Mitsubishi ASX 2020 review

I could be the first person to compare the Mitsubishi ASX with a Porsche 911, but bear with me. You may know the story that the Porsche 928 was designed to replace the 911, but the popularity of the 911 kept it selling alongside the 928 and eventually outliving it.

The ASX seems to be emulating this tale, to a lesser degree at least. The Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross that was introduced in 2018 is widely understood to have been intended as the ASX's replacement, but as it soldiers through its tenth 2020 on the Australian market well and truly outselling the Eclipse Cross and every other small SUV on the market, the triple-diamond brand has just given the ASX its biggest birthday yet.

The 2020 ASX may look like an all-new car from the front, but from the rear it’s clearly more of a significant update if you look past the fresh details.

Given previous versions of the ASX have trailed behind most of its rivals in terms of design, refinement and dynamics for some time, have they done enough to warrant your choice over the numerous much fresher small SUVs out there?

We were among the first to experience the new ASX at its Australian media launch last week to find out.

The ASX success story is one of automotive’s true enigmas. It has done an amazing job of ticking the boxes to stay current, and the 2020 update will probably help it stay at the front of the sales race for some time to come.

But a quick test drive of any of its main rivals will show what difference almost a decade of fundamental improvements can Mitsubishi, so as always, it’s important to try a few options before making your choice.

Despite its age, you could still do a lot worse than choosing the ASX though.

The sweet spot of the updated range is arguably the LS, given it can be had for just over $30k on the road, with handy equipment levels and all safety gear included. The 2.0-litre engine also does the job just fine in my opinion.

CarsGuide - Go beyond the test drive

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel and meals provided.

#CarsGuide #Mitsubishi #ASX

[firefightergoggie]

It's cheap, reliable, comfortable and comes with a 10 year warranty.
Good enough for me.

[OwenDW]

Have owned one since 2011, have still never had an issue with it. My only problem is it’s a little gutless. Other than that I can’t fault it at all, it’s the best car I’ve ever owned.

[danielleong]

Over the last few weeks did a very detailed comparison/test drives between small SUVs. And we decided to purchase the ASX exceed 2.4l.

There are many reasons why it's the highest selling small SUV for the last 10 years. Here's some:

The size of the ASX boot for new parents is not practical in the Hyundai Kona, Toyota CHR or Mazda CX3. Honda HRV and Nissan Qashqai both do not have apple/android connection. Subaru XV is perfect but their lowest model price is the ASX's highest model.

This video suggests a very bad ASX driving experience compared to the other manufacturers. I agree somewhat comparing against the ASX 2.0l. not against the 2.4l. I found the ASX 2.4l a significantly better drive than its 2.0l (noisy and struggling for power).

Anyways, very happy with our ASX.

[jeffmorse]

The 13 year old Lancer underpinnings live on. I have a 2011 Lancer Sportback with the 2.4 and CVT and while its been a very good reliable car I wouldn't buy one today even if they'd kept refreshing it. Feel the same way about the ASX (Outlander Sport here).

[jon]

And yet they still outsell everything else!

[kmckenzie]

So I just purchased my brand new 2019 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross SEL with Touring Package and S-AWC and got $6, 700.00 off the MSRP. Well we actually bought 2, one in Octane Blue and one in Red Diamond in identical SEL trims with the Touring Package! It reminds me of a Volvo and an Aztek in the rear and I like the styling of both vehicles so I love it and it is unmistakable in its design! Plus the rear led signature of the parking lights is so unique and looks amazing and I love how they hid the rear wiper up under the rear roof spoiler to avoid ice and snow building up on it. Also the rear styling aids visibility in my opinion giving a much larger glass area. One thing my salesman said his customers all say is that at night they love how the rear led bar that splits the rear window directly lines up with and blocks the headlights of cars behind you from blinding you and by dang it sure does on 75% of vehicles, really neat.

I have been averaging about 27 mpg in mixed so beating the numbers and it does better than our 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport GT AWC on fuel that we traded. Now the 2017 Mitsubishi Mirage G4 SE that we also traded blew them both out of the water on MPGs but it was a 3 cylinder with 78 horsepower lol. But we are very pleased with the Eclipse Cross and the features are awesome and it is truly loaded! Plus the looks and questions it attracts are cool. One thing it does have is great power or should I say torque. This thing is very zippy and can really take off with very little turbo lag. The CVT is very smooth and refined and the Eclipse Cross just has an effortless drive to it cruising so smooth and quiet. The interior is a step above the competition in my opinion with super comfortable seats, expensive looking materials, padded dash, arm rest and upper door trim. I have had no creaks or rattles at al and it has been chilly the last few days. The heated steering wheel works great even with my steering wheel cover on. Its just a very comfortable small suv.

