1992 Mitsubishi Expo LRV | Retro Review

The Expo LRV is one of many examples why Mitsubishi was so far ahead of its time back in the 90's.

[AdamG]

*number of gauges: few*

Jon: "I'm about to end this van's whole career"

[nicologarcia]

My first car!!! I've had this car as the Mitsubishi RVR. I had the Super Sports Gear trim with AWD and stock 220hp 4G63T engine shared with the Evo III. Man, this was such a blast to drive back then.

[marcscordato]

Back in the day Mitsubishi was a strong contender. Mitsubishi was a far more desirable then Hyundai witch came to the US market about the same time . Today Hyundai enjoys great success in the USA while Mitsubishi has faded into obscurity.

[colsphere]

I owned one of these when stationed in Japan. Great car, 4 Wheel Drive and snow tires, unstoppable! No problems, very easy to drive.

[blujitsu]

Seems well-designed, but a little too niche. Very much a precursor to crossovers, though.

[fixinggrace]

I drove one of these in the 1990s and loved it.

[debsmith]

I had a 1993 5 speed LRV and loved it. I liked sitting up higher than a sedan, tho I'd forgotten about the automatic seat belt! Mine only had 1 van door (driver side) which was inconvenient. Great on gas and a beast in the snow. I drove it for 13 years, then handed it down to a family member who drove for several more.

[tedschmitt]

It's funny how the short wheelbase version is a minivan, but the long wheelbase version is actually a wagon. Many people seem to get confused about the difference between "wagon" and "minivan", including Motorweek.

[kippaseo]

There were certainly quite a few of these on the road here in Miami back in the day. I remember several of my friends parents driving these when I was in elementary school. It seems like a good idea but only lasted for one life cycle. Mitsubishi seemed twit least try to offer interesting and competitive products back in the early / late 1990s but by the early 2000s had all but given up. These Mitsubishi Expo / Plymouth Colt Vista slash Dodge Colt AWD where decently reliable so long as you didn't overheat the engines and didn't mind the cheap rubber valve rings which inevitably caused the engines to burn oil.

[Trance]

I've seen a few of these on the road. I like them a lot! Very much like the crossover vehicles of today.

[SubcompactCulture]

A 1992 Expo LRV was my first car. It was a super-practical little vehicle. Way ahead of its time. I want another one. My dream was to put a 4G63T into one (which has been done; in fact, you could get them from the factory in Japan). Some day!

[bobwalsh]

4:46 Good Lord that thing leans like a motorcycle in the corners!

[FantomLightning]

First vehicle with an aux jack from the factory?

[stupid]

I love MotorWeek's outrage over the gauge clusters not having voltage or oil pressure info. :-). It's like my current outrage over optical disc drives being taken out by almost every one..don't get me started, DON'T EVEN get me started...

[ohguy]

"Available drivers side air bag" in the Chrysler vans.  Ahhhh the 90's, when safety was optional

[RoadCone]

Gosh, remember when Mitsubishi used to make great, if not targeted niche, vehicles? It's sad how far they have fallen in the past quarter century although I am hopeful their latest SUVs are trending toward being more competitive.

[markallen]

I remember when these were out. I thought it was confusing that the Expo LRV was smaller than the Expo. I remember being interested and intrigued by these cars but the fact that they were marketed as mini- minivans was kind of a turn-off. I think that was a real mistake in marketing. When these models were discontinued, I remember seeing newspaper advertisements from the local Mitsubishi dealer which had them at Rock bottom, fire sale prices.... I didn't need a new car then, and I still kind of regret not grabbing the bargain.

[darkhawk]

I'd die for an awd lrv or summit wagon. I miss mine

[joshuac]

This episode of motorweek is brought to you by PEPSI

[JDMHaze]

Mitsubishi Could've been SO MUCH MORE today, if only they'd applied themselves... my friend had 2007 Outlander she LOVED and her mom had a old ass Raider with 400k plus