Mitsubishi launches cut-price SUVs

Mitsubishi Motors Australia will seek to cement its stranglehold on the small SUV market by launching a new budget-priced variant of the Mitsubishi ASX, dubbed the ES and priced from $23,490 (plus on-road costs) with a five-speed manual.

Available now, the new Mitsubishi ASX ES is available with a CVT automatic for a $25,490 (plus ORCs) and brings the number of equipment grades in the ASX line-up to three.

The ASX range now comprises the ES, LS and Exceed, but all models are now front-wheel drive and powered by a 2.0-litre petrol engine (110kW/197Nm), as diesel and all-wheel drive versions have been axed.

The MY19 ASX ES will be joined by two other new entry-level ES model grades: the MY19 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross ES (from $29,990 plus ORCs) and the plug-in hybrid MY19 Outlander PHEV ES ($45,990 plus ORCs), as the Japanese brand consolidates it position as an affordable SUV specialist.

The Mitsubishi ASX is currently Australia’s top-selling small SUV in one of the fastest growing new-vehicle segments, and the new ES model grade sees pricing dip below the $25,000 price point of the formerly entry-level LS manual in a bid to maintain sales dominance.

Prospective customers will get plenty of fruit with their 2019 Mitsubishi ASX ES, with standard equipment including 18-inch alloy wheels, a 7.0-inch touch-screen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, four-speaker stereo, reversing camera, dual USB ports, digital radio, seven airbags, stability control, a rear cargo cover two ISOFIX child seat anchorage points and a rear cargo cover.

Automatic climate control and cruise control are nice touches, and electric folding mirrors, electric windows and LED daytime running are also standard on the budget-priced SUV.

However, the Mitsubishi ASX ES does not come with face-level air-vents for rear occupants nor AEB (autonomous emergency braking), which is currently required to get a five-star ANCAP safety rating and was introduced to the ASX last September as part of the facelifted MY18 range.

If you want the potentially life-saving safety feature you’ll have to fork out for the $1500 safety pack, dubbed ADAS, which adds AEB, lane departure warning and lane change assist, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic alert, rear parking sensors and automatic wipers and headlights.

However, the ADAS safety pack is not available on manual ASX ES models, which Mitsubishi says account for only around 10 per cent of sales, although it admits the lack of AEB on these models is “frustrating”.

Mitsubishi Motors Australia CEO John Signoriello said the “ASX is a perennial favourite with SUV shoppers so we’ve taken the time to introduce meaningful improvements without altering ASX’s winning formula.”

Signoriello said the ASX’s value equation has been “sharpened” while the brand’s PR chief, Karl Gehling, pointed out that the ASX ES’s affordable pricing will pick up the slack the Mitsubishi Lancer small car leaves behind when stocks are exhausted by years’ end.

“This model will basically give us an opportunity to bridge the gap between our existing Lancer models and the ASX range,” said Gehling.

At $26,990 plus ORCs, the price of the mid-range Mitsubishi ASX LS auto splits the gap between the outgoing $25,000 LS manual and $28,500 LS ADAS auto, but now comes with the safety pack gear of the latter as standard.

The former range-topping XLS is replaced by the Exceed at $30,990 plus ORCs ($1010 less than before) and diesel-auto AWD models in the $32,500 LS and $37,500 Mitsubishi ASX XLS have been discontinued due to lack of demand and to make more space for the newer Eclipse Cross.

Scroll down the page for full pricing of all three model ranges.

Mitsubishi’s upmarket small SUV, the Eclipse Cross, was launched early in 2018 and now gets its own budget-priced ES model grade, priced from $29,990 (plus on-road costs).

This comes with the standard 1.5-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine (110kW/250Nm), CVT automatic with shift paddles, AEB, seven airbags, automatic high-beam assist, 18-inch alloy wheels, six-speaker stereo, reversing camera and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto-equipped infotainment touch-screen system with touchpad. It also gets LED running lights, automatic wipers and headlights, dual-zone climate control and a roof spoiler.

Signoriello said the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross ES combines entry-level SUV pricing with modern design, making it “…a very desirable package with … the latest in vehicle audio and infotainment systems, sophisticated interior design and advanced safety.”

Pricing for the mid-grade Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross LS was $30,500 plus ORCs and is now $1500 more expensive at $31,990 plus ORCs to give the new entry-level model some breathing room.

Australia’s most affordable plug-in hybrid, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, is now even cheaper, dropping from $55,490 to $45,990 plus ORCs with the introduction of the ES model grade – but it loses AEB in the process too.

To get AEB and other safety gear such as lane departure warning and adaptive cruise control in the Outlander, the ADAS pack costs another $1500.

Around ninety per cent of the 2200 Outlander PHEV sales in Australia since its arrival here in 2014 were business buyers and the new ES model is designed to appeal to private buyers.

Joining the facelifted MY19 Outlander line-up released recently, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV ES gets new-look front and rear bumper designs, a rear spoiler, 18-inch alloy wheels and LED daytime running lights.

Inside, there’s a 7.0-inch touch-screen display with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, leatherette and microsuede seat trim, keyless entry and engine start, dual-zone climate control and automatic headlights and wipers, to name a few.

The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV Exceed now costs $53,990 plus ORCs ($1500 less than its predecessor) but adds all of the safety gear, including AEB, lane-change assist, surround-view parking camera, power tailgate, electric sunroof, LED headlights, heated leather seats and a power adjustable driver’s seat.

All Outlander PHEV models are powered by a 2.0-litre petrol engine (87kW/186Nm) augmented by two electric motors powering the front (60kW/137Nm) and rear (60kW/195kW) axles. Fuel economy is claimed to be just 1.7L/100km.

However, the lithium-ion battery’s capacity has been increased by 15 per cent to 13.8kWh. According to Mitsubishi, this now provides the car with an EV range of 54km. A full recharge from a regular 10-amp power point takes around seven hours, while a 15-amp outlet can charge to 80 per cent in 25 minutes.

All Mitsubishi SUV models are covered by a five-year/100,000km warranty, four-year roadside assist plan and three-year capped-price servicing program.

Service intervals for ASX, Eclipse Cross and Outlander PHEV models are 15,000km/12 months, with prices capped at $240 each for the ASX, $300-$400 for the Eclipse Cross and $310-$420 for the PHEV.

How much does the 2019 Mitsubishi ASX cost?
ES manual — $23,490
ES auto — $25,490
LS auto — $26,990
Exceed auto — $30,990
ADAS option — $1500 (ES auto)

How much does the 2019 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross cost?
ES 2WD auto — $29,990
LS 2WD auto — $31,990
Exceed 2WD auto — $36,000
Exceed AWD auto — $38,500

How much does the 2019 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV cost?
ES AWD auto — $45,990
Exceed AWD auto — $53,990
ADAS option — $1500 (ES)

* All prices exclude on-road costs