Mitsubishi ASX 2020 Review

It's intriguing to revisit an earlier review of the Mitsubishi ASX, posted back in 2010 and written by yours truly. That car was the flagship at the time, a diesel-engined all-wheel drive model with manual transmission.

In 2020 – nearly a decade later – the high-spec ASX is powered by a 2.4-litre petrol four-cylinder petrol engine and drives just the front wheels via a continuously-variable transmission. Some will argue that the new model is not a patch on its predecessor, at least where the powertrain is concerned.

But the new ASX comes with a much lower price tag too, at $32,990 (plus on-road costs), and it incorporates added primary safety equipment and luxury features like a nine-speaker premium audio system. With petrol and the self-shifting CVT, this ASX variant is more of what people actually want.

On balance too, the ASX has gained from Mitsubishi's years-long development program – with an all-new model not due for another couple of years. The ASX is a significantly better product than it was when it first arrived in the local market.

But it's not all good news. Against newer designs like the Honda HR-V and the Mazda CX-3, the ASX is showing its age with tell-tales like the 'INFO' button on the dash – to scroll through trip computer functions. The button literally could have come straight out of a Lancer from 2007.

Furthermore, for a vehicle costing close to $33,000 before the on-road costs, adjustable vents in the rear would be welcome, although the automatic high-beam switching for the headlights is a nice feature in a car at this price.

There are plenty of changes introduced to the Mitsubishi ASX Exceed from its update in November last year, but the LED headlights are one highlight deserving particular mention.

On low beam they provide a well-lit view ahead and the auto-dipping facility is very responsive, triggered at the very first sign of an oncoming car – even approaching obliquely – without leaving the driver dazzled and blinded by the other car. There's not the same gulf in power between low and high beams that is often the case with other cars.

The high beam of the ASX won't light up the tree tops 3km ahead, but thankfully the low beam does illuminate the road more than three metres in front of the car.

Seeing and being seen is an important factor in primary safety, and the ASX builds on that with rain-sensing wipers that work really well. They operate whenever they're actually needed and don't keep flailing away under bridges or underground car parks.

Another feature that contributes to the practical, real-world safety of the ASX is the car's forward collision warning and autonomous emergency braking (AEB) suite. Unlike other vehicles tested in recent years, the system in the Mitsubishi won't cause undue alarm. You won't jump out of your skin when the ASX detects a vehicle in front completing a left turn, and only once during the week of testing did the AEB pound the brakes.

The system operates at speeds up to 80km/h and detects pedestrians ahead at speeds up to 65km/h. Like the auto-dipping headlights, it's sensibly calibrated for a balance of safety and convenience. It also complements the rear cross-traffic alert system and blind spot monitoring fitted as standard. For most consumers, that level of active safety will suffice.

The larger engine now powering the Mitsubishi ASX Exceed feels lively from a standing start and delivers decent levels of performance right up to the 6500rpm redline. It doesn't run out of puff at those revs and the power feels linear right across the whole rev range. ASX owners will feel confident they can extract enough performance to stay ahead of traffic without working the ASX too hard.

The engine is also frugal at touring speeds, returning fuel consumption figures around the low 7.0L/100km mark on freeways. It wasn't as economical around town, posting figures above 10.0, even during the final week of school holidays, and as high as 13.0 on one particularly bad-traffic morning.

An idle-stop system would help with that. On a test drive at night, however, it returned a figure of 9.0L/100km over a distance of 70km.

At open-road speeds the powertrain is very quiet, with the engine ticking over at 1700rpm for 100km/h, but the four-cylinder does become strident up near the redline. While the engine is noisy under full load and at higher revs, it's not coarse. In its market segment the ASX with the 2.4-litre engine is about mid-field for refinement.

The four-cylinder unit is coupled to a continuously-variable transmission that is not as noisy as Subaru units from a few years ago, but also lacks the 'stepped' operation that the CVT in the Nissan JUKE delivers. That transmission in the JUKE was a very fine example of the type.

There are no shift paddles in this particular variant of ASX to lock the transmission into 'stepped' ratios, but the Mitsubishi's transmission does provide some engine braking and does optimise engine performance in either the Sport mode or the Low mode. Neither of those modes will provide a specific fixed ratio, however, if the driver is using the throttle to the full extent.

