Mitsubishi launches RVR in Japan

The RVR is 4,295mm wide, 1,770mm tall and 1,615mm long is set to compete with Nissan’s Qashqai which is about the same size. In Europe, the RVR will be branded as the ASX and will be making its maiden appearance at the Geneva Auto Show.

Mitsubishi is keen to provide a model to be positioned below the Outlander which will surely extend their SUV family line of products. The car comes with a 1.8 liter 16V engine with CVT (Continuous Variable Timing) system. The MIVEC engine gets you up to 137 horses and 172Nm of torque at 4,200rpm. One of the cool things about the RVR, apart from its aggressive looks are its paddle shifters. So far, not much have been reported about the driving on the road yet but you can mostly expect it to be pretty good if not impressive.

Of course, as mentioned, the sharky nose which is popular with the Lancer has been used for the RVR but of course it does not get the high-powered system that comes with the sedan machine. So do not expect too much from the speed of this vehicle yet although 137 horses might not be the easiest car to drive considering its height. The RVR is really not an entirely new car as it was first unveiled as the Mitsubishi cX concept vehicle in 2007 although a lot of its ‘coolness’ then have since been stripped down.

This 5 door SUV is developed based on the mid-sized Global Platform which is also the base for its ‘bigger’ siblings like the Lancer and the Outlander. You can choose between the 2WD or the All-Wheel drive versions and so far, only the petrol engine is available while a diesel variant might be in the works soon. Apparently, rumour has it that a hybrid model might be in the works as well.