Being the newest member of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, there's a massive toy box of stuff to pick from before hitting the go button on an ASX replacement. Or, as it turns out, another one.
Thing is, the Mitsubishi ASX doesn't need a replacement, it's walloping everything in its class. For 2020, the evergreen ASX gets another facelift, a few spec tweaks and, one expects renewed vigour. Does it represent good value for the price? What features does it come with?One of the weirdest things about the ASX is that it's not very cheap, with one exception - the entry-level ES with the manual transmission. The 2020 Mitsubishi ASX specs include 18-inch alloys (where competitors will sling you steel wheels with hubcaps), a four-speaker stereo, climate control, reversing camera, remote central locking, cruise control, LED headlights, leather wheel and shifter, power-folding rear vision mirrors and a space-saver spare. Slim, but useful pickings. A new 8.0-inch screen sits proudly in a new-looking centre stack with DAB+, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The sound is good and the Mitsubishi the hardware works well with smartphones. There are seven colour options for the 2020 ASX at Group 1 Mitsubishi. Is there anything interesting about its design? The first ASX was a style-free zone. It had virtually no adornments. The styling was detectable only with a device with the sort of sensitivity that can detect alien burping on a planet circling Alpha Centauri. Did the job for a few years before another going-over made it look almost contemporary, but it stuck with the gawky profile. This latest update puts a whole new, front end on the ASX and it looks a heck of a lot better. The 'Dynamic Shield' face from elsewhere in the range makes the car look fresh out of the box from the front, with Triton-esque slim headlights and a properly chunky look. How practical is the space inside?Another thing right about the Mitsubishi is the space (cue reverb effect). For a compact SUV, it's huge inside. Front and rear passengers luxuriate in reasonably comfortable seats with plenty of head and legroom. Front and rear rows each have a pair of cupholders but only the front doors will hold a bottle. Boot space is very generous, starting at 393 litres and with the rear seats out of the way, 1193 litres. If you end up choosing another ASX, be aware that the Exceed's fully-hectic sub-woofer is so fully hectic it swallows up 50 litres to deliver sick beats. What are the key stats for the engine and transmission? The dowdy 2.0-litre four-cylinder is unchanged (don’t ‘fix’ it of it ain’t broke, right?) for 2020, with 110kW/197Nm. Those figures are class-competitive because as I always say, there appears to be legislation governing naturally aspirated compact SUV power outputs. The basest of base specs has a five-speed manual gearbox (they're more common than you think, so I don't have a joke or exclamation of surprise here) driving the front wheels only. No more all-wheel drive in the ASX, you have to go to the Eclipse Cross for that. How much fuel does it consume? Mitsubishi's official fuel figure weighs in at 7.7L/100km. What safety equipment is fitted? What safety rating?The ASX arrives with seven airbags, ABS, stability and traction controls, forward AEB (up to 80km/h), and forward collision warning. You can add lane departure warning, auto high beam, reverse sensors, blind-spot warning, lane change assist and rear cross-traffic alert. There's a catch, though - you can't have it on the manual. The maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating stretches back to 2014 when the rules were quite different.he ES spec includes 18-inch alloys. The new clamshell-style bonnet is nifty. Then you see the side and rear and realise it's just the same old ASX with a bit of makeup on and new LED tail-lights that, to be completely fair, would look pretty good on any other car. Amusingly, Mitsubishi has also slapped the Dynamic Shield on the Mirage - it really works on the ASX, it really doesn't on the tiddly hatch. The cabin is the same thing, with a natty new pattern on the seats that looks quite fetching, and a couple of new bits of trim here and there. What does it cost to own? What warranty is offered? Mitsubishi has a five-year/100,000km warranty with one year of roadside assistance in the form of membership to your state or territory's motoring organisation (eg RACV, RACT, NRMA). The three-year capped price servicing regime is not bad and every service you get at the dealer extends the roadside cover for another 12 months.
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