Before you buy a Mitsubishi Grandis in Uganda

by Edwin

The Mitsubishi Grandis is a seven-seat MPV built by Mitsubishi Motors to replace its Chariot/Space Wagon/Nimbus line. It was launched on 14 May 2003 and was sold in Japan, Asia, Europe, Oceania, Mexico, Honduras, Jamaica, and South America. Engines available were a 2.4-litre four-cylinder and a Volkswagen-sourced 2.0-litre turbo diesel (not available in Jamaica), badged DI-D rather than TDI as Volkswagen denotes it.

Before you buy a Mitsubishi Grandis in Uganda

The Mitsubishi Grandis is a minivan that combines utility and class. It's relaxed design and comfortable height makes it a top choice for a medium sized family. It features a 3-row seating that offers two options. You can choose to have 6 seats of captain chairs or 7 seats with 60/40 bench seats. The Grandis is powered by an inline-four engine. The standard transmission is AT. Choose between the four-wheel drive system or the front-wheel drive.

Click here to buy or hire Mitsubishi Grandis and buy car spare parts in Uganda

Buying a foreign used Mitsubishi Grandis from a local Ugandan car bond

You can also find car bonds in Uganda specifically within Kampala from which you can buy your Mitsubishi Grandis. However, you have to do good research in order to find a reputable car bond or dealer who will be able to provide you with the car that will meet your needs and above all genuinely imported into Uganda.

You need to look out for prices and discounts. Local car bonds may not charge the same prices for the same car. Prices of the Mitsubishi Grandis may be affected by mileage of the car, condition of the car, model, and year of manufacture.

Click here to buy or hire Mitsubishi Grandis and buy car spare parts in Uganda

Importing a foreign Used Mitsubishi Grandis from Japan or other parts of the world

In case if you prefer to import your own Mitsubishi Grandis from say Japan, things change a bit. First it would require you to find a trusted dealer or seller in that regard, determine your specific car features and requirements, expected budget you plan to spend on buying the car and well calculated taxes to be paid to the tax authorities in order to clear Mitsubishi Grandis.

It is also very important to examine the car upon arrival to check and see if all the car components are included in the car as it was shown to you before buying it. You need to watch out for car spare tires, car jack, radio, navigation systems, window buttons among other things as compared to the vehicle previews shown to you by the car dealer abroad.

The taxes charged by the Uganda Revenue Authority include Import Duty, Value added (VAT), Withholding Tax, Environmental Levy, Infrastructure Levy, and Registration Fees basing on the CIF of the Mitsubishi Grandis from Japan.

On arrival to Kampala, Uganda, you will have to clear the taxes at The Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), apply and pay for a number plate and then the third party license. You will also notice the some of these charges or fees differ from other vehicles.

Click here to buy or hire Mitsubishi Grandis and buy car spare parts in Uganda

General Mitsubishi Grandis reviews for Uganda

Multi-Purpose Vehicles like the Grandis have of let become very popular in Uganda. One of the reason is they can be used as large and small family vehicle. Whatever case, they can be applied easily without major problems.

The Mitsubishi Grandis however meets stiff completion from rivals such as the Toyota Noah, Toyota Voxy, Toyota Alphard, Nissan Elgrand among others. In spite of the competition that the Grandis possesses, there those who love the Mitsubishi Grandis and will go ahead to buy it. Let’s look at some of its reviews briefly and see how it rates.

The Grandis is a seven-seat people carrier that feels very car-like. It turns in sharply, has plenty of grip, good high-speed stability and very impressive body control. The ride quality is very good too, absorbing rough surfaces very well, with only a slight amount of steering kickback letting things down. It's generally very pleasant to drive, with a slick dash-mounted gearshift too. The petrol engine is smooth and sporty, but the diesel engine is downright noisy, with a loud diesel rattle at low speeds. The light 1,710kg kerb weight and relatively short gearing mean in-gear performance is strong, but be warned that the clutch and gearlever are relatively stiff to operate.

As with the exterior, the interior of the Grandis has a modern feel. The curved dash places controls within easy reach, and the dials light up in a cool blue colour at night. The material quality is also pretty good; the Mitsubishi is ahead of many rivals in this respect. However, the low roofline makes life awkward inside. Open up one of the long back doors and headroom is tight; there's more knee room, but this is still claustrophobic by class standards. It also has a baffling seat layout. We love the 'Hide & Seat' third row of chairs, which flips out of the floor easily. Yet the middle row merely splits 60:40 like a conventional family car's, and neither can be folded flat nor removed.

The seats slide and tilt, yet this arrangement means long loads can't be carried, and so flexibility is limited. Treat the Grandis instead as an estate with occasional chairs in the boot. Meanwhile, 9,000-mile services intervals are unimpressive (and rates are expensive), and petrol economy is poor. On-paper figures for the diesel are better, but in our hands it returned only 32.2mpg. Retained values are excellent though, and the well-equipped Grandis is fantastic value for money.

Click here to buy or hire Mitsubishi Grandis and buy car spare parts in Uganda

Availability of Mitsubishi Grandis Spares parts in Uganda

The Mitsubishi Grandis spare are available in Uganda. Unlike the latest models, the spare parts for older models are readily available. In case you happen to own one of the latest models and find that the spares you need are not available, then you have to order for them from abroad say Japan or Dubai.

Common Mitsubishi Colt complaints in Uganda

The Grandis doesn’t have major issues apart from being basically an urban MPV. It doesn’t handle to well off road which kinds of roads are very popular in Uganda. Secondly huge speed humps have proven to be detrimental to vehicles with low ground clearance level like the Grandis. These spoil the base of the car due to its low level from the ground.

Click here to buy or hire Mitsubishi Grandis and buy car spare parts in Uganda

Our verdict

Mitsubishi's good-looking MPV is appealing, thanks to good looks, performance, handling and competitive pricing. It has also good to cope with whatever the family would through at it. This makes it rank very highly in the category of family cars.

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