Rent Mitsubishi Xpander 2022 in Dubai

You've got relatives landing at DXB and one car to collect them in. That's the job the Mitsubishi Xpander 2022 was built for, and it's why we keep it on the fleet. It seats seven, we include 250 km a day so a string of airport runs and family outings won't tip you into extra-kilometre charges, and it rents for a fraction of what a seven-seat SUV costs. Our take: this is the cheapest honest way to put seven people in one vehicle in Dubai, ideal for a family that needs the extra row now and then. The engine is modest and the boot shrinks with all seven seats up, and we'll be straight about both.

How the seven seats actually work

The Xpander runs a sensible three-row layout: two up front, a middle bench that takes three at a push, and a back row that genuinely seats two more. The middle bench slides and splits, so reaching the third row is easy and fitting a child seat for an under-four is no trouble. It suits a family of five or six who occasionally need the last two seats, a group splitting one car instead of two, or anyone collecting guests from the airport.

What you're trading for the low rate is pace and a bit of polish. This is a relaxed family bus, not a quick or plush one, and it's happiest driven that way.

Spec at a glance

Does the family and the luggage fit at once

Here's the part the spec sheet won't tell you straight. With all three rows up, the space behind the back seats is small, enough for a couple of soft bags or a folded stroller, not a stack of hard suitcases. Seat seven people and run a full airport luggage pickup at the same time, and you'll be putting bags on laps.

Fold the third row and it transforms. You get a flat, deep load space of over 1600 litres, which swallows a grocery week, sports kit or a Carrefour bulk run with room to spare. So the honest read is this: the Xpander is excellent as a six-seater with luggage, or a seven-seater with light bags. It can't be a full seven and a full boot on the same trip. For most families that's fine, because the third row only goes up when the extra heads turn up.

What the small engine means in traffic

The 1.5-litre makes 105 hp through a four-speed automatic driving the front wheels. Around town, on the school run and pottering between malls, it's smooth and easy, with light steering, a high seat and good visibility. Load it up and you feel the limits. Seven people plus bags is a lot to ask, so on a hill or a hard merge onto Sheikh Zayed Road you plan your overtakes rather than snatch them. At a steady 100 to 120 on the E11 it cruises happily; push past that with a full cabin and it runs out of enthusiasm. Drive it as a relaxed family carrier and it's pleasant.

Fuel and the mileage that's included

The 45-litre tank and roughly 13 to 14 km/L in mixed city driving mean a tank covers a typical week of school runs and errands, with a fill once across a normal week, more if you're doing daily airport runs or long highway stints fully loaded. The 250 km a day we include matters here too: a week of family logistics, multiple DXB or DWC runs and a day trip rarely troubles that allowance, so you're not watching the odometer.

Heat, parking and the Dubai bits

The cabin pulls down quickly once you're moving, which counts when it's high 40s outside and the car's been baking in a mall car park. Front and middle passengers get the strongest air, and the rear vents help the third row, though that back row is always the last to cool. On a 45-degree afternoon, start the AC and give it a minute or two before you load small kids in.

For a seven-seater the Xpander is easy to place. At 4.6 metres it slots into standard mall and Marina bays without drama, and the 225 mm of clearance clears speed bumps and ramps that catch lower cars out. It's far less intimidating to park than a full-size seven-seat SUV, which is half the appeal.

A few rules to keep in mind: Salik tolls run on your account during the rental, and any RTA fines come back to you, so watch the lane cameras on the E11. Seat belts are mandatory in all seven seats, and a child under four needs a proper child seat.

Who should rent it, and who should size up

Rent the Xpander 2022 if you want the cheapest honest way to seat seven, you're mostly four to six people who need the extra row now and then, and you value easy parking, generous included mileage and low running costs over outright pace. For the school run, family days out and airport collections, it's the sensible money.

Size up to a seven-seat SUV if you regularly travel seven adults with full luggage, spend most of your time at highway speed with the car loaded, or head off paved roads. The Xpander is front-wheel drive and built for tarmac, so for Hatta tracks or a desert weekend it's the wrong tool. For the city family that just needs seats, it's the right one, and at this model year it's the cheapest way to get them.