat crew-cab versions while Mitsubishi does not… yet.

So why would a buyer be compelled to choose the Mitsubishi over the Renault? Mitsubishi Motors Australia’s senior manager of product strategy, Owen Thomson, highlighted two reasons when asked.

The warranty is longer, with Mitsubishi offering five years/100,000km versus three-year/unlimited kilometres for the Renault. The second reason is it’s backed by a big national dealer network of over 180 dealerships.

This gives regional and country owners more opportunity to buy and service vehicles, which Thomson says offers better peace of mind. He also noted that fleet buyers will find the Express van offerings “very competitive”.

There could be a third reason too. Capped-price servicing is set at $250 per service for the Mitsubishi Express van (every 15,000km/12 months) over three years. It costs $599 a pop for the Renault (30,000km/12 months) but it’s covered for five years.

The Mitsubishi Express van also gets three years of roadside assistance versus the Renault Trafic’s five years. Both are renewed yearly if the vehicle is serviced at an authorised dealership.

The 2020 Mitsubishi Express is available in just one model grade, it's the GLX and comes standard with dual sliding side doors that make quick access to the cargo area pretty easy.

All models ride on 16-inch steel wheels, with a full-size spare tucked underneath the rear of the vehicle. A three-person front bench seat is standard equipment along with manual height and lumbar adjustment and a retractable centre armrest for the driver. Seat comfort is pretty good and the fabric seat upholstery is basic but appears hardwearing.

There’s a total of 43 litres of storage space scattered around the cabin too, which is a lot and includes three small cup-holders, two big bottle-holders in the doors and useful paperwork stowage cubbies on top of the dash.

There’s no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto but the simple two-speaker stereo ain’t half bad and comes with a digital tuner and Bluetooth phone connectivity. There is a 12V socket, AUX input and two USB ports, including one located behind a built-in smartphone cradle.

A word of warning, however – the cradle doesn’t fit bigger phones and phablets – an iPhone 8 Plus was too big.

Convenience features include keyless entry and automatic locking doors once moving (which sounds like a gun going off), cruise control and speed-limiter buttons on the steering wheel, plus a stereo control stalk hidden behind the tilt/reach adjustable-steering wheel.

Power windows and mirrors, and air-conditioning with a dust and pollen filter are also fitted as standard.

There are two engine options, both four-cylinder turbo-diesels. The entry-level 1.6-litre (103kW/340Nm) comes only with a six-speed manual, while the stronger 2.0-litre engine (125kW/380Nm) is mated to a six-speed dual-clutch automatic – and hikes the price by $4000.

As well as more power (see the powertrain section below for details) from the beefier engine and the fitment of an auto transmission, the extra $4000 also adds automatic wipers and headlights, along with a very useful wide-angle reversing camera.

Both Mitsubishi Express vehicles we tested were fitted with optional cargo barrier protection ($895, fitted) and rubber cargo mats ($365, fitted).

There are loads of other accessories available, for instance various roof rack and rail solutions (internal and external), plus cargo nets, wood panels for the floor, walls and wheel-arches, rear protective plates, a rear door ladder, galvanised rear step bumper, towbars and an electric trailer brake controller. The accessories are not made by Mitsubishi but are backed by a one-year warranty.

Maximum towing capacity is 2000kg for the manual models and around 1700kg for the autos.

There’s a lot to like about the Mitsubishi Express but the three-star NCAP safety rating awarded to its donor vehicle in 2015 is not one of them.

It has five airbags in the passenger cabin, plus stability control, hill start assist, emergency brake assist, rollover mitigation, trailer stability assist and anti-lock brakes.

But unlike the top-selling Toyota HiAce it misses out on autonomous emergency braking (AEB), which is required to achieve a five-star NCAP safety rating.

There’s a big and bold digital speedo and the aspherical rear-view camera provides a very expansive view behind the vehicle. The large, curved, tri-element exterior mirrors also improve vision.

The barn-style rear opening doors are very functional and are easily de-latched for a wider opening, allowing forklift access – something vans with top-hinged rear doors don’t.

