Mitsubishi ASX

The Mitsubishi ASX remains one of Australia's top-selling SUVs despite being over a decade old. How does it rate against newer competition?

Will the Mitsubishi ASX remain a small SUV success story?

Best-seller versus newest contender

Can the 2020 ASX continue the models popularity?

The top of the Australian new-car sales charts is dominated by fleet vehicles. But what are the favourite choices when it comes to private buyers?

Five-star safety scores for some of Australia’s most popular new cars expire today, but the vehicles are not banned from sale.

A breakdown of Australia's most popular new cars in all eight states and territories has never been available – until now.

An updated Mitsubishi ASX is due in showrooms within the coming weeks, offering a more affordable base variant.

When brands update their cars, sometimes the stylists get it wrong.

Compact SUV sales are booming. Australian buyers can’t seem to get enough of these high-rise hatchbacks, and the Mitsubishi ASX is right up there with the top-sellers - despite the fact it's now a little long in the tooth.

It’s that time of the year again, another school year is underway, and the Mitsubishi ASX was my weapon of choice as I prepared to take on the ‘car park mafia’.

2020 ASX GSR Purchased June 2020 Back Story I change up my cars every 3 to 4 years depending on warranty and boredom factor. My 2015 Tucson Highlander diesel was approaching end of warranty had 66000 kms and so was time to make a change. Although in many ways this was one of the nicest cars I have ever owned (8 so far) especially in terms of the ride and comfort. There is one enormous BUT which drove my decision to turf it whilst still under warranty. This car in four and a bit years had 10 warranty claims which meant I was at the dealer every 3 to 6 months. Turbo, headlight, Reverse camera (first day), Indicator stalk, Electric hand brake and stereo controls on steering, etc, inexplicably died. Almost every fault I had Hyundai claimed “you are the first person we have seen with this problem”. Draw your own conclusions. So much of my personal time was wasted making unnecessary pit stops and sitting around the dealership. The car always pulled to the left ever so slightly and Hyundai were aware but we all just gave up on pursuing this. I complained to head office but their attitude was dismissive and they refused to acknowledge my complaints. Was looking to upgrade on and off for 12 months and wanting to down size from medium to compact segment but something that straddled both segments in terms of size. Budget was way down on the Hyundai too so around 32K but wanted to retain and gain as many features as possible from the Tucson. Servicing on my Hyundai wasn’t cheap setting me back between $400 and $600 each year. Going down a class I was going to lose some niceties, like auto defogging windows (really already miss this feature which the Tucson did so well) speed sensing door locks, electric seats, solid heavier clunkier doors as well as a degree of comfort, handling and ride. I had been admiring the new Fiat 500x and Jeep Renegade for some time but Australia was denied the new models so that was a quick scratching. I looked at the Jeep Compass a few times and loved the interior and dimensions but the price point for the features I wanted was about 10 to 15K more than my budget. Test drove the Skoda Karoq but didn’t like the jerky transmission and way too much going on with piano black trim, not to mention pretty exxy. Loved the look of the Subaru XV but it was way over priced again for the basic features I wanted and the cabin was cramped and I whacked my head getting in the very first time. 1620 to 1640mm ended up being the cut off for height, which eliminated almost 90% of the compact segment. Also like the Eclipse Cross inside and the front but the rear end was not pleasing to my eyes and a 7 inch touch info screen in 2020 was not appealing, not to mention price point and small boot. The Kia Seltos was nice but the cost of servicing was ridiculous and to get the features I wanted required another 5 to 10K. We already have a 2018 ASX in the family which I have driven many times and although it doesn’t get the heart racing in terms of performance, ride, handling and modern interiors it has been solid there are no complaints its tightly bolted together and handles urban affairs with no objections. Obviously after the last 4 years, reliability and servicing costs was high on the wish list. Right smack bang in my price point and ticking many of my boxes was the 2020 Mitsubishi ASX GSR. GSR features some of which are shared with the MR (not the 2.4L this is only shared with the Exceed): Gloss black (18” alloy wheels, door mirrors, sports rear spoiler, grille), privacy glass, front LED fog lamps, leather steering wheel, shift knob, and park brake with red cross stitching, aluminium pedals, smart key with one touch start, passive entry, 2.4L engine, 6 speed cvt with paddle shifters, micro suede and synthetic leather seating, black interior headlining and 6 speakers. Test drove a couple of times and visited 2 dealers and ended up purchasing at the end of June 2020. Added a few accessories like nudge bar, weather shields, bonnet