Although hiding the bulk does make the Spacegear look sportier, it does decrease the look of stability that even its Korean brother, the Hyundai Starex has.  Come to think of it, a car with this much height has to look stable enough, to be able to be driven properly.  The Spacegear has none of this, but rather it looks unstable especially with its thin tires and towering overall height.  Moreover, Mitsubishi seems to have forgotten to put in alloys, opting for hub cabs—something that is more suited to appliance delivery vans.  Moreover, for a price tag nearly 400,000 pesos cheaper, the Mitsubishi L300DX has dual sliding doors, a feature the Spacegear lacks.

There's a lack of safety devices on the Spacegear as well.  Although the rear passengers have three-point seatbelts, the van lacks ABS or even any airbags.  Again, this really doesn't say much where your 1.1 million pesos goes since the top of the line Hyundai Starex has dual airbags, ABS and even limited slip differential.

Cosmetically, the Starex is has better specifications as well with a rear back-up mirror (for the 1999 models) and back-up sensors (2000 models), tusk bumpers, luggage rack and ladder.  In short, the Koreans have put everything but the kitchen sink in their van. 

Don't fret however. Somewhere, the Spacegear also has its advantages.  What the Spacegear has in volume are cubby holes to place stuff in.  Like the Toyota Echo, this has two glove boxes, numerous map holders plus some utility pockets for the rear passengers as well.

Dual ventilation controls are also standard with the Spacegear, but they are actually kind of weak in removing the Manila heat compared to its other competitors.  Moreover, though the Spacegear has two general areas where the cool air would come out: the front vents and the rear roof vents, the Starex has three areas that cover a wider area: the front, the roof and even the floor area.  The Koreans seem to have the advantage in the comfort department.