Five minutes inside, the Adventure pretty much feels like a car.  Although the front bucket seats (replacing the front bench from the previous model) did help, this AUV exhibited much a much improved driving position.  The steering wheel and pedals feel absolutely on the dot despite the lack of adjustment.  The heavily bolstered seats are comfortable for my frame, but people of larger stature say that it’s a bit tight on the sides.  Ergonomics, vastly better than the competition, is only hurt by an undecipherable audio-visual entertainment system and the large 10-inch LCD screen that blocks the rear-view mirror during operation.  The ventilation is quite excellent to keep up with the sweltering heat, although the large metal-like controls make a good stove impression.

Kitchen appliance comparisons aside, the Adventure exhibits ample performance in conditions in which we subjected it.  It delivers good pulling power off the line despite being fully loaded with seven conservatively large adults.  Diesel smoke puffs out every now and then, but given that I’ve just loaded it with over 560 kilos of bone and fat, I personally think that this is the best AUV to have on a trip whether I’d end up as driver or passenger.  Like any other AUV though, the Adventure suffers the same Achilles heel: a popsicle-like ride when driven alone.  Only in this case, it feels sportscar stiff rather than barge boat wallow.  So, with this lesson learned, better have four to five companions (preferably of the opposite sex) with you while driving all the time.

Why four to five companions and not seven?  Well, even if the Adventure does have seating and seatbelts for seven (as we’ve proven this weekend), the third row is best left to small kids or women.  Unlike the Everest, which offers ample space at the back, the Adventure’s third row is too close to the second for comfort, proving almost no slack space.  In the end, it’s merely vestigial.  However, I have to give my hat off to Mitsubishi for at least making the third row, like the second have a split/fold feature.  This greatly improves the Adventure’s practicality—even over its newer competition like the Isuzu Crosswind Sportivo.  Though the vertically-raising tailgate may enable the Adventure to open up on even the tightest of parking spaces, the addition of the rear-mounted tire rack system on the Grand Sport means I ended up needing more amounts of vertical and horizontal space jut to get the luggage out of the rear hatch.

Small problems aside, I’m pretty much convinced at the packaging of the Adventure Grand Sport.  Although I don’t want to give away the results of the AUV category of the Car of the Year – Philippines awards, with the Adventure’s surprisingly good performance coupled with its generous amounts of improvements inside and out, it gets my vote for being the best in its class.  And although I didn’t get the same beach and babes fun as the Parokya ni Edgar commercial, at least for that weekend, I couldn’t help but imagine being in their shoes.  Again, minus the man kissing.

Although the Adventure benefits from the Mitsubishi parts bin, it's well build and excellently finished. The ergonomics are spot on for an AUV, and the controls are well laid out. We're not big fans of the A/C controls though, which actually resemble stove controls.
The new Grand Sport offers seating for 7 complete with their own lap belts. Although it's not as roomy as Ford's Everest, at least the seats split-fold 50/50 to increase the luggage capacity when needed.
The MMVES courtesy of Necvox plays some great DVDs. Unfortunately, the controls are kind of hard to dicipher.

 

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