Overall, the CVT is not the sort of transmission that appeals to driving enthusiasts, but in the ASX it doesn't drone endlessly on light to medium throttle and probably suits target buyers in typical urban driving.

While the CVT fitted to the Mitsubishi ASX Exceed does suppress some of the torque available, there's still enough performance on tap to spin a drive wheel exiting a corner. The stability control quickly suppresses that sort of silliness however.

In the dry the ASX provides no hint of torque steer. It's to the credit of Mitsubishi engineers that the ASX is dynamically safe and corners and brakes better than expected. The direct steering is lightly weighted and the ASX turns in quite well, but the electrically-assisted rack-and-pinion system is not the most communicative setup.

At least the fundamentals of the steering are fine and the ASX will hold steady at the straight-ahead without constant correction. It's an easy car to pilot, in other words.

Fitted with Bridgestone Ecopia tyres measuring 225/55 R18, the ASX delivers handling that errs on the side of warning understeer, but the ASX also provides respectable grip. The downside to that is the suspension is less compliant than some buyers might anticipate. On different surfaces it soaks up smaller irregularities and doesn't crash through over the rough stuff at higher speeds, but nor is it as cushy as one or two rivals in the market segment.

Brakes provide good pedal feel for slowing softly and are also powerful enough for harder stops, with the tyres chomping down on the tar with some audible protest. Unlike some French cars, it takes quite a heavy foot to trigger the Mitsubishi's emergency stop lights.

The Mitsubishi ASX Exceed comes with a lot of glitzy kit, literally capped off by the large, panoramic sunroof with its own ambient lighting.

Unfortunately, that sunroof does encroach on rear-seat headroom, which is at a premium for adults of average height. On the plus side, legroom in the back is very generous indeed. This is one of the benefits of developing a small SUV on the same platform (Outlander) as a medium SUV.

Comfort in the rear of the ASX is a mixed bag. There are the requisite cupholders in the fold-down centre armrest, but no adjustable vents. And the seats themselves are firmly cushioned and don't feel like they would be very cosy over the course of a longer journey. They do fold flush with the boot floor (but not entirely flat) for larger payloads than the 393-litre boot alone can accommodate.

While Mitsubishi has specified a space-saver spare to free up volume, some space in the boot is sacrificed for the large sub-woofer, an integral part of the nine-speaker premium audio system. That's three more speakers than the opposition (CX-3 and HR-V) offer, at the lower price asked for the ASX.

The interior of the ASX is functional and commodious, but our recent comparison of the ASX with Mazda CX-3 and Hyundai Venue named the Hyundai as the car to beat for oddment storage.

Nevertheless, the ASX does come with two cupholders adjacent the parking brake, a small, open bin in the centre fascia, two USB ports and a deeper bin under the centre armrest in front, with a 12-Volt power outlet inside. Each door bin incorporates a receptacle for smaller bottles (around 600ml or thereabouts).

Comfort and convenience features include satellite navigation, which is supplied to Mitsubishi by Tom Tom. Unfortunately, for the life of me I couldn't activate voice prompts from settings and sound menus. Another problem with the sat-nav is that the digital clock is not displayed in the infotainment screen if the map is selected. It's a little annoying if you're reliant on the car to keep you posted on the time of day.

While the cushioning for the front seats is equally as firm as the rear seats, the shape will hold occupants in place securely during high-g cornering and under brakes. The seats also feature two-stage heating, which will pay dividends during the winter months.

From the driving position, the instruments are easy to read and control placement is fine. I found the foot rest was too far away or the pedals were too close. The indicator stalk felt cheap to use, producing a clickety-clack noise. Still on the subject of the indicators, they are too quiet and at times aren't audible over the ambient noise in the cabin.

As a final observation, the five-year warranty for the ASX is limited to 100,000km, unlike Mazda's and Honda's. So if you cover more than 20,000km a year on average, you won't have the full benefit of five years' coverage in practice.

Otherwise, the Mitsubishi ASX represents a reasonably good package for value. It's well priced and equipped – and packaging is a particular strength. If your purchasing criterion is heavily skewed by cubic volume for your buck, the ASX should be on your shopping list.

Price: $33,240 (plus on-road costs); $35,990 (as tested)
Engine: 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol
Output: 123kW/222Nm
Transmission: Continuously variable
Fuel: 7.9L/100km (ADR Combined); 9.0L/100km (as tested)
CO2: 186g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP (2014)

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