Mitsubishi is in the midst of a revival in South Africa. They never left, but they did go quiet. For a while, the Triton and the Pajero Sport were the only real options, but over the last 12 months the lineup has diversified. The latest addition offers a refreshing take on a familiar formula, one with family and space at its core. Meet the Destinator, a family SUV with seven seats.
At the front is a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine. It seems Mitsubishi has noticed what its competitors are doing and has given the 1.5-litre another look. First used in the Eclipse Cross and now in the Destinator, this smaller engine provides some punch. It’s responsive, well-calibrated, and sufficient for comfortably carrying a loaded vehicle at highway speeds while sipping around 7.2l/100km.
Mitsubishi considers the Destinator a soft-roader of sorts and equipped with the bare necessities to tackle rough gravel roads with some confidence. It’s not a 4×4 by any means; it’s front-wheel-drive only, but it does have good ground clearance and a few off-road-inspired driving modes to assist in low-traction environments.
The cabin has all the digitalised touches you’d expect in a mid-sized SUV, while retaining the most frequently used physical buttons. The air conditioning, for instance, sits on a separate console below the screen with dedicated buttons and switches. Drive modes are on a toggle, and the 12.3-inch infotainment screen is easy to navigate, running smoothly with wireless CarPlay and Android Auto.
Yamaha logos are dotted throughout the cabin, drawing attention to the sound system. It produces good sound for a relatively affordable market offering, though it’s only available on the top-spec Exceed trim.
From the outside, the Destinator doesn’t appear spaciously gifted, but the interior tells a slightly different story. The driver and front passenger have plenty of legroom, while the second row gets a little cramped when the front seats are pushed back. The third row is, as expected, better suited to kids and smaller teenagers than adults.
After speaking with the Mitsubishi team, it was clear that one of their greatest challenges is pricing new models competitively against emerging brands. They took extra care to ensure the Destinator would be an attractive proposition.
The Destinator starts at R489,990 for the GLS and R569,990 for the Exceed which is competitive, and actually rather good value for a well-put-together, attractive and capable 7-seater.
It competes with the likes of the Jetour X70 and Hyundai Alcazar in the mid-sized 7-seater space around the R500k mark, and holds its own with solid build quality and the reliability you’d expect from a brand known for keeping its customers out of the workshop.
I had some reservations when I heard the Destinator was inbound as it sounded like Mitsubishi might be chasing volume over quality. I was pleasantly surprised to find that isn’t the case. It slots in as a genuinely family-friendly option for buyers who prefer the reassurance of a legacy brand, and it’s well equipped to deliver exactly that.
