Following a week-long test drive of the Mitsubishi ASX, here is what we did and how we spent the time testing the car.
Day 1 – First Impressions
This week I was giving back the massive Mitsubishi Shogun and swapping it for a smaller and more agile Mitsubishi ASX. In the afternoon the new white ASX arrived and the Shogun was collected.
Taking my first look around the Mitsubishi ASX, the car was significantly smaller than the Shogun and it became obvious that the ASX was based on the Lancer Evolution platform; there are a lot of similarities on the front-end. The more time I spent looking around the car, the more I was intrigued about what it was going to deliver. I looked forward to my week of testing this car.
Day 2 – Driving Characteristics
I took the car out for the afternoon to carry out a few errands, it was a terrible rainy cold day, but the Mitsubishi ASX is a great place to be in the cold. The car features heated front passenger and driver seats, with both high and low settings. I was very happy to be wrapped up in this car during my first real journey.
The car we’re testing features a 2.2-litre diesel engine with a 6-speed automatic gearbox. The first impression that the car gives you is one of agility, as it’s swift and light in respect to user input. I really enjoyed my first time driving the car.
The ASX features a keyless entry system and start function, so I jumped in, hit the start button and I was off. The car provides lots of torque which makes the driving experience feel very nippy. The steering characteristics are lightly weighted but really help make the crossover feel like a small hatchback.
Day 3 – Early Morning Photoshoot
We had arranged a morning photoshoot to capture some photography and video of the Mitsubishi ASX and had a few locations in mind. The first was an open area on the back of a business park on the outskirts of Birmingham. This gave us the opportunity to catch the car against a sunrise but with weather being a continually changing thing, we only had about 3 minutes of good light to work with. Luckily enough we set up in the right place, and at the right time; just take a look at the picture below…
We also went to a rural environment which was quite wet and damp, though we felt that it suited the car quite nicely as the ASX is supposed to be an active car for moving people and kit around in an agile fashion. Here you can see the car in the second location looking quite suited and very capable.
Day 4 – Motorway Trip Test
On Sunday evening I took the car for a drive along the motorway to an entertainment complex nearby. On the motorway the Mitsubishi ASX feels very solid and capable. The ride comfort in the car feels relatively soft, and doesn’t really take much away from the sharp handling feel of the car either. The engine is great for overtaking, you put your foot on the accelerator, maybe get a quick shift of gear, then you are on the power. It is also worth mentioning that the cruise control functionality on the car is very easy to use and can be operated using just your right thumb whilst still driving safely.
Day 5 – How Good is the Interior
On Monday I got stuck in a traffic jam, which is always a great opportunity to really press and poke everything inside the car and get an understanding for how it works. The interior make-up of the ASX is very different from the rest of Mitsubishi’s range and actually feels a lot more like a consumer-based vehicle than a commercially-focused vehicle. Meaning that it feels a lot more like a normal car than it does a van.
There are lots of good elements inside the car. It uses a large LCD screen which controls the infotainment system, including Bluetooth streaming and satellite navigation integration. The heating controls can be found just underneath this screen; just 3 simple knobs to manage the climate control which works perfectly well.
There are leather seats which are very comfortable. Although, I do think even on the lowest setting they still feel a little too high to me, but you get used to it. There’s lots of storage space in the central console and glove box which make living with the ASX a lot friendlier on a day-to-day basis.
Day 6 – Easy Everyday Car
Spending yet another day using the car for general tasks, it appeared to me that the Mitsubishi ASX is just a great car to use in the UK, especially those heated seats helping to keep you warm during our cold winter days. The size of the car is at a great break point where it is very manageable to drive but there is still a lot of room inside. But more than most, the car is just easy to get in and go because of the keyless entry system. It’s great if you are always rushing here there and everywhere.
Day 7 – Night Time Shoot
The last day with the Mitsubishi ASX and even though I’d driven everywhere I needed to go with the car, the 2.2-litre engine is so efficient that it had only used half a tank of fuel. To create something a bit different with the ASX, we arranged a night time shoot with the car and took the car around some busy city areas looking to capture the car in a super urban environment. In white, the car stood out hugely in the night light, allowing me to capture some fairly crisp pictures of the car. Take a look here.
After spending an entire week with the ASX, I really started to see its value. It is very practical, pretty fast but still very economical. The Mitsubishi ASX has come out of nowhere for me and I’m now really quite a fan.
Supplied by: Mitsubishi