protector, tow bar, tail gate protector and front sensors. Had my heart set on metallic white but the salesman said could be 3 plus month wait and he had a silver that just arrived and he could do the delivery in 7 days. So with Covid in mind now looking back there is no guarantee I would have got my starlight white by Christmas living in Corona capital of Melbourne. WISH LIST Sporty looks, long warranty, high driving position, cheap servicing, reliability, comfort and space especially leg and head for driver (193cm), good kit, decent boot to fit walker/wheel chair, full suite of safety features, LED lighting, fuel economy and decent performance. LIKES 1. The 2.4L engine is mated to a 6 speed CVT. Can I say this car has plenty of straight line oomph I was really surprised how spirited it is with just a touch of the throttle. There is no lag and if anything there is quite a bit of torque steer which led me to have flash backs of my Rav 4 V6. Unfortunately if you try and gun this thing it will go and feel very unsure of itself and watch the fuel consumption sky rocket as well. As we are still under lock down I haven’t taken the GSR out on country roads, hills and over taking so this will have to wait. I think the GSR is best driven rather sedately most of the time and it will cruise along quite happily. But you can be sure there is quite a bit of power there if you need it 2. The paddle shifters are great the more I use them the more I like them. You can shift through the 6 gears and when you slow down it will automatically down shift till you stop at a light. 3. Looks are relative and personal but for me this car ticks all the boxes especially the revised front end with the dynamic shield and aggressive nose, all the exclusive black GSR trim on the grill and chunky bumpers. The rear end is okay admittedly showing its age with some minor tweaks to the lighting and bumper design (there is new faux carbon fibre cladding at the rear). 4. There is a full suite of exterior LED lighting including the reverse lights, fog lights and high beam. The only omission are the indicators which can be changed up to LED at any Autobarn. I don’t believe there are any competitors in this class or price point that offer this level of LED tech. Love the ice cube design on the front indictors and fog lights (which are on a slight angle and provide a wider angle of lighting). The front indicators although they are bulb appear to be double bulb job offering added visibility. Love the head light design both modern with an aggressive slant. Compared to my Tucson the head lights interestingly as not as penetrative which could be due to price point 52k vs 32k however the LED fog lights are way nicer than jaundice looking halogens. The LED DRL’s are really nice with a single beam that extends the full length of the head light, they are bright and eye catching. The LED reverse lights look great and give added visibility when reversing at night and Mitsubishi has added a very nice signature LED blade design to the rear lights. 5. There are 5 cameras mounted in the front windscreen and the GSR has 14 active safety features including lane change assist, blind spot monitoring , rear cross traffic alert, lane departure warning, auto high beam, Forward collision mitigation, brake override system etc. They are not overly invasive with incessant beeps and bongs and so far on point in terms of sensitivity and accuracy. My Tucson was constantly beeping at me especially when going round a dual lane round about, so annoying whereas the GSR just give two quick beeps that’s it. The blind spot monitoring icon is fantastic its large and bright on the giant wing exterior mirrors. With the Tucson the icon was so small and dim that you couldn’t see it in summer. There are 7 airbags and you won’t find many cars in this class or even above that include coverage for the knee. Ancap rating is 5 (2014). 6. If you like large buttons, dials, fonts and icons, quite a simplistic cabin layout and Atari like graphics then this car in right in your wheel house. Let’s just say there is a real retro feel to this cabin with respects to the above. I much prefer dials than buttons they are easier to navigate on the fly to be honest. 7. Along with the 7 year warranty you also get 4 years road side assistance provided you service with the dealer. 8. The leather touch points in the front are really nice and the accented red stitching on everything including all the seats gives the cabin a sporty feel. The steering wheel is probably one of the nicest surfaces to handle a very nice place to be. As well as leather the steering wheel has some piano black and chrome trim and GSR logo in case you forgtot. The buttons are minimal, basic and clear to read and very nice to touch. The Tucson had a terrible rubbery steering wheel that I detested, supposedly leather. 9. The seats (exclusive to the GSR) are really nice to the touch they are charcoal man made leather suede material but are so nice to the touch and are really well bolstered too. I just think they need more bolstering behind the knee so as to minimise submarining when braking. 