Facelifted Mitsubishi Xpander Cross spotted in PH ahead of launch

Above photo by Luigi Tolarba, Mitsubishi Xpander Owners Club Philippines

After the official confirmation of its launch in the Philippines and after its possible pricing was leaked to the internet, the facelifted Mitsubishi Xpander Cross has been spotted in the country.

Posted on the Mitsubishi Xpander Owners Club Philippines Facebook group by member Luigi Tolarba, two completely uncovered units of the facelifted Mitsubishi Xpander Cross were spotted on a vehicle transporter in Batangas, probably heading to a dealership, ahead of the model’s upcoming launch on January 26.

While nothing is confirmed yet as to what the specifications and features of the refreshed Xpander Cross will be once it’s launched, information from neighboring Indonesia where it was revealed last year are a good indication of what’s to come.

The refreshed Xpander Cross gets the latest iteration of Mitsubishi’s dynamic shield front fascia with a slightly more rugged appearance unique to this model. It also gets a new and beefier front bumper, T-shaped LED headlights, new rectangular fog lights, and new LED taillights. Other exterior stuff setting this apart from the standard Xpander are the new 17-inch alloy wheels, fender flares and plastic body cladding, roof rails, and 220 mm ground clearance.

Inside, the 2023 Mitsubishi Xpander Cross gets the same new interior of the regular Xpander. What sets it apart though is the steering wheel and 8-inch digital instrument cluster which appear to have been lifted off the Montero Sport, as well as a wireless phone charger. It also gets a light blue interior color scheme as opposed to the brown on the standard Xpander. For infotainment, it gets a larger 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Hopefully, these will all come on the local spec model as well.

Under the hood, the 2023 Mitsubishi Xpander Cross keeps the pre-refresh version’s powertrain, a 1.5-liter 4A91 Inline 4-cylinder MIVEC petrol engine that produces 105 horsepower and 141 Nm of torque. For the local market, it is highly likely to remain paired to a 4-speed automatic transmission instead of the Indonesian market’s CVT but who knows.

In terms of safety, the updated Xpander Cross receives new Active Yaw Control (AYC) which allows for better cornering, and a new 360-degree around-view monitor. We are also hoping to see these on the local version.

As for its pricing and variants, nothing is confirmed yet as well but a few leaks we ran into tell us that it will be available in monotone and two-tone color scheme versions with pricing of Php 1,328,000 for the former, and Php 1,338,000 for the latter. Again, these are not yet official so it is still best to wait until the launch.

Are you excited for the launch of the 2023 Mitsubishi Xpander Cross?