The new Mitsubishi ASX crossover, presented in 2019, despite the changed appearance, in fact, is the same car that was presented for the first time in 2010, and in 2017 received a restyling. The crossover was selling well in Russia at the time of the release of the first version, with the release of the restyled model, sales sagged slightly, but despite this, even in 2019, ASX managed to enter the TOP 10 best-selling crossovers in our market in the price range up to 1.5 million rubles. According to the press service of MMC Rus, which represents the Mitsubishi brand in Russia, in 2019 4286 cars of this model found their buyer. As for the new, already, it turns out, the third version of ASX, there are some doubts about its success. The manufacturer removed the 1.8 engine from the lineup, leaving only 1.6 on the mechanics (who will take this in 2020?) And the 2.0-liter engine, which comes in conjunction with a variator. At the same time, there are only two versions with a continuously variable transmission on the market, the first costs 1 rubles, and the second – 738 rubles. It is clear that the depreciation of the ruble affected the cost of the car, but it will still be difficult for the manufacturer to sell the compact urban crossover at the price of the initial Outlander versions.
The appearance of the updated Mitsubishi ASX model was completely changed, the designers adjusted it to the current line of the company. The branded wide radiator grille, the predatory squint of fully LED headlights, only the block with turn signals and fog lights was in vain taken down into a rectangular block and highlighted, a comparison with Hyundai Santa Fe immediately suggests itself. In general, the car began to look clearly more interesting and more aggressive than its predecessor, so now it will appeal not only to the female audience, but also to men. If we compare the ASX with the older brother Eclipse Cross, then the advantage is clearly on the side of the new product, in front of a more harmonious one, and the feed was a better success. But if you look at the Mitsubishi ASX in profile, then you can clearly guess belonging to the ASX family, the manufacturer did not change the successful silhouette and left it practically unchanged. Yes, all versions of the new model are equipped with full LED optics, which should be the norm for a car in 2020.
Despite the greatly changed exterior, the manufacturer decided not to touch the interior, only a new media system with an 8-inch touchscreen catches the eye, which slightly refreshes the appearance, but not as much as we would like. By the way, it’s funny to see the unification in the company’s lineup: exactly the same knobs that are responsible for volume and tuner in the new ASX are used in Outlander III to adjust the climate. It is clear that few of the buyers will notice this, but it immediately struck me. As for the interior of the new ASX, I won’t say that it is very outdated, but it’s still time for the Japanese to change some elements, the same two-level seat heating buttons look like hello from the past. And the large climate control knobs look a little toyish due to the use of unpretentious gray plastic. Yes, and the glossy black insert on the steering wheel must be abandoned already, it is out of place and absolutely impractical, after a while it becomes covered with small scratches.
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According to the materials of the salon in ASX, everything is at a fairly simple level, the plastic is mostly oak, but its texture and quality are at a good level. It’s funny that the Japanese have highlighted the central tunnel, in the area of the gear lever there is an insert made of high-quality plastic with notches, and for some reason the sidewalls are covered with artificial leather. Yes, of course it’s great to see such a “premium” island, but it is too low, so it doesn’t catch the eye, and you hardly touch it during the trip, except for the automatic transmission lever, but it rises above it.
Landing in the new ASX is comfortable, adjusting the driver’s seat in the maximum configuration with an electric drive, albeit with minimal settings. The steering wheel is manually adjusted in two planes, but it is not enough for the departure, tall drivers will have to either move closer or ride with outstretched arms. The seats themselves have good lateral support, a pillow sufficient in length, but softer than we would like, however, even on a long trip you don’t get tired in them. In our configuration, the interior trim was combined with natural and synthetic leather, soft and pleasant to the touch. In other trim levels, there is a fabric interior trim.
With a height of 187 cm, I sit down behind myself, not to say that with comfort, but still fit in. The knees rest on the front seat, however, there is a depression under the upholstery, which slightly improves the situation. Boarding / disembarking for rear passengers is not the most convenient because of the too narrow doorway at the bottom. The Isofix anchorages are hidden between the cushions of the rear sofa, making it difficult to fit the child seat. It is better not to put a child behind a tall driver, since he will rest his feet on the seat, but he will be comfortable behind the front passenger, and not to the detriment of the first one.
The volume of the luggage compartment is not the largest in the class – 384 liters, part of it is eaten by the raised floor, under which there was a stowaway in our version, and in versions with a 1.6-liter engine there is already a full-fledged spare wheel. You can increase the useful volume of the luggage compartment by folding the backrests of the rear sofa from the passenger compartment separately, which, when folded, form an almost flat floor. Yes, the luggage compartment lid is not electrically operated, but the handle on the inner door is comfortable and it is easy enough to close the trunk.