10. Plenty of soft touch points up front even knee pads in pleather with red stitching very nice. Drivers and passenger doors enjoy pleather padding for arms. Unfortunately the centre console bin missed out on any upgrade and has very little padding and the sun visors (with vanity lights) are harder than a combustabrick!! The rear however is plastic fantastic. The only high light there is the very nicely appointed centre arm rest with 2 bottle holders and those wonderful seat materials which carry through and door armrests are nicely padded. There is just enough piano black plastic trim in the front to be pleasing to the eye but not high maintenance with the dust. There is some nice piano black around the front side air vents as well but no on off switches which I found weird. 11. Switch gear is mostly good given this car is still raiding a 10 year old bin. 12. 2 USB ports up front which some pricier medium suvs don’t score. 13. Physical volume and tuning buttons on the radio was a welcomed upgrade over the previous model. 14. This car is newly designed from the windscreen down but Mitsubishi still could not get those wiper jets hidden they are still plonked on the bonnet. Having said that, they work great and spray multiple times with just one flick of the stalk. 15. I lost my heated seats from the Tucson but these GSR seats are really warm and the cabin heats up super fast with the climate control heating. I am hoping in summer the AC is as good. 16. I do not miss the electric hand brake or tailgate in the Tucson I much prefer the manual operation it is quicker and more reliable to be honest. The tailgate was painfully slow and sometimes it would open on its own after I walked away as the fob was supposedly hard pressed in my pocket. One day it had been open for over an hour when I was at an appointment. 17. This SUV is pretty spacious I have heaps of head room and adequate leg room in the front. The boot is surprisingly big I can fit a large walker in or a wheel chair (seats down). By the way they fold effortlessly up and down and completely flat. 18. There is a large 8 inch media screen which is nicely designed with a mixture of brushed aluminium and piano black trim. It is clear, functional and with good graphics but very basic can I say. Mitsubishi in their wisdom did not carry over any analogue clock with date options from the precious model which for me was disappointing. The reverse camera is good it’s clear and sharp and you can actually adjust colour, brightness, contrast to obtain the optimum image resolution. You can switch between day, night or auto mode as well. DAB radio is great and Android Auto works perfectly well. Radio is clear and Bluetooth connectivity so far has been perfect. Note that calls come exclusively through the left speaker which is weird but you get used to it. Importantly you can hear people clearly and vice versa. Google Navigation works well but the voice guidance even on the lowest setting is so loud. 19. Storage is adequate in the ASX and relative to the segment there is a huge glove box and centre console bin is decent and some nooks and crannies. I can fit my massive Samsung phone under the USB ports without it hitting the gear shifter. 20. Fuel economy has been good coming from a diesel predecessor. I am getting over 700kms to a tank which by the way is enormous for this car bigger than the hyundai’s at 63L vs 62L. I fill up every 15 days doing around 140 to 160km per week. I am doing mostly urban driving and have driven both cars under covid restrictions ie less stop start traffic. Fuel usage if driven sensibly is on par with or better than the 2.0 diesel Note that under a lead foot or with the AC on you can expect the fuel usage to be 10s and 12s. 21. Front parking sensors are great as long as your foot is on the brake and you creep forward. A couple of times I parked and the sensors didn’t react until I was on top of an obstacle like a tree branch and it was in escalation mode telling me to S T O P. It is both visual and audible. The rear sensors work well too as long as you creep. To be honest the Tucson sensors were hyper sensitive they picked up every little thing and constantly beeping at you sometimes front and rear simultaneously. It’s definitely a matter of adjusting to the sensors and of course not just relying on them, you have your own senses for that. 22. Auto lights and wipers work well they are sensitive and intuitive. The rear wiper is also auto and works when rain is detected and you are reversing. However it has only worked once with wind driven heavy rain?! 23. Cabin is relatively quiet with decent insulation and no squeaks or rattles to date. There is some engine noise with hard acceleration and some wind noise which could be due to the weather shields but overall it feels cosy. There is very little road noise from the tyres. 24. Brakes are good and AEB works well although it is a little sensitive for my liking regardless of the sensitivity setting it still comes across as overly alarmist. 25. Fit and finish at the time of writing is absolutely on point. No misaligned panels or trim. Good job by Mitsubishi in delivering me a hassle free product. 26. The nudge bar works really well with the front end design and augments the ASX’s aggressive nose and dynamic shield design. 