A leader of a popular segment of the motoring galaxy, the Mitsubishi SpaceStar is taller and airier than before. Michael McAleer reports
Mitsubishi has given a facelift to its SpaceStar mini-MPV, four years after it first hit the shopping centre car parks of Europe.
Aimed at bridging the gap between MPVs and hatchbacks, it joined the fleet of compact carriers like the Renault Scenic, Mazda Demio and Opel Zafira at the end of the 1990s.
This particular segment has proved popular with consumers, though Opel has moved the Zafira up to a seven-seater.
With five-seats, it seems the SpaceStar is not targeting the demand for greater people capacity, preferring to offer a product with a taller body and greater load-carrying capacity in the rear.
As with all facelifts, the main changes are aesthetic, the most obvious being a new look layout and design for the front and rear lights and front grille.
Internally, the trim has changed, along with the addition of a single-CD player. There have also been changes to the dash, though it remains a little bland in appearance.
On the test car we drove - for an admittedly short distance - we found the 1.3 litre engine powerful enough in town and traffic, if a little noisy when put to work, particularly on the motorway. The brakes were nice and sharp and ABS comes as standard.
The larger, airy cabin offers very good visibility and the driving position is comfortable.
The 1.3-litre unit is the only engine option on sale in Ireland. Earlier attempts to sell a 1.6-litre option proved unpopular with customers, probably due to increased tax and fuel consumption costs.
The market for these more spacious five seaters, aimed at those laden with shopping and/or children, is one where specification and traffic handling are more important than outright performance.
At €18,665 ex-works, there is no price increase for the new model. It comes in above competitors like the Mazda Demio 1.3, which sells at €15,650, but slightly less than the new Peugeot 206SW, selling at €19,715. Mitsubishi Ireland hope to sell between 400-500 per year.
With Mazda's Demio set to be replaced with the more sporty Mazda2, the competition in this market is set to continue for the forseeable future.