The “new” Mitsubishi Versa is a diesel-powered passenger shuttle built on a 15-year-old Nissan van platform
- Mitsubishi Versa Van debuts in the Philippines with 15 seats.
- It’s a rebadged Nissan Caravan first launched back in 2011.
- Power comes from a Mitsubishi 2.5L turbodiesel making 127 hp.
In what feels like a glitch in the automotive space-time continuum, Mitsubishi has rolled out a “new” van that’s actually a rebadged Nissan that’s been quietly aging for the past 15 years. Just to add to the identity tangle, it also carries the same name as Nissan’s discontinued subcompact model, which was dropped from the US market last year. Though, to be fair, Mitsubishi had been using that name as far back as the late 1980s.
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Behold the new Mitsubishi Versa Van, now serving the Philippine market. This 15-seater passenger shuttle, built on Nissan underpinnings, joins forces with the ancient L300, another workhorse that’s somehow still on sale after four decades.
The exterior is carried over from the Nissan Caravan, sold locally as the Urvan, that was originally introduced in 2011 and received facelifts in 2017 and 2021. The only differences are the Mitsubishi emblems, and the Versa Van lettering on the tailgate.
Practicality Over Polish
Unlike the Nissan, which comes in high-spec trims with optional packages and high-roof variants, the Mitsubishi sticks to bare-bones basics with halogen headlights, unpainted plastic bumpers, and small steel wheels with hubcaps.
More: This Is What Happens When A Nissan Van Wants To Be A GT-R Nismo
Inside, the 15 seats are arranged in five rows. Each row has a dedicated A/C vent on the roof to keep all passengers cool. There’s only one sliding door for entry, so the seats on the right-hand side are foldable to allow easier access.
Safety equipment is basic, limited to front airbags for the driver and passenger. Rear passengers get seatbelts and little else. It’s a simple cabin built for transporting as many people as possible with minimal fuss.
Old-School Setup
The cab-over van rides on a ladder-frame chassis and runs on a Mitsubishi-sourced engine. The mid-mounted 2.5-liter 4D56 turbodiesel puts out 127 hp (95 kW / 129 PS) and 356 Nm (263 lb-ft) of torque, sending power to the rear wheels through a five-speed manual gearbox. With a 65-liter (17-gallon) fuel tank, it’s built to cover long distances without too many stops.
The 2026 Mitsubishi Versa is now available to order in the Philippines, starting at ₱1,649,000 (around $28,000). That’s twice the price of a Mitsubishi L300 Cab & Chassis, which starts at ₱813,000 ($13,900), and ₱89,000 ($1,500) more than the mechanically identical Nissan Urvan Standard.
Competition in this space includes other 15-seaters like the Toyota HiAce Commuter, JAC Sunray, Foton Transvan, and Maxus V80. But none offer quite the same deja vu.