The cargo area is fairly flexible for what is a small(ish) van, with 5.2 cubic metres of space in the 4999mm-long SWB model and six cubic metres in the 5399mm-long LWB van. Both measure 1956mm wide (not including mirrors).

It’s good to see there are heaps of tie-down hooks on the walls and floor too, plus a 12V socket at the back of the cargo area.

Mitsubishi says the Express is a genuine one-tonne machine, with payload capacities between 1115kg and 1200kg, while roof loads max out at 200kg.

The last Mitsubishi Express was a manual-only petrol-powered affair while the new van is diesel-only and has manual and automatic transmissions.

The entry-level 1.6-litre four-cylinder twin-turbo diesel engine (103kW at 3500rpm, 340Nm at 1500rpm) doesn’t look like much on paper, but she gets up and boogies like a disco queen.

The gearshift is remarkably endearing and the clutch easy to modulate. Together with a powerband that feels more like a revvy petrol engine than a diesel I had more fun than expected driving this vehicle.

It feels a touch flaccid at low revs compared to the 2.0-litre diesel and the lack of a rear-view camera makes reverse parking more challenging but veteran van drivers shouldn’t struggle – and the rear camera can be added as an option to manual vans. Fuel economy is impressive at 6.2L/100km.

The 2.0-litre four-cylinder single-turbo diesel engine (125kW at 3500rpm, 380Nm at 1500rpm) has a bit more low-end gristle and doesn’t need to rev quite as much. Despite this, it still has a higher fuel consumption rating of 7.3L/100km.

The six-speed dual-clutch auto is OK. It sometimes feels a bit laggy, especially when shifting into reverse. It’s almost as if it takes a couple of seconds to wake up and I found the van rolling forward for a few moments on a couple occasions before the clutches did their thing and engaged reverse gear.

Both models have good-sized 80-litre fuel tanks.

Like the Renault Trafic, the Mitsubishi Express delivers a very good drive experience – for a van. What used to be clunky, recalcitrant claptraps are now smooth and responsive machines.

With 200kg of ballast in the back, the suspension dealt with a range of different road surfaces with poise. Speed humps don’t perturb the vehicle unduly and the MacPherson strut front-end and light steering make manoeuvring the vehicle very easy.

Even the turning circle is pretty good – 11.8 metres in the SWB and 13.2 metres in LWB, kerb to kerb.

Acceleration in the front-drive van is smooth and with ventilated disc brakes up front (296mm), solid discs at the rear (280mm) and long-ish brake pedal travel, you can easily modulate deceleration to keep cargo from moving around too much.

Overall, the Express feels like a refined and well-engineered machine that handles crisply, rides well and offers plenty of comfort and stability on the road, making it an ideal long-haul transporter.

The Mitsubishi Express is a Renault Trafic – there’s no hiding from that fact – and Mitsubishi even calls it a “branded product”.

It won’t be last time we’ll see this under the Renault Nissan Mitsubishi Alliance’s new ‘leader/follower’ product strategy. For example, the next all-new Mitsubishi Triton and Nissan Navara utes will also be fundamentally identical, mechanically and stylistically.

But does anyone really care when the product is effective? The Renault was a great vehicle to start with, offering true one-tonne payload, good cubic proportions, easy access for loading and a low floor height. Unsurprisingly, it finished second in our mega van comparison in 2019.

While the Mitsubishi costs a bit more, it adds a longer warranty, lower capped-price servicing and a broader dealer network, all of which may add more appeal – especially to buyers outside metro areas.

The Renault Trafic is currently the fourth-best-selling van in its segment behind the Toyota HiAce, Hyundai iLoad and Ford Transit, but the Mitsubishi and Express badges could generate even broader appeal.

It will be interesting to see if the Mitsubishi makes a splash with buyers – both fleet and private.

How much does the 2020 Mitsubishi Express GLX LWB auto cost?
Price: $44,490 (plus on-road costs)
Available: July 2020
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 125kW/380Nm
Transmission: Six-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 7.3L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 191g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Three-star (Euro NCAP 2015)