27. I really like the chrome Mitsubishi has employed with their dynamic shield design and this carries through to the cabin especially in the front. There are really nice touches of chrome on the door handles air vents, doors and media screen (brushed aluminium). In the rear it’s Spartan, with only chrome on door handles and arm rests. 28. I love the hard rear parcel shelf, its solid but nicely finished with a short pile faux fur. You can remove it too. I hate blinds to be perfectly honest. This is very old school going back to the 80’s and if I recall my 1987 Holden Astra had the exact same design. 29. Proximity key and passive entry work flawlessly unlike my Tucson where you had to hit the button multiple times or make sure you were standing directly in front of the door. Drainer. The ASX also has passive entry at the rear hatch which works great with two buttons nestled adjacent to the no plate lights. 30. Initially I was thinking the media screen would need an awning for glare as it juts out but so far it has been fine. The anti reflective glass is super smudge proof with its super mat finish which is easy to read and maintain. I think mid-summer sun will be the true test of screen performance. 31. Really love the sporty look that the alloy pedals give to the GSR and the privacy glass also is of a high quality and nice feature. There is also a huge foot rest on the left. 32. The electro-chromatic rear vision mirror is also a welcomed feature that I did not lose when upgrading. 33. Touch screen has minimal lag it’s both responsive and crisp. 34. Visibility is very good all round aided by the high riding position which offers a clear view of your surroundings. DISLIKES 1. The rear doors have a very narrow aperture and feel very tinny versus the front. 2. There is occasional lag with the radio controls on the steering wheel both with volume and changing stations. 3. Not a fan of the staggered gear shifter it is very early 2000s and much prefer the standard straight line shifter. 4. One touch windows on just the driver’s door. I think in 2020 Mitsubishi could at least include the passenger side. Many are doing all four windows now such as the HRV I believe. 5. No speed sensing door locks which I miss and think the ASX GSR should have. I believe overseas models and the Exceed may have this feature. You can program the doors to unlock upon shifting into park which is better than nothing I guess. 6. No AWD option in Australia, however the fake button is there which is kinda rank. I really miss the added traction and handling you get with AWD I think it would greatly benefit this SUV. 7. No Adaptive cruise. It’s not a big deal for me as I will rarely use it but I think with all the inclusions this is one most competitors now have. 8. Cabin space in the rear is fairly tight. The seats are flat and upright, so kids would love it. They are probably the exact opposite to the CHR for example. Although I could achieve good leg room my head still hit the roof. Anyone plump or over 5’5 is gonna struggle with 2 or 3 seated. Let’s just say the rear is very child friendly. 9. This may sound petty but the drone the door mirrors make when the fold in and out is downright annoying. Almost like a cheap after market add on. 10. The indicators are hard to hear especially with the window down or radio on they are too faint and the icon is not that bright and positioned in such a way that the steering depending on your field of vision obscures it. There is another melody you can option but it’s like running fingernails down a blackboard. 11. There are no red decal to tell you if the doors are open which I have never seem missing in any car it is a bizarre swing and a miss here. Not that hard. You literally do not know at a glance if the doors are open or closed. 12. Interior illumination is lacking in places like the gear shift which is dimly lit and no decal to tell you what gear you are in. There is an icon in the drivers display but I think when you are glancing down at night its necessary to have this area lit well. There is virtually no illumination on the power window buttons either just the driver’s window which is very dim. 13. The ride can be lumpy and even jarring, suspension is a bit soft for my liking and you do feel rough bumps and course roads with little cushioning at times. I have to say the Tucson was impeccably smooth like silk and light years ahead of the ASX in terms of ride comfort 14. Steering is very light and took some getting used to, I found myself over steering at the start but now I have adjusted. At speed the steering can be jittery. However for navigating the urban jungle it does the job. 15. Some switch gear does feel a bit plasticky and cheap for example the indicator stalk has a half hearted click, not to my liking. 16. There are some hard surfaces and scratchy plastics especially in the rear. If you need a 4x2 just break off the sun visors. At least they will never break. 17. No digital speedo. There is room for it and to be honest I prefer analogue but in 2020 this is a feature Mitsubishi should be including. 18. The ASX has a space saver spare which is not a huge issue but you can option a full size spare as part of the accessories but I don’t think you should have to pay for this hence it goes into the negatives.

