We compare the new Kia Seltos and refreshed Mitsubishi ASX
THE KIA SELTOS IS THE NEW SMALL SUV. HOW DOES IT FARE AGAINST A REFRESHED KIWI FAVOURITE?
They both have four wheels, five doors, and a keen desire to whisk the kids to football on a Saturday morning. But despite their surface similarities, the newly launched Kia Seltos and Mitsubishi ASX are extremely different vehicles.
Each is fresh to the Kiwi market. But only the Seltos is new under the skin. The ASX, while looking admittedly handsome in its restyled “Dynamic Shield” suit, is effectively a nine-year-old car on an updated 13-year-old platform that’s just had its fourth big facelift.
In essence, these two depict different motoring philosophies. But does newer always mean better?
Before we dive into things, there’s an elephant in the room to address. One of these SUVs is a base model; the other is its brand’s respective flagship.
Regular Driven readers will be familiar with this particular Seltos; a bargainbasement LX variant. It was a cover car last month, and we showered it with praise.
The ASX it comes up against is a rangetopping 2WD VRX. That means a few things. It gets a larger 2.4-litre MIVEC four-cylinder petrol engine making 125kW/226Nm (13kW/26Nm more than Mitsubishi’s standard 2.0-litre petrol) and a paddle-shift CVT. The interior gets extra kit, too, including a panoramic glass roof, leather, push-button start, and better audio.
And as you’d expect it’s more expensive, coming in at $41,090 to the Seltos’ $25,990.
So, for the sake of comparison we’ll reference the entry-level ASX LS where applicable. It starts at a competitive $29,990 (a special offer for the time being), and does a good job of harassing the little Seltos LX in terms of standard equipment.
It gets the same smart 18in wheels and 8in touchscreen as the VRX, plus climate control, automatic rain-sensing wipers, and LED headlamps. The Seltos also gets an 8in touchscreen, but gets stuck with manual aircon, halogen headlamps, and
a dinky wheel and tyre set.
Along with its styling, that touchscreen is one of the big points of change with the refreshed ASX. It replaces an antiquated 7in system, and includes updated CarPlay/ Android Auto. Its menu layout is easy to use and the touch-based hard buttons and volume/tuning knobs work well, although its reverse camera undoes some of that work by being one of the most pixelated in class. Kia's infotainment is better dressed, and is fitted with a better camera.
The Kia also claims a few points back with regards to safety tech. Autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection and lane-keep assist are standard in all models, whereas neither is equipped in the cheapest ASX (making do with electronic brake distribution instead).
Although the two engines in these testers cover opposing ends of the spec spectrum, they have some similarities. For one, they're solid performers. Despite minor figures on paper, the 110kW/
180Nm Seltos 2.0-litre is surprisingly spritely. The ASX's 2.4 is relatively quiet and smooth in general operation. Economy figures of 6.8L/100km (Seltos) and
7.9L/100km (ASX) are claimed. Curiously Mitsubishi's smaller
2.0-litre option musters only
7.6L/100km.
The differences lie in the pairing's CVTs. The Kia's transmission feels the more alert and smooth, reacting better to jolts of acceleration and the unpredictable on-and-off of
Auckland motorway traffic. Mitsubishi's unit, by contrast, takes longer to rummage around for its ideal gear.
The pairing also ride and handle well, as you'd expect from vehicles that are a stone's throw from being hatchbacks. However, there are curiosities on each side if you look hard enough. The Seltos, for example, rides a little firmer than you'd expect. Ride quality isn't an issue in the more tastefully sprung Mitsubishi, but its steering is a different story.
It's fine at low speed — but if you're moving at suburban speeds, the ASX's steering has a tendency to feel heavy off centre; through the quarter turn before getting heavy again. It's mild, but the non-linear feel became a bugbear as our time went by.
Despite these differences, up to this point things are neck and neck between the Seltos and ASX. The latter has the arguably prettier exterior, slightly better cabin materials, and rides New Zealand's bumps a bit smoother. The better equipped, better driving Seltos emerges on top only really when we get to the element at the crux of these vehicles; practicality.
The entry-level ASX's 393L of boot space with the seats up and 1193L with the seats folded down (reduced to 1143L in top-spec models thanks to an extra subwoofer) is dwarfed by the Seltos' 468L/1428L figures. It loses some space in higher trims (433L/1393L), because of a full-size spare wheel. The rear space isn't just bigger on paper. It also features a wider opening, with the practicality in the LX of a false floor.
What are perhaps more likely to get tested with these crossovers are the rear seats. It’s here that the more modern Seltos packs an edge. The aperture to get in is much larger, making ingress and egress a breeze. The seats all round are more contoured and sculpted and the transmission hump is smaller for the fifth passenger's feet to negotiate. Without the VRX's panoramic roof, headroom would be roughly the same; but the Kia packs more knee and leg room.
Even with its aged underpinnings, the ASX puts on a competitive front. While it was outclassed here, the fact it's still a compelling rival to the rest of the segment (and a probable best-seller in waiting) is testament to its consistency and dependability.
In the end, the Seltos is a predictable winner. Kia's efforts with interior design and equipment levels are top-notch, and the amount of space it serves up is impressive. It jumped straight into New Zealand's top five best-selling vehicles last month. We can see why.