The Mitsubishi ASX has been refreshed, but the changes made to this family-sized Qashqai-class crossover aren’t too far-reaching.
Still, the pricing is very competitive, and there’s a lot to like about this versatile and reliable contender.
If you haven’t tried an ASX for some time but were familiar with the original version, the main thing you’ll notice about the current range is the fact that mainstream diesel versions now use an efficient 1.6-litre DI-D powerplant in place of the original 1.8-litre unit.
The main change to this updated ASX is its smarter front end, this featuring what Mitsubishi calls a Dynamic Shield visual identity that brings it in line with other models in the company’s range like the Outlander.
This look is supposed to symbolise functionality and reassuring safety with bold chromed streaks sitting either side of the grille, shielding the three diamond brand logo.
Otherwise, not too much has changed. The ASX was always a fairly handsome thing and the styling updates added to this car in recent times preserve that basic feel while sharpening up some of the detailing.
The interior has also been slightly updated, with revised seat cushions and smarter upholstery.
The dash layout remains fairly unadventurous in its design, with a proliferation of dark plastics lightly peppered with metallic detailing, but the bright LCD display between the two main dials is useful, the soft-touch finish of the fascia is nice, the controls are refreshingly simple and you certainly aren’t overwhelmed by too many buttons.
Rear passengers have a good amount of legroom and headroom but there are no individual sliding seats, as found in some rivals.
Fold the 60/40 split bench and you free up to 1,193 litres of boot space. A capacity of 442 litres with the seats in place isn’t the best in class but will probably be sufficient for most owners. Plus there are plenty of storage areas around the cabin, including a tray under the boot floor that can hold an extra 30 litres.
ASX buyers choose between four levels of trim – 2, 3, 4 and 5. Pricing starts at around £16,000 but even for that, you get quite a lot, including 16-inch alloy wheels, Bluetooth phone compatibility, front foglamps, air conditioning and rear privacy glass.
The main reason that in 2015, Mitsubishi switched from 1.8 to 1.6-litre Di-D diesel power for the mainstream version of this ASX was of course to improve efficiency.
Today’s front-driven ASX 1.6 DI-D manages 61.4mpg and 119g/km of CO
2
, which is very class-competitive.
With over 750,000 units sold across the globe, Mitsubishi’s ASX has been very successful for the Japanese brand and these updates keep it reasonably competitive against the latest wave of family-sized crossovers, models like the second generation Nissan Qashqai and Renault’s Kadjar. This car needed a bit of a refresh, both to deal with rivals as good as these and draw attention to its efficient 1.6-litre Di-D diesel engine.
Overall, if you get yourself the right deal on this car, it’ll still make quite a sensible choice if you’re thinking of a car of this kind.
Overall of course on a global level, Mitsubishi won’t care even if this car does stay a bit-part player in Britain in its chosen market segment. The ASX does good business for them worldwide and will continue to do so.
But it deserves wider recognition here.