I need the quote, the whole quote and nothing but the quote, I asked with my guilt ridden neo-postmodern-quasi-proleteriat fists clutching the table. The receptionist remained placid and, with a laconic smile, shoved a taxi voucher into disbelieving fingers. What's this? I cried, wilfully suspending my disbelief in the Jungian evilness of the collective society, however she remained calm as a latter day class revolution on YouTube. Please take it, she insisted. You can get a rental car while your BMW X3 is being repaired. A Mitsubishi ASX. Was this a blue pill being offered, damn it, where’s the red pill or - - better - - what happens if I’d swallowed both? No time to ponder the ethical matrices of probability and I allowed myself to be follow the entropic arrow of time with reasoning so tautological it consumed itself with truism and I arrived at Thrifty Rental and was given the keys to a 2017 Mitsubishi ASX LS. What did the X stand for, I mused. It certainly didn’t stand for AWD as this car was a front wheel drive only. It also didn’t stand for fun with gears, as this chariot of the masses had an automatic gearbox. Mmm… Time to delve into the manual. Ah, here, it is. Active Sports Crossover. I chortled since the Mitsubishi editors hadn’t noticed that Crossover didn’t begin with X. What else could they have missed, I wondered? They’d also missed the fact the 2.0L petrol engine was as likely to be sporty as seeing bats in a desert. Wait, there could be bats in a desert, but that didn’t change the fact the engine’s pretentious claim wasn’t true. Try as I might, I couldn’t extract back wrenching acceleration from the meagre 110 kW engine and it remained as disappointing as the hidden toy at the bottom of a cereal packet before they were deemed a choking hazard. Still, the car’s interior turned out to be the disappointing yang to the lacklustre yin of the engine. Hold on. Weren’t these meant to be opposites? Perhaps there was more to the interior than initially met my eyes. The seats, despite being cloth, were supportive, and the gauges clear, if unexciting. There was a touch screen, 7 inches or so it claimed, which allowed BlueTooth connectivity to my android telephone. This allowed limited voice commands, which misunderstood me as often as a student reading a Shakespearean sonnet, but still workable given time. A lot of time. The car had climate control, although not dual zone, but despite this the acres of plastics in the cabin were harder than a mathematician’s proof. Still, the two weeks of driving were frugal and I estimate the car sipped less fuel than Hunter S Thompson on a weekend in Vegas. A text appeared. The X3 was repaired and time to return this workhorse back to the Thrifty stables. I drove back to the repairers, afraid and hating myself for not finding this car endearing; wondering why I was attached to the Teutonic machinery instead of this -- a car that does well in the budget sector. Perhaps it lay with the lies that spawned its name, ASX. As we note from Bernard of Morlay: "Stat rosa pristina nomine; nomina nuda tenemus."

