Inside, the van says corporate Mitsubishi.  There’s nothing spectacular about it, except probably if you count in the number of cup holders (a total of six).  The dash, although ergonomically efficient seems to look dated especially the ventilation controls, which require slide operation.  Moreover, the switchgear looks hodgepodge, like they were simply taken from older 1980s cars, the biggest culprit of which is air conditioner compressor button.

For the important part, does the Mitsubishi Spacegear keep the family entertained and comfortable on a long trip?  Well, frankly, it doesn’t.  In the showroom, the interior looks quite roomy; there’s no denying that, but the seat fabrics don’t seem to look like it belongs in a million-peso car.  In fact, it seems that it came from the Mitsubishi Adventure: absolutely lacking any sense of softness in them.  Moreover, the passenger seats lack tilt adjustment-making people sit more upright than usual, and could be a source of strain especially on long drives.  However, the seats do give surprisingly ample body support.  The car also lacks any sort of entertainment system relying only on a stereo cassette with a single CD player and 4-speaker system to entertain the family.  This is absolutely a rip-off compared to the Hyundai Starex’s 6-disc CD changer with 6-speaker system!

In driving the Spacegear is where we get the extent of the damage.  On paper, the 2.5-liter turbo diesel looks to be a more than adequate engine, especially when taking into account that other vans such as the Toyota Liteace uses a 1.8-liter petrol.  In reality it’s a different story.  The engine starts up in the typical diesel type of way with the entire ruckus involved. With this boomy sound in mind, one would suspect power to accompany it—not a chance.  From idling the engine behaves deadpan all the way to its 5,000-rpm redline.  It gives all the noise that indicates acceleration, but the pace (and the speedometer) says otherwise.  Moreover, the Spacegear is only available with a 5-speed column mounted manual transmission that should be operated with a health warning that reads: CAN CAUSE CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME.  It takes contortionist to properly shift the Spacegear.  It’s a good thing that the easy-to-modulate clutch and gas pedals make the work a bit easier.  Braking has a similar story: bland all the way, but at least it stops.

In terms of ride and handling, the Spacegear behaves the way designers intended it to do so: like a van.  The ride is not particularly amazing, but its not that bad either.  Compared to the Starex, the Spacegear is the softer rider, meaning long distance travel is extremely comfortable even for those sitting over the rear axle.  However, the softer rides results in wallow handling, a problem that was solved in the Spacegear's Korean cousin.

The lack of structural rigidity is felt easily even after just five minutes of driving.  Creaks, squeaks and some other noise are easily audible inside the cabin.  Handling is fuzzy, but on the good note, the steering gives a lifeless but precise response.  A piece of advice though: beware of the car’s bulk—this is no minivan!