The Space Wagon performed poorly in the frontal test. The cabin became structurally unstable and the driver's door lost its strength. As a result, the driver risked knee injuries and his left thigh and pelvis also were put at risk of fracture and dislocation injuries. The side impact was quite different. The driver's abdomen was put at a slight risk by a protruding armrest, but otherwise the Space Wagon protected its occupants.
Front impact
The driver's head was struck by the airbag before it deployed fully, increasing injury risks. The steering wheel was pushed backwards, presenting a threat to his neck and chest. He and the front passenger risked chest injury. Euro NCAP were told that the seat belts were fitted with pre-tensioners but saw no evidence that they had worked. A rupture in the footwell posed a threat to the driver's feet. What's more, the brake pedal was forced backwards and up into the driver's thigh.
Side impact
The Space Wagon performed well in the side-impact test. Like others here, its occupants sit above where a conventional car is likely to strike and this helps to protect them in a serious impact. No surprise then that the Space Wagon came close to achieving a maximum score in this test. The driver's head struck the side window, but not hard enough to break the glass, and his abdomen was the only part of his body that ran a slight risk of injury.
Child occupant
A passenger-side front airbag is fitted as standard so there is a real danger of death for any child placed in a rear-facing restraint on the front seat. The Space Wagon's warning labels are inadequate and Euro NCAP has told Mitsubishi it needs to take this risk more seriously. The rear belts can be locked to hold a child restraint firmly. These were adequately labelled and so were used in the tests. Although these belts were compatible with the provided child seats, they may not work well with all restraints, especially frame-type seats. Overall, the restraints performed poorly.
Pedestrian
The Space Wagon gave pedestrians better protection than most other models tested for this round, although its bumper and bonnet leading edge were unforgiving and likely to injure the legs of anyone it struck.