Although it’s been on the NZ market for a few years now, constant updates have ensured the Mitsubishi ASX is now better than it has ever been, reports Damien O’Carroll.

The Mitsubishi ASX, much like the Lancer it shares its underpinnings with, has been around for a while now.

And like the Lancer, Mitsubishi just seems to keep adding equipment and making it better value for money as it ages, particularly when they do one of their regular promotional deals where they slash an alarming amount of money off the price tag.

This means that the ASX is extremely good value for money at the best of times, and remarkably so during a promotion.

At its normal retail price of $41,990 the ASX 4WD diesel model you see here represents a hell of a lot of car for the money, with the diesel 4WD being far and away the best model in the ASX line-up.

Not only does it pack a powerful 112kW/366Nm 2.2-litre four-cylinder diesel turbo engine, it also boasts a slick six-speed automatic transmission that is a massively better transmission than the CVT the petrol version of the ASX gets.

This makes the ASX a very pleasurable thing to drive on the open road, as well as around town, with the relatively big torque figure (particularly for a car of this size) making both a swift and effortless experience.

And despite its tall crossover body style, the ASX handles remarkably well as well, with a very car-like feel on the road.

As mentioned earlier, Mitsubishi has jammed the ASX full of equipment, with the XLS 4WD diesel coming standard with keyless entry, 18-inch alloy wheels, LED daytime running lights, roof rails, a 6-inch touchscreen infotainment display, a backing camera, Bluetooth phone connectivity and media streaming, steering wheel-mounted controls for cruise control and audio and, of course, Mitsubishi’s easy to use AWD system.

While able to be left in 2WD for most of the time (and get the fuel economy advantages), the ASX can be dropped into auto 4WD mode when conditions require it, or locked into 4WD mode, which also increases the ratio of torque sent to the rear wheels.

The interior of the ASX is getting a bit dated design-wise, but is still rather well put together, with decent quality materials. Everything is where you expect it to be and is easy to operate, although the infotainment system’s Bluetooth integration is fairly clunky, as well as slightly annoying and temperamental compared to more modern systems.

Of course, the big advantage Mitsubishi offers over the competition is the impressive 10 year/160,000km powertrain warranty and a 5 year/130,000km bumper to bumper factory warranty. This is the most generous in the marketplace and says a lot about Mitsubishi’s faith in their product.

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