Features galore! I love the dual sunroofs, heated front and rear seats and steering wheel, heads up display, surround view camera and multiple views to choose from, and the radar cruise worked flawlessly on the 1.5 hr drive home at 70 mph and rush hour traffic stop and go. I love how the trim we purchased has all the safety features and the led headlights in this car are like wow you can see everything and you can adjust them. The auto high beams are a really cool feature. I will mention again the seats in this thing are so comfortable and they just hug you and are soft and long distance comfortable and I am just shy of 6ft. The smaller cargo area does not bother me at all as I purchased this suv more on the styling and Mitsubishi reliability than anything. But you can slide the rear seats forward to expand your cargo but even before doing that it has 22 cubic ft which is great to me. We have always loved our Mitsubishis and the Eclipse Cross is our favorite to date and wow Mitsubishi you sure nailed it as I cannot say there is anything ai dont like inside, outside, or the way it drives. I just really am impressed and love this vehicle and to get it for over $6, 000.00 less than MSRP just sweetens the deal. I understand most (not all) people who buy this suv do so solely on the looks and that is why we got our 2 SELs with Touring Package So we got every feature and the 2 sunroofs. It truly is loaded.

The Mitsubishi Connect app on our iPhones (7 Plus and X) has worked amazing also and we have used it more than 10 times each to start and shut off our Eclipse Crosses, turn lights on and off, adjust the interior temp, and there are dozens of preferences and features you can adjust in the vehicle with the app. Plus it has the sos feature if the air bags deploy and stolen vehicle assist. I called the call center with the black call button and she went over everything it does and can do. So cool. Free for 2 years which is awesome and runs about $12.00 to $19.00 a month after that depending on the package you pick, which I will gladly pay the $19.00 after 2 years its well worth it.

So we are very happy with our 2 Eclipse Crosses and the amazing deal we got at Renn Kirby Mitsubishi from Tommy Moberly and Brendan (Juice). We tend to trade up about every 3 years and this is by far the most favorite vehicle I have owned to date. It is also a IIHS Top Safety Pick and you can tell it is a heavy SUV for its size which helps make it feel so planted and strong on the road yet the small turbo pulls this thing with amazing bursts of power when you push it, it really is fun! Thanks Mitsubishi!

[davidbernard]

If a car doesn't have a proper spare wheel am not interested. Imagine being 200kms away from home and you got a space saver wheel? Manufacturers should change change the name to cost saver wheel!

[glowe]

Mal...that has to be one of your most vague reviews in a while. I personally didn't get many takeaways from that one😐

[MattyClivingthedream]

The information regarding the 2.4ltr motor is incorrect. The 2.4 is not from the Outlander. The ASX has the 4b12 motor, the Outlander has 4j12 motor. The block of these engines is similar, but no parts are interchangeable. The B motor has double overhead cam, the J motor has a single overhead cam. The J motor was also a completely new design in 2012, the B motor has been doing service since 2006, albeit with several major upgrades along the way.

[clan_fraser]

I was thinking about purchasing this car but after doing more research I decided against it as other small SUVs are much better value in terms of quality and appearance/design, the ASX still has a very old dated and 'chunky' look about it which is something that has not really changed even after this newest facelift for example if you compare it to the stunning new 2020 Mazda CX-3 it just doesn't cut it for me sorry Mitsubishi

[rsoul]

So long as it comes in pensioner light blue, or hire car white, they have done enough.

[angelopeiris]

Hi CarGuide, can you please explain me which model is the highest spec model please? Because it's very confusing and there's lot of models and I can't figure out

[Yahgiggle]

nope it looks like all the budget went into the front end and they left nothing for the back, the back looks 2008 and front 2018

[gabrielt]

Ever wondered why car rental companies utilise the Mitsubishi ASX in preference to other models...because the ASX is reliable and roomy. Cant say the same about the mx3..

[Northisbest]

I ride ASX from friend it's brilliant plenty leg room.

I still owner of Suzuki Ignis 20 years
Still low KMs if I have money I'm definitely going for ASX

Mazda3 ??? LOL that too low

You gotta understand need higher seat the best

[MOTORCYCLES-ANDGUNS]

Can you just buy the rear lights of this car?

[codygh]

Looks good but should of done somemore to the interior because its a bit average.

[howardkerr]

This is sold in the U.S., but I forget the name and the whole Mitsubishi brand is "circling the drain" here....probably THE LEAST POPULAR small SUV.

[chriscole]

We were going to update my old work car this year to one of these, but on Christmas eve our 3 year old outlander with 83000 km had a cvt failure and required a complete we are going for something from Korea without a cvt....I will never buy a cvt vehicle again, especially when the dealer says we don't even open these things up we change the whole much confidence for the vehicle out of warranty....

[vonkrum]

This car is so ‘meh’ to drive... its orrrigh but not $25ks worth