INITIAL SPEC SHOWDOWN: Mitsubishi XForce vs. Honda HR-V S

Crossovers are one of the hottest vehicles available in the global market today. Every brand's offerings target specific price points and niches in the segment. 

One of the latest brands to enter this lucrative market is Mitsubishi, with its new XForce crossover. While the vehicle is not yet available for the Philippine market, it has been launched in Indonesia, giving us a general idea of what to expect from the car when it makes its way to the Philippine market.

It's a pre-launch spec showdown as the XForce has yet to make its Philippine debut, meaning that the Japanese automaker may change a few things to adopt it for the local market. For this comparison, we will put it against the Honda HR-V (Specs | News) S, the one without a turbocharged mill.

Also Read: LIST: 2024 Mitsubishi XForce rivals that come close to its 222mm ground clearance

Crossover styling

Out of the two crossovers, the Mitsubishi XForce has the newest design language, an evolution of the brand’s iconic Dynamic Shield. It has a board nose with a large grille and bulbous front chin accents, which we assume could fit foglights.

Speaking of lighting, the crossover comes with T-shaped LED daytime running lights that reach the mid-section of the bumper. It also has LED headlights above the daytime running lights closer to the hood. 

On the side, the XForce has a tame side profile with prominent wheel arches and a bodyline that kinks towards the rear quarter of the crossover.

At the rear, it gets more angular and chiseled accents, which pair well with its T-shaped LED taillights. Its lower bumper also has the same large hexagonal accents, giving it an imposing SUV-like design. 

In the case of the Honda HR-V S, it comes with an overall sleeker design. It is evident with its LED headlights, which are horizontally oriented, versus the vertical layout of the XForce. It also has two grilles instead of one, allowing more air to cool the engine and help out the air conditioning system. Like its Mitsubishi rival, the HR-V also has prominent wheel arches and rides on alloy wheels. 

However, the Honda HR-V S comes with 17-inch wheels only, while the Mitsubishi XForce is shod on larger 18s. 

At the back, the Honda crossover has a fastback design with horizontal LED taillights and plainer styling. Unlike the XForce, the HR-V has a more straightforward bumper design that houses its reflectors.

The Mitsubishi XForce has the more radical styling of the two crossovers, which future proofs it for now. That said, we will make this category a tie as it boils down to your taste in vehicle styling, given that both have similar exterior equipment. 

Futuristic Interiors and technology

The future is now regarding the styling of the Mitsubishi XForce, as it has a layered dashboard with a two-tone interior dominated by a massive 12.3-inch infotainment system flanked by an 8-inch digital instrument cluster. It does have rather large bezels, but it's something we can forgive as it gives it a premium touch. 

The crossover also has LED ambient lighting, which helps set the mood inside the cabin. As for its seat material, the crossover could come with either what Mitsubishi calls "heat-resistant" leather for its top-sped model or fabric for its lower variant. Automatic air conditioning is also available. 

We must note that the Mitsubishi XForce has a Dynamic Yamaha Premium 8-speaker sound system that has been tuned to optimize the acoustic characteristics of the cabin. 

The Yamaha sound system also has four sound profiles which can be selected depending on the driver's preference. These include Lively, Signature, Powerful, and Relaxing.

Simple and clean is what the Honda HR-V S offers. Its minimalist interior design has a plain dashboard layout with a sliver accent stretching its entire width. It also has an 8-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Unlike its Mitsubishi rival, there is no digital gauge cluster here, as the model is only available with analog gauges. It does come with manual automatic climate controls and air vents at the back. 

As an entry-level unit, Honda has given it a standard sound system comprising 6-speakers. 

As for the seating material, the HR-V S is only available with fabric.

Given that the XForce is newer and has a more upscale finish, it wins this category as it offers you a better kit compared to its HR-V rival.

Safety

We have to note that the Honda HR-V is equipped with the brand’s suite of safety features as standard. It means that the HR-V S gets access to the following features:

Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)
Low-Speed Follow (LSF)
Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS)    
Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS)    
Road Departure Mitigation (RDM)
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)
Auto High Beam (AHB)
Lead Car Departure Notification (LCDN)

The Mitsubishi XForce has a limited set of ADAS features, such as Blind Spot Warning and Rear Cross Traffic Alert, but Mitsubishi says it intends to upgrade these in future production runs. 

1.5-liter naturally aspirated power

Under the hood, both crossovers are powered by a 1.5-liter gasoline engine. The Mitsubishi XForce has the same engine found in the Xpander and Xpander Cross, producing around 105 PS and 141 Nm of torque. Like its MPV and SUV-like siblings in other countries, it is available with a CVT that sends power to the front wheels. 

Mitsubishi says, however, that it has tuned the CVT's programming specifically for the XForce compared to the Xpander's CVT in Indonesia. So it should offer better off-the-line performance. 

However, it is essential to note that it also has driving modes that can help it in off-road situations. These driving modes are Normal, Wet, Gravel, and Mud, and they affect engine and transmission response, as well as stability control and steering feel.

The XForce also has Active Yaw Control, which automatically adjusts the driving force on the front left and right wheels to improve traction and avoid skidding.

In the case of the Honda HR-V S, it is powered by the same 1.5-liter engine sourced from the Honda City and Honda BR-V. It produces 121 PS and 145 Nm of torque. Its power figures make it a more powerful engine than its Mitsubishi rival. Like its other siblings, the HR-V has a CVT that sends power to the front wheels.

For this category, the win goes to the HR-V as it produces more power than its XForce counterpart, albeit without the off-roading aids. 

Initial Verdict

As it currently stands, the Mitsubishi XForce looks to be the more interesting of the two crossovers. It offers more features but is down on power compared to its Honda rival.

Since it's not yet available in the Philippine market, we don’t know the possible pricing of the XForce, but since it's set to go against the HR-V S, we expect it to be positioned around the ₱1.2 million mark.

For this initial spec showdown, we will give the win for this comparison to the Mitsubishi XForce as it offers more concerning its feature set. However, we will still need to wait for its official local launch to make it a proper comparo.