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Mitsubishi’s ASX is cream of the crossover crop
Seat’s Ateca was a highlight last year because it drove, to all intents and purpoises, like a “normal” car with pliant, well-judged suspension settings, lively performance and – importantly – non of that trademark top-heavy, roly-poly handling.
Because, let’s face it, the craze for conning the neighbours into thinking you’ve hit the big time with your butch, 4x4-styled adventure wagon is the 2017 automotive equivalent of wallpapering over your cracked interior plaster with some lovely 1970s woodchip.
Mitsubishi’s ASX crossover has sold over a million units in its relatively short life. Clearly, a lot of people like the concept. So what is the concept? The ASX was styled in Europe with a Japanese designer heading up the process.
The Japanese influence is less obvious on the minimalist outside than it is inside. The dashboard, switchgear and instrumentation could be nothing other than Japanese – a riot of black plastics and complicated, fussy visuals.
While we’re still inside, mucho space has been freed up by using short seat squabs for the front seats.
Being of restricted height myself, this wasn’t a problem. But the partman, part-heifer I was sharing my test car with, was really struggling with only 50% of his voluminous arse acreage sufficiently supported. It wasn’t a pretty sight.
Even with his seat extended fully rearward both his knees were on the dash. His testicles brushed, menacingly, by the bottom of the steering wheel, while the top of his balding pate kissed the large glass sunroof. Anyway, that’s his fault. Normal people will be amazed at the space inside this compact SUV. Rear seat passengers have as much leg room as those in the front and the boot is generous, too. There’s a lot of glass as well, so the whole cabin feels both roomy and airy.
So what’s it like to drive? Well, if you plump for the 2.2 diesel engine and auto gearbox available in the top spec ASX, it’s pretty bloody good, actually.
Even with a passenger the size and weight of a small hatchback alongside you, this engine and gearbox really provide some punch to the four driven wheels.
You notice this most exiting slow, tight, uphill corners, especially when the road is wet and covered in leaves and crud.
The ASX just picks up its nose and fires out of corners with minimal fuss and just the faintest flicker of a traction control light to let you know what’s what. That’s 360Nm of torque for you, in a small, light car. Great for nifty overtakes, too. Ideally, I would have centralised my passenger’s weight by sitting him in the back and wedging his large head between the front seats to optimise the handling but he didn’t think this was a good idea, strangely. Despite our enforced weight imbalance, the ASX strikes a pretty good balance between ride stiffness, body control and comfort. It might be a little too stiff and choppy for some tastes but I suppose most of that feeling will be tunable by selecting smaller wheels and higher profile tyres. In all, a pretty clean bill of health and that 2.2 diesel engine is a real USP in this class.
There are four spec levels which (weirdly) start with the ASX 2 and go up to ASX 5 with varying bells, knobs and whistles added at all the stages. The base model is pretty well bedecked, though, with alloy wheels, air con, stability and traction control plus seven airbags.
Engine options are three-fold. A 1.6 petrol, a 1.6 diesel and the magnificent 2.2 diesel. There are two gearboxes – manual or auto – and the choice of twowheel or Mitsubishi’s hallmark four-wheel drive as proven in countless WRC and Dakar wins.
Servicing is every 12,500 miles (or one year) and all models feature a fiveyear warranty. Lease prices begin at £169 per month and the range starts at £15,999.
I don’t want an ASX but of the current crop of crossovers, the appeal of Japanese reliability, value for money, space and performance are pretty hard to ignore if crossovers are your thang.