During the preview media drive of the Mitsubishi Xforce, the automaker was proud to remind us all of its sales performance thus far. It had its highest-ever sales in 2023 with 81,473 sold units, accounting for 18.5% of total vehicle sales (second overall behind Toyota at 46.5%).

But they also noted that small-SUV sales were on the rise, from 9% of total sales in 2019 to 18% by 2023, with about a 3% increase every year.

And since Mitsubishi had been trucking along with the midsize Montero Sport for quite a while and had attempted (with some success) to market the Xpander as a pseudo-SUV, it was time for the company to have its own proper entry.

Enter the Xforce, a small SUV with aggressive styling and some unique features to stand out from a very crowded market. Measuring 4,390mm long, 1,810mm wide, and 1,660mm tall, it’s larger than a Toyota Yaris Cross but smaller than a Corolla Cross. The Kia Sonet launched several weeks ago is also smaller than the Xforce.

The Mitsubishi has a muscular look about it with its Dynamic Shield front aesthetic, broad-shouldered fenders, black roof, and 18-inch tires nicely filling up the wheel wells. It’s clean and inspired, certainly more interesting than Toyota’s anesthetized Corolla Cross.

But the drivetrain is a bit of a head-scratcher. Shared with the Xpander, the 1.5-liter in-line-four MIVEC is smooth-revving and makes nice noises, but 103hp and 141Nm are not a lot these days.

Especially for a car that starts at P1,367,000 in the ‘stripper’ GLS and tops out at P1,581,000 for the GT. I can think of several cars right now in the same bracket with at least 40 more, very useful ponies.

But it is what it is, and who am I to question the wisdom of Mitsubishi product planners and marketers?

Besides, Mitsubishi has never been shy about showing off its cars’ handling chops, so of course, part of our test drive involved some laps around the roads and makeshift off-road courses at Tarlac Recreational Park.

Mated to a continuously variable transmission (CVT), the 1.5-liter makes the most of its modest stable with quick throttle response and a willingness to go wide open with the ratios when you floor it.

According to the engineers, the powertrain has two maps. Light pedal application results in super-thrifty ratios and relaxed throttle response. Stomp it or face a steep angle and the throttle opens up and the CVT picks the shortest ratio. It works…up to a point.

On the second day of our drive, the route included a kilometer-long ascent up the super steep Santol road in La Union. With its 20% gradient and four, full-size adults inside, the cars gradually lost momentum and had to claw their way to the top.

Oddly, the CVT dropped the revs to just around 3,000rpm during this stage, perhaps indicating that it needed even shorter ratios to cope with the meager output.

All the cars managed to finish, but never was there a need for at least 40 to 50 more horsepower than that road. Something to think about if you’re one of those guys who regularly drive up and down mountain passes with a full load.

On less challenging terrain, the Xforce is a much better tool. The sport-tuned suspension borrows its shock absorbers from the Montero Sport, so it feels robust and raring for more when you attack a trail World Rally-style.

Some passengers complained that it felt harsh, but that’s the price you pay if you don’t want a pillowy ride that goes oingo-boingo at the first sighting of a pothole. The steering is also light and quick, with a tight 5.2m turning radius.

Used in economy mode and just touring the countryside, the car yielded an easy 13.4km/L.

For a front-wheel-drive-only SUV, the little Mitsubishi is a lot of fun to toss around on loose surfaces. There are different drive modes for driving on mud, gravel, or wet roads, and aside from varying the amount of intervention with the power, it also adjusts the responsiveness of the Active Yaw Control (it taps each individual brake as needed to maintain control) and even the steering response.

It’s not a substitute for all-wheel drive, but given the extra cost and weight of such a system, this’ll do for the Xforce.

The interior is one of the most interesting that Mitsubishi has done in a long time, with a monolithic chunk of plastic housing both the 12.3-inch infotainment screen and the eight-inch LCD instrument panel. It’s not nearly as elegant as any of the recent Chinese cockpits with their slimmer lines, especially when you notice how thick the bezel is on the Xforce.

But there’s a lot of information you can access on the infotainment screen like your Driving Score (which rates how terribly well you drive), an aircraft-inspired Avionics screen that shows steering angle, tire pressure, g-force, barometric pressure and more, and of course Apple Carplay and Android Auto compatibility.

The instrument panel is a bit of a mess with a bar graph for speed along with a digital readout for such, another smaller bar for tachometer, a small screen inside for various functions, and fuel and temp readings at the sides. Mitsubishi’s target market may have not been born yet when Atari was a thing, but they’ll get a taste of it with this screen.

However, everybody will probably like the melange fabric trim on the dash. Kudos to Mitsubishi for keeping the clichéd piano-black to a minimum, and I can see creative types swapping the fabric for something more interesting in the future. Like denim, perhaps.

Type A and C USB charging ports are available for both front and rear passengers, and the GT also gets a wireless charger ahead of the shifter.

Top marks go to seat comfort as well, with the driver’s seat offering good lumbar and side support without feeling constrictive. There’s even a crotch vent for the A/C, and a little tray under the front passenger seat for, ahem, insurance.

The back seat is roomy for two adults, but a tight squeeze for three unless they are tiny people. Rear A/C vents are standard. The seat back is split three ways and can be adjusted eight ways, ultimately yielding a flat load floor.

Notable is the eight-speaker Dynamic Sound Yamaha Premium audio system, which is an impressive spec for an OE setup. The sound quality can be tailored to suit where you’re seated in the car, and though it’s not concert-quality, you can play your tunes as loud as you can bear without breaking the speakers.

Only two variants are offered for now. The 18-inch wheels, the all-disc brakes, the fog lamps, the sound system, the Active Yaw Control, the stability control, the traction control, and the reversing camera are standard kit on the GLS. The dual-zone auto climate control also has a Nanoe X filter.

The GT gains advanced driver aids like adaptive cruise, lane-departure warning, blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, and automatic high beams. It also gets a tire-pressure monitoring system, synthetic leather upholstery, ambient lighting, automatic headlamps, rain-sensing wipers, and rear proximity sensors. Both cars use front and side airbags, with the GT also benefiting from curtain airbags.

Mitsubishi says that the car is targeted at the youthful market that may just be starting a family, and hence, may not need the superior space and versatility of the Xpander.

While I’m wondering how receptive the market may be for a car that’s in the P1.3-1.5-million range with a tame engine, I have to remind myself that this is also the same company that has sold thousands of even pokier Mirages and Adventures in the past. There’s more to selling a car than what’s under the hood.

If going very fast or driving up steep hills with regularity is not a concern for you, and you value good looks, SUV utility, and impressive fuel efficiency without the complexity of a hybrid, an Xforce could work for you.