History lesson. The year is 2010. In these 12 months, we saw Apple introduce the iPad; Julia Gillard became Australia’s first female prime minister and the AFL Grand Final between fierce rivals Collingwood and St Kilda ended in a draw, leading to a rematch where the former won. In this same year, Mitsubishi’s first ever compact SUV, the ASX launched down under. 7 long years later, Apple has launched the second generation of the new iPad Pro line; politics changed sides and is back to males with Malcolm Turnbull now the prime minister and the best AFL team ever (I’m a little biased), Richmond won its first grand final in 37 years. However, one thing has stayed the same, the faithful Mitsubishi ASX. With that in mind, I thought I would write a review of my grandparents new ASX LS. I’m sure everyone anticipated the car revealed at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show would be the all-new second-generation ASX and were surprised when Mitsubishi instead decided to launch a new product that sits in between the ASX and Outlander, the Eclipse Cross. Speculation is that a new ASX will launch within the next 3 years, however, whether it is just a major update or the next generation version is unknown. For the sake of Mitsubishi, I hope it’s the latter - especially considering the ASX usually sits below the Mazda CX-3 in second place with the monthly Australian new car sales. Speaking of the devil, that is the car we initially tested in March when the search began. THE SEARCH My grandparents had never purchased a brand new car before and weren't planning to at first. Their previous car was a 2002 Ford Laser LXi sedan purchased used from the local dealer in 2005 with little kilometers on the dial. But, just like things can change in seven years, a lot changed in 12 years. Now with 100,000kms on the odometer, and with the car (as well as the owners) aging, the decision was made to find a newer car preferably from 2013-15. Since I’m the new car man, I recommended several choices including the Mazda CX-3, Mazda3, and wildcard Skoda Fabia wagon. Those cars were forgotten and placed on various cars on dealership lots - including an orange Ford EcoSport that my nan absolutely loved - however we talked her out of that thankfully. After some thinking, they decided they should pull the pin on buying a brand new car, especially because they had never done it before. Several days later, my parents rolled around in a test-drive CX-3 Maxx. While some features may appeal to many people such as the elegant ‘Kodo’ design, MZD Connect and nice engine/exterior/interior against the ASX, just about everything else is not good with the car - especially when older people were planning to buy it. One of the major reasons the Laser needed to go was because of its low height which was becoming hard for them to get in and out - especially for my pa, and the CX-3 made hardly any difference. From the drive we did, the CX-3 was great, however, the low height and ergonomics left them disappointed. So, while returning the car back to the dealer, the salesman happened to recommend the ASX, saying that most buyers are over 50. Hesitant, my parents pull up in the driveway once again 30 minutes later. What a difference! Immediately, it was much easier for them to get in and out. What makes the difference is the slightly higher ground clearance, as well as the wide opening doors which are also large from top-to-bottom, and the seats are closer to the outside - reducing the time spent bending to ingress and egress. A week later - after a 12-hour test drive - my grandparents excitingly purchased the ASX LS in Red (official colour name - hah). Following that week was another week, and this week was the delivery day. With final documents signed, the old Laser was traded in to be sold to used car dealers in Melbourne, and the new pride and joy was taken on its first-ever trip home. It’s been 9 months since the car was driven away from the dealership and it has been impressive. So without further ado, here are some details: Powertrain and driving Sitting underneath the bonnet is the well-regarded Mitsubishi 2.0-litre petrol engine that is also used in the Outlander and Lancer. It produces 110kW and 197Nm of torque and is mated to a CVT transmission. Around town and on the highway, the engine is powerful enough to get from A-to-B, but it isn’t anything special. One of the many complaints with a constantly variable transmission is the lack of responsiveness and it does show, but this car doesn’t appeal to driving enthusiasts does it? In fact, my grandparents don’t notice any difference between the CVT and self-shifter in the Laser, and it’s still a great transmission for them. In terms of road and engine noise, it is quiet but not to the point of being near silent. On the highway, wind and tyre noise is prevalent throughout the cabin, however, around town you won’t notice it. Engine noise is also slightly noticeable, especially when