I will be completely honest. I was not looking forward to the arrival of the new Mitsubishi Destinator.
My last encounter with the brand's compact crossover offerings was the Outlander Sport last year, and that experience left me severely underwhelmed. My main gripe with the Outlander Sport was how sluggish it felt on the road, hampered by a lethargic naturally aspirated engine, alongside interior plastics that felt heavily compromised.
So, when the keys to the brand new Destinator were handed to me recently, my expectations were sitting firmly on the floor.
First impressions did not exactly help to change my mind.
From the outside, the Destinator looks very much like a natural extension of the Outlander Sport's design language. It shares the same bold, muscular front fascia, the signature Dynamic Shield grille, and a similar lighting signature.
It is certainly a handsome and rugged vehicle, but I initially feared it was simply a stretched, seven-seat version of a car I had already dismissed as underpowered.
I could not have been more wrong. What the engineers at Mitsubishi have done beneath the surface of the Destinator is nothing short of amazing. They have taken a familiar design language and fundamentally transformed the underlying vehicle into one of the absolute best family cars you can ask for in the South African market today.
Let us start with the driving dynamics, which completely eradicate my biggest complaint. The sluggishness of the Outlander Sport was largely due to its 77 kW naturally aspirated engine struggling to pull the vehicle's weight. The Destinator throws that powertrain out the window. Under the bonnet lies a brand new 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine. It delivers a highly responsive 120 kW of power and 250 Nm of torque. Power is sent exclusively to the front wheels via a Continuously Variable Transmission.
While I have been highly critical of CVTs mated to underpowered engines in the past, Mitsubishi has calibrated this turbocharged setup beautifully. The power delivery is smooth, urgent and responsive. It cruises on the highway with absolute ease and tackles the chaotic daily errands without breaking a single sweat.
The ride quality is similarly impressive. The suspension setup is clearly geared towards comfort, soaking up potholes and speed bumps with a level of compliance that makes long family road trips an absolute pleasure. Mitsubishi has also included its rally-bred Active Yaw Control as standard, which keeps the vehicle planted and confident when the weather turns bad or the tarmac gets slippery.
Inside the cabin, Mitsubishi has completely eradicated the cheap materials and uninspired design that plagued the Outlander Sport. The interior of the Destinator is a massive leap forward. The materials feel premium and robust, designed to withstand the daily rigours of family life while still looking sophisticated.
If you have young children, you know that keeping them entertained and fed on a long journey is half the battle. Mitsubishi clearly understands this assignment. The addition of fold-down tray tables on the back of the front seats is an absolute masterstroke.
For a four-year-old who constantly wants to carry snacks, play with toys, or balance a tablet in the vehicle, these tables are a total game changer. It is a simple, highly effective feature usually reserved for expensive European MPVs or airplanes, yet here it is in an accessible Japanese SUV.
Then we get to the packaging. The Destinator is a true seven-seater. Unlike many of its rivals where the third row is strictly reserved for toddlers or emergency use, this cabin is remarkably accommodating.
It comfortably carries seven passengers, both big and small, without any fuss whatsoever. The second row splits flexibly and offers excellent legroom, while the third row can actually house adults on shorter trips without inducing claustrophobia.
The Mitsubishi Destinator is definitive proof that you should never judge a book by its cover. It may share visual DNA with the Outlander Sport, but it is a vastly superior vehicle in every single measurable way.
With pricing starting from just R479 990 for the GLS derivative and topping out at R569 990 for the flagship Exceed model, the Destinator represents incredible value for money.
It enters a fiercely competitive segment, but it does so with a distinct advantage in standard specification and sheer practicality.
It is spacious, clever and finally packs the turbocharged punch it deserves.
If you are in the market for an honest, reliable and family-friendly seven-seater, this SUV deserves to be right at the very top of your shopping list.