The Mitsubishi Connect multimedia system in the new ASX is equipped with an 8-inch IPS-display, which does not stand out for its high resolution, nor sufficient brightness and contrast. Of the advantages, I note the good responsiveness of the screen and its convenient location at an angle, so that the information on it is well readable, and it allows you to reach even the farthest corner without problems. The Mitsubishi Connect system itself is quite simple, with minimal features like a radio and a player, but the manufacturer has integrated support for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay into it, so by using them, you get navigation and other features. There are no problems with connecting devices to the system, both USBs located in the front of the cabin are the main ones, so it makes no difference where to connect the smartphone. It’s nice that the manufacturer has provided a deep niche with a rubberized insert in front of the automatic transmission lever, into which even a modern large gadget can fit, and thanks to the coating, it does not hang out there.
I would like to draw your attention to the strange localization of Mitsubishi Connect, for example, in the “Settings” section there is such a “Stuff” item, and in your life you will not be able to guess what is in it. And in “Stuka” we change units of measurement from kilometers to miles, and why it could not be called simply “Units of Measure” is a mystery to me.
Connecting smartphones to the system via Bluetooth does not cause problems, and the speakerphone works well, so the interlocutor never complains about poor hearing. As in other Mitsubishi models, only the right speakers are used during a conversation, but this is unusual only at first. To charge devices, you can use two built-in USB ports, from which modern gadgets do not charge very quickly, but the charge goes even when the device is loaded. You can also use two car outlets, one of which is located in the front of the passenger compartment, in the same place as the USB, and the other is located in the recess of the front armrest.
The dashboard in the Mitsubishi ASX is classic with analog gauges that are easy to read in any conditions. Between them is a small color display, but it displays a minimum of information, between which you can switch using a huge button with the inscription INFO, located to the left of the instrument panel.
ASX electronic assistants have nothing to brag about. There is a rear-view camera with not the best picture quality. There are light and rain sensors, and if there are no questions about the second, then the first one works very strangely, it can turn on the light, just when you pass in the shade of trees, and when you leave the tunnel on a well-lit road it will take a long time not to turn it off. The cruise control in the car is passive, so there is not much to talk about here. There are no other assistants in the car, not even a blind spot tracking system, although if the ASX has large, correctly installed side mirrors, there is no particular need for the latter.
In terms of comfort, the car is average, it is quite soft and passes most of the irregularities well, but the acoustic comfort leaves much to be desired. While driving, the noise of the tires is heard in the cabin, and at speed, aerodynamic noise is also added to it. On the highway, the noise, however, does not particularly interfere with the dialogue with passengers, even the voice does not need to be raised, but still it is a little tiring, and even during acceleration you can hear the roar of the engine well.
As I said above, for the new Mitsubishi ASX in Russia, only two engines were left, and given the low demand for cars of this segment with mechanics, in fact, it is only one, two-liter, paired with a variator. In addition, only cars with a 150-horsepower 2.0 MIVEC engine are equipped with an all-wheel drive system, while the younger version is available only with front-wheel drive. Switching the drive settings is carried out by sequentially pressing a separate button on the central tunnel, front-wheel drive 2WD, all-wheel drive 4WD and Lock clutch are available. The car is not a driver’s car, even acceleration to 100 km / h in 11.7 seconds hints at this, besides, the variator keeps high revs while pushing the accelerator, and it becomes noisy in the cabin from the roar of the engine. No, there is enough engine power even when overtaking on the highway, just the box is set up so that when accelerating, it brings the engine to full speed and does not rush to lower the virtual gear. If you move in a quiet mode, then there are no special questions about the engine-box connection, everything is smooth and predictable, without jabs and jerks. I even liked the car in such a quiet mode. In terms of handling, there are no special questions for the ASX, it is quite predictable, the handling is not sharp, but not too waddling, you enter corners confidently, and the rolls are not strong. In terms of cross-country ability, the car is also good, it will pass confidently on a washed-out road in 4WD mode, and the ground clearance of 195 mm allows you to drive on such light off-road.
The appetite of a two-liter engine is immodest, with the declared 10 liters per 100 km in the city, 7.7 liters in mixed mode and 6.7 liters on the highway, I got about 9 in mixed mode and about 11-12 liters in the city. The only plus is that such a car can be refueled with 92-m gasoline.
The new Mitsubishi ASX turned out to be quite good, but, of course, I would like to see not only visual changes, but also more serious modifications in the model, since over 10 years technology has stepped further and the same variators in the latest versions are already working much better. Yes, the Japanese can be understood, they use time-tested solutions, which also allow keeping prices at an affordable level, since the introduction of new developments will entail an increase in the final cost, which is currently unacceptable. Of course, exchange rate fluctuations also have a detrimental effect on the Russian market, which increases the cost of the ASX in comparison with its predecessor, and the company has no plans to put this model in a local assembly. But if MMC Rus had slightly lowered prices, it would have been more interesting. I think the price of 1 rubles for the maximum configuration instead of 700 rubles would attract buyers.
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