CAR: Mitsubishi Grandis 2.0-litre DI-D Warrior

Mitsubishi Lancer Range - Brilliantly Reliable

Anyone who keeps a cursory eye on the latest comings and goings in the car market will be well aware that the medium range family saloon sector has taken a bit of a pounding over recent years. These cars were once serious money-spinners, forming the backbone of company fleets throughout the land but while they still turn a pretty penny for their manufacturers, they??™re no longer making the numbers they once did. The reason, in part, is MPVs like the Grandis but also compact 4x4s and the more affordable members of the compact executive crowd. In short, private buyers and company car users alike have been deserting the family saloon in all directions, shunning its repmobile image in favour of models that variously offer more prestige, personality or practicality.

The question we needed to answer was whether the Grandis could do the company car thing in acceptable fashion or whether the drawbacks of its family-orientated design would ultimately scupper it in a match-up against the family saloon old guard. On paper, Mitsubishi??™s people mover gets off to a good start by coming complete with a 2.0-litre diesel engine of the style that??™s so popular amongst the fleet fraternity. 134bhp and 310Nm of torque at 1,750rpm in a medium range saloon would suggest strong pulling off the line and some muscular action in the mid-range where you need it for the cut and thrust of rush hour motorways. In the Grandis, it delivers virtually the same qualities with the edge taken off the performance by the seven-seat MPV body??™s additional bulk. You??™re still looking at under 11s for the 0-60mph trip and a 121mph top speed, while the crucial running costs are very tidy indeed with a 42.8mpg combined cycle showing and 176g/km of CO2 produced.

More important on the daily slog to work and back are comfort and refinement and the Grandis lets itself down a little here. The engine makes its presence felt in surprisingly raucous fashion at start-up before settling down a little once you??™ve driven some heat into it. It??™s reasonably hushed when cruising but not at the level of composure of the best 2.0-litre oil-burning saloon cars. Whether you prefer the MPV-style upright seating position of the Grandis over the more laid-back berths in a saloon car will be a matter of opinion but visibility in the Mitsubishi is better and sitting at the wheel for long periods isn??™t an uncomfortable experience.

Take your favourite B-road shortcut to bypass the council??™s latest resurfacing shenanigans and the biggest drawback of running an MPV over a more traditional company car materialises. The manual gearshift on our model is accurate and impressive with a pleasantly mechanical feel but the handling of the bulbous Grandis just doesn??™t invite you to corner with any vigour. It??™s best to stick to primary routes and enjoy the compliant ride served up by the comfort-biased suspension.

Image is always going to be a thorny one for an MPV in the fleet market. The Grandis is good-looking for a seven-seat people carrier with its sloping front and the arcing swage lines on its flanks but it??™s still frumpy compared to rival options from different sectors and naggingly reminiscent of that infernal sandwich van that turns up in the office car park at 10.17am every morning honking its novelty horn. Equivalently-priced compact 4x4s and compact executive saloons have far more car park cachet but there are advantages to running a Grandis. At least, unlike the unfashionable medium range saloon option, people won??™t be terrified that you??™re about to sell them a photocopier when they see you get out of it.

Provided you??™ve divested it of the dog hair and baby sick accumulated over the weekend with the family, the Grandis is a none too shabby way of chauffeuring that important client off for an expense account luncheon. Our model is resplendent in Warrior trim but, putting some utilitarian plastics and dodgy carbon fibre-effect trim to one side, it??™s far from rough and ready. Leather seats always help but the dash is also quite upmarket in appearance, certainly more so than past experiences of the Mitsubishi badge might lead to you expect. There??™s plenty of space both in the front and the middle rows but asking the MD to clamber into the child-orientated back seats might not be a wise career move.

Can the Mitsubishi Grandis 2.0 DI-D fulfil a company car role as well as a family one? I??™d say it would but with the obvious caveats. The engine is a little gruff, the handling not particularly involving and the image won??™t set hearts aflutter in the typing pool but you expect that from an MPV. Comfortable, well-built and with a strong engine, the Grandis is an acceptable companion on the daily commute and in the business environment. Overall, you can see why the future of the medium range saloon could be a rocky one with its traditional fleet custom emigrating elsewhere. The new breed of compact executive saloons and compact 4x4s definitely offer something extra as company cars and MPVs do too, it??™s just that models like the Grandis really come into their own when the working week is done.

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