When it comes to combinations Mitsubishi has hit the nail firmly on the head with the new ASX wagon ... apart from one option. This is a 2010 nuclear-family car offering what most people want: high driving position, AWD for safety and some off-road excursions, the practicality a wagon and class-leading economy from the 1.8 litre diesel engine option. So, what's missing? Right now the Mitsubishi ASX diesel comes only with a six speed manual shifter. This will cut some buyers out of the market for the ASX oil burner.
Good news for those buyers is the Mitsubishi ASX petrol models come with a CVT auto and apart from the diesel's economy, offer all the other combination mentioned above. Our test car was the top of the tree diesel-powered Aspire with luxuries including heated leather front seats, Bluetooth 2.0 operation with voice control, panoramic sunroof, 17 inch alloy wheels, AWD, smart key and Rockford Fosgate premium audio.
The ASX comes both as a 2WD and AWD, but, the bottom line is Mitsubishi ASX is a new take on an old theme: a compact, family-oriented station wagon. ASX, by the way, stands for Active Smart Crossover. We prefer compact station wagon. This genre of vehicles are becoming popular with ASX rivals including Nissan Dualis, Subaru XV and Hyundai ix35.
In theory at least you should not purchase a vehicle on the basis of looks alone. We have no doubt that the ASX will do just that with the Mitsubishi corporate or family snout (they call it a jet fighter grille) adorning the ASX and suiting this style of city-rugged vehicle. Thankfully, there is substance beneath the good looks.
With the ASX Aspire DiD it starts, but does not finish with, the 1.8 litre, turbo-charged in-line four diesel engine. This oil burner develops 300 Nm of torque which makes urban commuting a dream using the six speed manual transmission. Because of the generous torque, which is on tap from 2000 rpm, gear changes are kept to a minimum. Then, there's the transmission itself which has a short, direct shifter and is a dream to use. Lastly, there's the economy: 5.8 litres/100 km on combined cycle. If you live in the bush and expect even more kilometres out of every tank full. This is the first Mitsubishi diesel-powered passenger vehicle to be sold in Australia.
As a matter of interest the ASX diesel blitzes other ASX petrol variants with the best of these, a 2WD five speed manual, attaining 7.7 litres/100 km while the two AWD, 2.0 litre petrol variants hooked up to CVT transmissions achieve a distant 8.1 litres/100 km. Like all of these high-riding vehicles the ASX suffers some body roll when cornering, but, being based on the Lancer platform, it is not excessive. In terms of where this wagon fits within the Mitsubishi range, think somewhere mid-way between Lancer and Outlander.
Station wagons have been popular in Australia since the first FE Holden hit the market in 1956. The ASX at 4295mm long is just 175 mm shorter than FE which was considered to be a mid-size car in that era. Mitsubishi has used the space cleverly with a 60/40 split-fold rear seat, that includes a centre arm rest and a ski hatch. With the rear seat in place there's 416 litres of usable luggage area which expands out to 1193 litres with the rear seats folded flat.
ASX is a five seater, but like most of the modern compact wagons is ideally suited to four passengers, although three children will easily sit across the rear pew. The middle seat is quite firm and has slightly reduced head room compared to the window seats. There's also a lack of rear seat storage spaces with no door compartments, that space taken up with an audio speaker. The front passenger seat has a pouch on the back, but no such luxury for the driver's seat. Both front doors have bottle holders and document compartments. There's also three cup holders for the front passengers.
VERDICT: This is a sensible, practical, safe wagon for young families, yet has stand-out looks that will make neighbours envious. A must test-drive for those in the market for a compact wagon.
MODEL RANGE AND PRICING
ASX 2WD 2.0 L petrol, 5 spd manual $25,990
ASX 2WD 2.0 L petrol CVT automatic $28,490
ASX 4WD 1.8 L turbo diesel 6 sp manual $31,990
ASX 4WD 2.0 L petrol CVT automatic $31,990
ASX Aspire 1.8 L turbo diesel 6 spd manual $36,990
ASX Aspire 2.0 L petrol CVT automatic $36,990
FEATURES (ASX Aspire DiD)
ABS Brakes: Standard
Air Conditioning: Standard
Automatic Transmission: N/A
CD Player: Standard
Central Locking: Standard
Cruise Control: Standard
Dual Front Airbags: Standard
Front Side Airbags: Standard
Stability Control: Standard
Traction Control: Standard
SPECIFICATIONS
ENGINE:
Capacity: 1.798 litres
Configuration: In-line four
Head Design: 16 Valve DOHC
Compression Ratio: 14.9:1
Bore/Stroke: 83.0 mm x 83.1 mm
Maximum Power: 110 kW @ 4000 rpm
Maximum Torque: 300 Nm @ 2000 rpm
DRIVELINE
Driven Wheels: 2WD/AWD
Manual Transmission: Six speed
Automatic Transmission: N/A
DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES
Length: 4295 mm
Wheelbase: 2670 mm
Width: 1770 mm
Height: 1615 mm
Turning Circle: 10.6 metres
Kerb Mass: 1525 kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 60 litres
Towing Ability: 1050 kg (kg with braked trailer)
SUSPENSION AND BRAKES
Front Suspension: MacPherson strut/coil spring
Rear Suspension: Independent multi-link
Front Brakes: Ventilated disc
Rear Brakes: Drum
PERFORMANCE
0-100 km/h Acceleration: N/A seconds
FUEL CONSUMPTION
Type: Diesel
Combined Cycle (ADR 81/01): 5.8 L/100km
GREEN VEHICLE GUIDE RATINGS
Greenhouse Rating: 7.5/10
Air Pollution Rating: 5/10
STANDARD WARRANTY:
5 years/ 100,000 km
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