 |
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
||
 |
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
||
|
|
|
Blame it on market share hunger. The unfortunate naming of Mitsubishi’s all-new people carrier certainly has more than one food connection. Previewed as the Zinger way back at the 2006 Manila International Auto Show, people immediately thought: this was the car to take Mitsubishi Motors Philippines back into market contention. Though the Adventure’s still selling solidly, the arrival of the much more modern Toyota Innova signaled a new direction for the practical MPV. Show goers wondered: how long will it take before the car’s market ready? The answer? A full year. There have been several speculations about the long wait between preview and review, but I’d like to inject my own: the Zinger name. Zinger is associated with KFC’s fiery chicken sandwich. Though tasty (and one of my personal favorites), the name’s either trademarked or didn’t sound too appealing when put on tin. As a result, Mitsubishi came up with an all-new name: Fuzion. Again, it’s food. This time, it’s a juice bar. Not as bad as Zinger, but again, it’s not a name you’d expect from a people carrier. But then, Mitsubishi named it so because they reckon it fuses the best attributes of a car with that of a van. This is a very tall order indeed. So names aside, can the Fuzion deliver on their promise and finally deliver some market pummeling on the Innova? A walk around the car presents a nice start. The Fuzion certainly looks sleek. Perhaps it’s the ubiquity of the Innova, but I personally like the Fuzion’s looks. Everything’s flush fitting with the panel gaps consistent with that of a passenger car (the Fuzion’s actually riding on a rugged body-on-frame construction). There’s some spattering of chrome and body cladding, but the effect’s largely reserved accentuating the Fuzion’s clean profile. The side mirrors are large, delivering the message that this is a driver’s MPV. The 16-inch alloys help too. The overall profile is similar to the current generation Outlander, but from the back, it looks fairly like the Space Gear. The rear hatch’s squared off with the minimal knick-knacks pasted on. A rear spoiler with clear LED bulbs and reverse parking sensors are standard on the unit I tested, the range-topping GLS Sport. |
|
|||||
|
|
||||||
