2020 Mitsubishi Express Van

If old enough, some of us might be able to think back to the eighties and nineties when vans were basically fridges on wheels.  These vans were extremely practical and capable of carrying plenty of different loads, but there safety features were rather limited.  Most of these vans had nothing beyond the windscreen, so it was up to the knees of the driver and front passenger to be part of the line of defence in any substantial frontal crash; not something anyone would want to a part of.

Mercifully, today van designers are taking the area of safety much more seriously, and it is modern vans like the 2020 Mitsubishi Express Van, with its substantial front bonnet and big bumper area, that now offers a much stronger impact zone of protection for the van’s occupants.  New features like pre-tensioning seatbelts, airbags, ABS, ESC, ESP, crumple zones, shatter resistant glass, cruise control and plenty more specially designed safety features make the modern van way safer than an equivalent van made in the early noughties and earlier.  The 2020 Mitsubishi Express Van has safety features that include five airbags, hill-start assist, blind spot monitoring, electronic stability control, traction control, ABS brakes and rollover mitigation.  With Mitsubishi’s alliance with Nissan and Renault, the new Mitsubishi Express Van shares almost all of its DNA with the Renault Trafic; and most people know that, when it comes to safety, Renault plays its safety game very hard.  These are strongly built vans, designed to be tough and protective of its occupants when a larger crash is inavoidable.

2020 Mitsubishi Express Van

The Express really has been revived or reborn, whichever way you want to look at it, because the new Mitsubishi Express mid-sized van is back and it has all the fleet services and tradies who need a new work van firmly in its sights.  With around seven main manufacturers building strong and attractive vans for business folk, the brand new Mitsubishi Express Commercial Van is right ready to grab a share of the action within this group of popular, go-to cargo vans.

What are the sizes on offer for this commendably practical and likable van?  It’s a mid-size van, and one that offers a short-wheel-base (SWB) and a long-wheel-base (LWB) option.  The entry level kicks off with a Mitsubishi Express GLX SWB manual, and, for a bit more cash, the GLX LWB manual van.  The SWB variants rest on a 3098 mm wheelbase and measures 4999 mm long, 1956 mm wide and 1971 mm tall.  In the cargo area behind the front seats, the SWB has 5.2 cubic metres of cargo space, while the payload capacity is rated at 1150 kg for the manual and 1115 kg for the automatic.  This is decent space and strength for carrying a variety of cargo.

The top of range is called the Mitsubishi Express GLX LWB automatic.  So both the LWB manual and auto give a 3498 mm wheelbase.  Its overall length is 5399 mm, which all adds up to a cargo volume of 6.0 cubic metres and a maximum payload of 1200 kg for the manual and 1150kg for the automatic.  In all new Express variants, the cabin has an extra 43 litres of storage space and is configured with a manually adjustable driver’s seat and a two-seat bench space for passengers.

2020 Mitsubishi Express Van

These handy vans come with sliding doors on both sides and dual rear barn doors that open to 180 degrees.  The barn doors also have a 90-degree stop fitted to each door.  These doors all round make life so easy when loading up.  You’re not so concerned with access being limited to just the curb side slider.  Another practical aspect of owning one of these 2020 Mitsubishi Express vans is that you can tow a braked trailer up to 1630 kg on the 2.0 LWB auto, 1715kg on the 2.0 SWB auto, and 2000 kg on the 1.6 manual variants.

Engines for the brand new Mitsubishi Express come in the form of the excellent 1.6-litre twin-turbo diesel, which has 103 kW of power and 340 Nm of torque.  These outputs are put through a tight six-speed manual transmission.  Efficiency and performance in this form is impressive; Mitsubishi figures point to 6.2 litres/100 km, which in the real world won’t be much more than that.  The bigger and more powerful 2.0-litre turbo-diesel delivers 125 kW of power and 380 Nm of torque for getting the job done.  This larger motor makes use of the nice six-speed, dual-clutch automatic – perfect for life on the town.  The grunty 380 Nm of torque in the 2.0-litre is available from just 1500 rpm, and what impresses me is that the level of power also comes with excellent fuel economy; in the 2.0-litre you can average well under 8 litres/100 km.  Both engines are four-cylinder units and the engine power is delivered to the front wheels.

So with each van a GLX variety, the equipment levels are good, giving the busy driver plenty of options and features for their day’s work schedule.  A manually adjustable driver’s seat (height, tilt, lumber), a fully adjustable steering wheel, a retractable armrest, three cup holders, a two-stage remote central locking system, a Bluetooth and USB-compatible audio system (with DAB radio), air-conditioning, cruise control, rear parking sensors, rubber floor mats and through-loading capability underneath the passenger bench are all standard and make owning a new Mitsubishi Express a rewarding drive.

All-in-all, the 2020 Mitsubishi Express Van is an exceptionally good work van.  Its driving position is commanding and comfortable, and visibility is good all round.  You have decent safety, though autonomous braking would make it even better.  In the Express the engine is strong and you have solid handling.  Mitsubishi’s 3-year/100,000 km warranty sets you up nicely for a new van for 2020.

2020 Mitsubishi Express Van

The current 2020 Mitsubishi Express models include the:

• Express GLX SWB 1.6 (manual)
• Express GLX SWB 2.0 (auto)
• Express GLX LWB 1.6 (manual)
• Express GLX LWB 2.0 (auto)

For any more information on the Mitsubishi Express Van or, for that matter, any other new car, contact one of our friendly consultants on 1300 303 181.  If you’d like some fleet discount pricing (yes even for private buyers!), we can submit vehicle quote requests out to our national network of Mitsubishi dealers and come back with pricing within 24 hours.  Private Fleet – car buying made easy!