It's a grand old game. It's fine and comfortable, but why, oh why, has it no diesel option?
It's a grand-sounding name, that which is attached to Mitsubishi's newest entrant in the big MPV parade. Could it be that Mitsubishi's marketing people who presumably do the christening business for new arrivals, didn't have to think too hard? Our notion is that somebody in complimenting Frenchman Oliver Boulay on his design, said he did a grand job and that was it, another somebody who could have been Japanese said excitedly "Grandis!"
More bizarre is Mitsubishi's word play on a children's game. Like all MPVs these days, the Grandis is thoroughly innovative in just how the furniture can be moved around internally, even allowing seats to disappear. Unashamedly this packaging is called Hide and Seat! Competitors thinking of a similar name for their innovative ideas are warned because Hide and Seat comes with a small TM mark: i.e., it is a registered trade mark.
The real news about Grandis is that it's competent and it has a style and elegance that manages to overcome meeting the practical necessities of the MPV profile. Sadly, there's only one engine, a four-cylinder 2.4 litre petrol unit with variable valve timing and developing 165bhp at 6,000 rpm. That puts it at a disadvantage with competitors that can offer diesel derivatives. The Grandis won't get the diesel option until late next year, by which time it will have lost all its new model limelight.
Before we drove, we were taken by its smart looks and formidable profile. Grandis is considerable in its bulk and at 4,765mm is longer than the latest Renault Espace (though not the Grand Espace). The smart bit comes through from features like the bold and assertive split grille and very large three diamond logo. But what of the driving? Grandis moves along vigorously but, being true to its MPV personality, the performance isn't breathtaking or exceptional and the automatic box can impede rapid acceleration. We could see its role primarily as moving up to six or seven bodies with ease and comfort over long distances. It feels best on open roads and motorways, and only reckless daredevils would attempt to flail it around back roads. In the driving seat and as a passenger, we found very acceptable ride comfort, better than other rival seven-seaters.
For the record, Mitsubishi give a top speed of 118mph with a 0 to 62mph (100kph) time of 11.7 seconds. That's with automatic transmission: we understand that the Grandis is being marketed here only in auto form and the manual box is a special order. As for fuel consumption, we managed nearly 29mpg on a long country run - the official combined figure makes it appear slightly more thirsty at 28.2mpg.
The real meat of any MPV road test is in the versatility of the interior, assuming that owners and drivers want to have fun with the furniture, or even need to move it out of necessity. Back then to Hide and Seat. Mitsubishi found that in real life, people used only a small percentage of all the seat configurations that are offered. That's why the rearmost or third row seats with a 50/50 split, are not removable. The Hide and Seat concept, however, allows them to be individually folded away into the floor in a simple operation that takes seconds. Third row backrests can also be reclined while the seats themselves can be reversed for open air relaxing under the open tailgate. Grandis is clearly a lazy-hazy-days-of-summer wagon as well.
The boot is well able to accommodate bulky items like golf bags or even bikes. Storage space abound what with front door pockets with bottle holders, a front seat console, two glove boxes and a closed compartment on top of the dashboard, seven cup holders and even a sunglasses compartment.
Many MPVs with a third row don't offer real accommodation for adults there. The Grandis is different and its rearmost seat will take a couple of well-fed adult bodies. Everyone should enjoy plenty of light or even sun because of the vast windscreen and two sunroofs (not on the entry-level trim).
The Grandis comes with two specification options, as a seven-seater Comfort or a six-seater Sport and respective ex-works prices of €37,950 and €39,200. Sport's extra goodies include alloy wheels, chrome-plated inner door handles, that dual electric sunroof and a rear cargo shelf.
The Grandis is cheaper than its Renault Espace II competitor which ranges from €41,000 to €54,500. It's closer to the American-bred Chrysler Voyager which also has a 2.4 litre petrol engine and seven seats and is €37,965. Mazda's 2.0 litre petrol model, called simply the MPV and with seven seats, is €36,500.
But the most potent competition comes from the two Korean, the 2-litre Hyundai Trajet and the 2.5 litre Kia Sedona, both prices from €27,995. Both are the most familiar representatives of the bigger MPV scene. Nearly all of the competitors have a diesel alternative. If Grandis fails to make an impact here, then we think this will be one of the contributory causes. Grandis and its smaller European-built supermini sibling, the Colt, come to the market in tough times. DaimlerChrysler has pulled out of a nearly €6 billion rescue package for Mitsubishi as a car maker and now its future is dependent on a huge bail out by a group of other Japanese-based Mitsubishi companies.