Mitsubishi answered the disappointment of many people about the same Mitsubishi XForce engine as the Mitsubishi Xpander. Before it was actually launched at the Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show 2023 (GIIAS) on August 10, 2023, many people hoped that the new Mitsubishi XForce SUV would use a new engine.
Unfortunately, the Mitsubishi XForce shares a machine with its older brother, the Mitsubishi Xpander. It is known that the Mitsubishi XForce is equipped with an inline 4-cylinder DOHC engine with a capacity of 1,499 cc, 16 valves. This machine can produce 77 kW of power at 6,000 rpm and a peak torque of 141 at 4,000 rpm. The power is channeled to the front wheels via a CVT automatic transmission.
The point is that the machine is exactly the same as the Mitsubishi Xpander engine. So how did Mitsubishi respond to the disappointment?
Hiroshi Nagaoka, Executive Vice President of Mitsubishi Motor Corporation, admitted that this was done on purpose. This is because the Mitsubishi Xpander has proven itself as a car that is well received by the public. Not only in Indonesia but also in other countries.
So they don’t have to think much about installing the Mitsubishi Xpander platform and powertrain to the Mitsubishi XForce.
“Mitsubishi Xpander has a good reputation in Asian countries, especially in Indonesia, so there is no need to hesitate to take advantage of the Xpander platform for the next model,” said Hiroshi Nagaoka, Thursday (10/8/2023) yesterday.
Hiroshi Nagaoka continued that the Mitsubishi Xpander engine and platform were not directly installed on the Mitsubishi XForce. According to him
He said an update had been made to the Mitsubishi Xpander engine so that the Mitsubishi XForce engine had a very different peak torque.
In addition, there are changes in the transmission pattern that provide a typical SUV driving experience.
“This will be very useful for urban and out of town,” he explained.
From the platform side, Mitsubishi also made improvements. The Mitsubishi XForce is built to be a rugged SUV. So there are changes to the front and rear suspension so that the car becomes more robust.
“So it’s very different from the Xpander platform,” said Hiroshi Nagaoka.
It’s just that he said that the changes made weren’t too many because the Mitsubishi Xpander platform was indeed very good. “So there’s not much that needs to be changed or improved,” he concluded.
