Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (hereafter, Mitsubishi Motors) debuted its all-new Xforce compact SUV at the 2023 GAIKINDO Indonesia International Auto Show. The all-new model will be built at Mitsubishi Motors Krama Yudha Indonesia (Bekasi, West Java) and will be first rolled out in Indonesia, with launches planned for other ASEAN countries such as Vietnam and the Philippines, as well as South Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa.
The all-new Mitsubishi Xforce is a five-passenger compact SUV that was developed with a focus on the way compact SUVs are used in the ASEAN region. Based on the concept “Best-suited buddy for an exciting life,” the all-new model uplifts the owner’s everyday life with its stylish yet robust, authentic SUV styling as well as comfort and practicality including a spacious cabin and versatile storage spaces well-balanced in a maneuverable, compact body size, and road handling that allows safe, secure ride in a variety of weather or road conditions.
“While ensuring the all-new Xforce meets the requirements for driving performance, ease of handling, a comfortable interior, wide-ranging user-friendliness, and everything else demanded of a compact SUV, we have put our heart and soul into the development to bring excitement to the everyday driving of our customers,” said Takao Kato, president and chief executive officer, Mitsubishi Motors. “This compact SUV was developed to answer the needs of drivers in the ASEAN region and has gone through repeated tuning in the region’s road environment. We hope the all-new Xforce will become a best-suited buddy for any adventure that drivers wish to embark on, giving them an extra force to go one step further and experience something new.”
An exterior with a stylish yet powerful, authentic SUV design
Based on the design concept of Silky & Solid, the stylish yet powerful, authentic SUV design combines elegance and robustness, thereby realizing styling that creates a commanding presence in scenes from ASEAN cities to the great outdoors. The upper part of the body expresses an airy silkiness with a floating roof and a sleek surface that begins from the three-diamond emblem up front and flows along the side to the rear. The lower part of the body adopts the solid and powerful proportions of an SUV – the muscular fender flares express the agility of an athlete, while a top-class ground clearance of 222 mm plus 18-inch wheels and large-diameter tires enhance road handling on rough roads.
At the front, the Dynamic Shield front face has been evolved in line with the design concept. The design consisting of left and right bumpers that protect the front grille which symbolizes the performance of the powertrain, is three-dimensionally integrated to create a sporty front face with a sense of depth. The LED daytime running lights combine an L-shape with slitted accents to emit light in an iconic T-shape, making the SUV instantly recognizable as a Mitsubishi model even from a distance, while also emphasizing the wide stance.
On the body sides, the rich, muscular surfaces combine with front and rear sculpted fender flares and character lines to express the strength and dynamism of the SUV. By adopting the same T-shaped design for the LED tail lights as the front, the rear attains a wide and stable look.
A sophisticated interior with a cutting-edge feel
The instrument panel has been designed based on the Horizontal Axis concept. While increasing forward visibility, it allows drivers to easily see changes in the position of the vehicle when driving on rough surfaces. The dynamic form of the instrument panel that runs all the way to door trim creates an open, spacious area.
For the first time in a Mitsubishi model, a mélange fabric is used for the padding of the instrument panel, providing a sense of enclosure by its continuous coverage up to the door trim. The highly practical fabric exudes modernity and sophistication while being resistant to stains, thereby creating a comfortable space in which passengers can relax as if they are in their own living room. A large monolithic display panel integrates a 12.3-inch Smartphone-link Display Audio and a digital driver display to express a cutting-edge feel.
A spacious interior room among the best in class
Despite its compact body size, the Mitsubishi Xforce offers a roomy interior space that enables all passengers to relax while on board. For the front seats, a top-class seating space including a spacious shoulder area has been secured to enhance comfort. Also, the seats provide both support and comfort, thereby preventing lateral body movement in situations such as lane changes and on rough roads, while enabling passengers to relax comfortably even in traffic jams.
For the rear seats, close attention was paid to creating a space that allows a comfortable ride even with three passengers. By ensuring a seating space that is among the best in class, the rear seats boast ample legroom to offer comfort even with three passengers. Moreover, with eight-levels of reclining adjustment, the seats accommodate a wide range of needs, spanning angles that allow passengers to relax, to angles that maximize cargo carrying capacity.
Dynamic Sound Yamaha Premium sound system for greater excitement
For the first time, the Xforce comes equipped with Dynamic Sound Yamaha Premium developed in collaboration with Yamaha Corporation. The system is comprised of eight speakers, with front tweeters on the A-pillars on both sides, woofers in the front doors, and coaxial two-way speakers in the rear doors. In order to maximize speaker performance, measures have been taken to optimize sound quality in the car itself. With volume and sound quality adjusted according to vehicle speed, passengers can enjoy well-defined mids and highs and dynamic bass even on rough roads. For a more enjoyable driving experience, the sound system also offers four sound types that can be selected according to musical taste and mood – Lively (factory setting), Signature, Powerful and Relaxing.