accelerating. If you are looking for a bit of grunt and driving pizzazz from a small SUV, I would recommend a newer car from another brand such as the Hyundai Kona or Toyota C-HR, or the upscaled Eclipse Cross with its 1.5T unit. But, in saying that a Hyundai i30 SR or Holden Astra RS would be a better choice than any of the options listed above. Exterior With the 2017 update introduced last November, Mitsubishi introduced the new ‘Dynamic Shield’ front fascia as seen on the Outlander and Pajero Sport to the existing ASX design. My opinion is that this “modern” design does not fit the styling of the existing surroundings. For me, while the 2018 update has further improved the looks with a slightly updated grille and the re-introduction of LED DRL’s on the bumper which were humorously removed with the 17MY update and reintroduced just one year later, the 15.5MY version will always be the pinnacle of ASX design. Excluding the front, the remainder of the car is actually well designed. The 18” wheels look stunning, and aren’t anything like a base-spec car should offer. And, while the taillights may have not changed during the seven-year life cycle, they still look relatively fresh - if you can forgive the prominent orange indicator area. Interior As with all Mitsubishis, including my parents Pajero Sport, the cabin is very simple and is filled with dark plastics that are hard. This is one aspect that automatically gives the win to all of its rivals, however, it isn’t cut short at that point, with the interior boasting excellent boot space and storage - only topped by the Honda HR-V and Nissan Qashqai as class-leaders. Whilst the 2018 ASX LS introduced a new 7” touchscreen with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, the 2017 model continued with the small 6.1” system that has been used throughout most of the ASX’s long life. Immediately looking at the display, you can see horrible graphics and an illogical layout, however diving further in and nice features can be seen, such as a good Bluetooth system that is quick to connect and DAB+ radio - something that is rare for a base model car - especially at this price point. However, they are the things I use, not my grandparents. The AM/FM radio works well, with quick shortcut buttons between different stations and a logical CD player interface. All in all, the system is still easy to use despite its age. Comfort wise, the cloth seats with ‘sporty’ red stitching are comfortable at the front, with rear passengers dealing with the same good back support, but missing out on great bottom support - with the rear bench feeling very firm over long distances, however, it’s good for a short trip. Conclusion The one and only issue that they have encountered with the car thus far is the glovebox, due to the latch being positioned on the right side, rather than in the middle. This means that the left side sags down and therefore doesn’t close probably, which could be a safety issue during an accident. Initially, we prevented this issue by using some force when shutting the glovebox, but nothing fixes it now. This will be rectified at the next service. In conclusion, the ASX is a great car for my grandparents and I highly recommend it to anyone who is in the same situation as them or someone who is looking for a great deal and still gets an excellent car. …. Stay tuned for more reviews of other cars from me in the future and feel free to leave a comment below. Your feedback is greatly appreciated!

The ownership experience has been good to date. The 6 speed non cvt auto together with the 2.3 turbo diesel provides good performance for its class. There is some mid range lag at times but the engine transmission combo is more than adequate. Comes with loads of features as standard included heated seats , reverse camera , DAB radio , auto wipers and lights , electric drivers seats, folding side mirrors, proximity key. I've tested the off road ability numerous times and been surprised how well the car has performed and would say its comparable to the S3 Subaru Forester I used to own. With greater ground clearance it would be a capable soft off roader. The seats are a little cheap and would benefit from additional support and general overall quality. Space is generous for the size of the vehicle and it is a very easy car to drive with excellent all round vision including large side mirrors. I was planning on purchasing another forester however the subaru was going to be far more expensive with equivalent spec with allot of standard ASX features being optional on the subaru. Fuel economy is excellent and have found myself at the pumps far less saving both time and money. The dealer and customer service was good and Mitsubishi offered the 5 year warranty , road side assist and fixed price servicing with 15000 km / 12 month intervals. I cant really fault the car for what it is , it does exactly what its designed to do and more for a reasonable price and high standard of reliability.