Mitsubishi Space Wagon review: the honest, unglamorous family van still running in Bahrain
2.8/5motorssouq Editorial Team
A Space Wagon on Bahrain's used market today is a cheap, mechanically simple way to carry seven people, and the 2.4-litre GDI four and four-speed automatic are proven, easy-to-service components with no exotic failure points. Buy one for what it is — a two-decade-old, unfashionable family van — and inspect rust around the wheel arches and sliding-door tracks before anything mechanical, because corrosion is the real threat to a car this age.
Pros
- Mechanically simple 2.4L GDI four and four-speed automatic that any independent Bahraini workshop can service
- Genuinely flat-folding rear bench and boxy shape make it more practical than its looks suggest
- No exotic failure points — no turbo, no dual-clutch gearbox, no complex electronics
- Very cheap to buy on Bahrain's used market today
Cons
- Wheel-arch corrosion and sliding-door track wear are common on surviving examples
- Styling and cabin technology are firmly a quarter-century behind current expectations
- No factory warranty or dealer support remains for this generation
- Not remotely quick, and the four-speed automatic feels dated on the highway
By the time the third-generation Space Wagon arrived, Mitsubishi had already decided not to chase the Toyota Previa's futuristic styling or the Honda Odyssey's car-like handling. What it built instead was a tall, boxy, straightforwardly practical seven-seater with a conventional front-engine, front-wheel-drive layout and a rear bench that folds genuinely flat — a detail that matters more in daily use than any amount of styling flourish.
The 2.4-litre GDI four is the same fundamentally sound engine family Mitsubishi used across the Lancer, Grandis and early Outlander, and it drives the roughly 1.5-tonne kerb weight without strain. It is not remotely quick and does not try to be; this is a van for hauling people and shopping, not for enjoying a drive.
Why the survivors are still around
Simplicity is the Space Wagon's real virtue in 2026. There is no turbocharger, no dual-clutch gearbox, no complex electronics to fail — just a naturally aspirated four and a conventional automatic that any independent Bahraini workshop has seen a hundred times. The cars still on the road here have generally survived because there was very little to go wrong with them mechanically in the first place.
What actually fails on a 25-year-old Space Wagon
Rust and rubber, not the drivetrain. Wheel-arch corrosion and sliding-door track wear are the most common issues on surviving examples, along with perished interior plastics and worn suspension bushings from decades of Bahrain's heat and humidity. Budget for a thorough underbody inspection rather than worrying about the engine.