12.3-inch Smartphone-link Display Audio and 8-inch digital driver display offering intuitive operation
The all-new Mitsubishi Xforce comes equipped with a 12.3-inch Smartphone-link Display Audio that exudes a cutting-edge feel while providing a comfortable driving environment. With multi-widget function, the screen is divided into three sections to displayvarious information on a single screen. The multimeter display pays homage to the triple meter that was used in the legendary Pajero, and combines information including altitude, tilt angle, and direction to increase the joy of driving. Other features include Mitsubishi Motors’ first driving score function developed with Hiroshi Masuoka, a former two-time Dakar Rally champion driver. Also offered for the first time in a Mitsubishi model, WebLink™ 5 allows users to connect their smartphone and project applications on the large display.
The digital driver display clearly shows a wide variety of content on a large screen. When the driver switches drive modes, a graphic indicating the selected mode is shown in the center of the display, making it easy to intuitively select the drive mode even while driving. Depending on their preference, drivers can also select whether the screen displays information in an enhanced mode with a cutting-edge feel or in a classic mode that uses analog-like meters.
Versatile storage spaces and multi-arrange cargo space
In consideration of user-friendliness for passengers, the Xforce offers ample and convenient storage spaces in many locations around the vehicle. It has drink holders able to accommodate a total of 21 600mL plastic bottles in the door trims, floor console, and other places, and a console box with drink cooler that uses the cool air from the air conditioning to chill drinks has been also incorporated. Various storage spaces are secured for smartphones, with a wireless charger in the center console, USB Type-A and Type-C ports on the front and rear rows, as well as spaces to place a smartphone in each seat.
Despite its compact body size and spacious cabin space, the Mitsubishi Xforce offers ample cargo area. By securing floor area that is among the best in its class and making the floor of the cargo space -adjustable, the Xforce provides sufficient cargo room for large items such as suitcases. The rear seats enable a 40:20:40 split to achieve a high loading capacity that allows the loading of lengthy items while also providing enough space for four passengers to sit comfortably.
A high-efficiency CVT for low fuel consumption and quietness
A high-efficiency CVT combined with a proven 1.5L DOHC 16-valve MIVEC engine achieves When the accelerator is deeply depressed, a powerful and sharp acceleration is delivered, with a gear shifting feel added to allow the driver to feel the acceleration. When the accelerator is lightly depressed, smooth shifting unique to CVT maximizes engine performance while realizing low fuel consumption and quietness. For uphills, driving force is improved to enable powerful climbing even when the accelerator is not pressed down hard, while for downhills, the engine brake is increased to reduce the need for frequent brake operation.
Well-tuned suspension for ride comfort on ASEAN roads
Having repeated testing in Japan on a course that mirrored the road conditions of the ASEAN region as well as undertaking thorough tuning on actual roads in the ASEAN region, the all-new Mitsubishi Xforce ensures a comfortable ride even on rough or undulating roads. In the front, steering feel and straight-line stability are improved by optimizing the caster trail and quickening the steering gear ratio, while in the rear, steering stability is enhanced by optimizing the suspension bushings and the shock absorber cylinder size.
Class-leading ground clearance of 222 mm for confidence even on rough roads
With an 18-inch tire and wheel, the Xforce achieves a class-leading ground clearance of 222mm. The broad field of vision at the front of the vehicle offers excellent visibility and makes driving easy, allowing the driver to handle a rough or a flooded road with confidence. With an approach angle and departure angle among the best in class at 21.0 degrees and 30.5 degrees, respectively, the Xforce gives drivers a sense of security even when going over a pavement edge. With a minimum turning radius of 5.2 m that is one of the smallest in its class, the Xforce offers excellent handling even in the U-turns that are common in ASEAN cities.
Four drive modes including a new Wet mode, first on a Mitsubishi model
As a 2WD model, the Xforce has utilized Mitsubishi Motors’ four-wheel control technology to achieve the road handling of an SUV. The four drive modes of Normal, Wet, Gravel and Mud allow the car to deal with a range of road conditions by integrating Active Yaw Control (AYC) that adjusts the driving force on the front left and right wheels to improve controllability, traction control that controls tire skidding, engine control, and power steering control. Adopted by Mitsubishi Motors for the first time, the Wet mode improves cornering and stability on wet roads during rain makes it less likely to lose control of the steering wheel for worry-free driving even on roads flooded by sudden showers.
