Mitsubishi ASX (2010 – 2021) Review

The Mitsubishi ASX offers four-wheel drive and better off-road ability than many other SUVs. This makes it a sound bet for those living off the beaten track. However, its petrol engine is sluggish, making the diesel a much better used buy when up against the likes of the Ford Puma, massive-selling Nissan Qashqai or good-value Skoda Karoq. Read on for our full Mitsubishi ASX review.

The Mitsubishi ASX provides decent value in the used SUV market as well as everyday practicality, with a spacious interior and good amounts of kit fitted as standard.

It also scores consistently high scores for Real MPG, which means it should get close to its claimed fuel economy. That’s not something you can say of many cars.

That said, the Mistubishi ASX does have its problems. It’s not as plush or as refined as competition like the SEAT Ateca or South Korea’s Hyundai Tucson, and the interior feels rather cheap.

However, the Mitsubishi ASX is robust, and available with four-wheel drive, which makes it an appealing choice for those who want a no-nonsense, rural run-around. 

At launch, the Mitsubishi ASX was offered with 1.6-litre petrol and 1.8-litre diesel engines. Both score highly for real-world fuel economy, which means an average driver should easily exceed 40mpg for the petrol and 50mpg for the diesel.

However, the 1.6 petrol isn’t particularly powerful, with poor refinement and lethargic performance through all of the gears. 

The Mitsubishi ASX works best with diesel. Although the 1.8-litre unit has 150PS, it’s noisy, with lots of clatter, but it pulls strongly from low gears thanks to 300Nm of torque.

In 2013, Mitsubishi added a 150PS 2.2-litre diesel to the range, with more torque and a six-speed torque converter automatic transmission. Like all of the other engines, the 2.2 scores well for Real MPG, and it will return 48mpg. 

Both diesels are available with two-wheel-drive or four-wheel drive, with the latter making the Mitsubishi ASX well-suited to rough conditions. Indeed, with winter tyres fitted, the Mitsubishi ASX performs strongly in snow, with mountains of grip and well-weighted steering that makes short work of treacherous B-roads or muddy farm tracks.

With high levels of standard equipment, a large 442-litre boot and a five-year/62,500 mile warranty offered as standard, the compact and capable Mitsubishi has plenty to offer buyers in need of a practical SUV with affordable fuel costs.

Not everyone will be taken by its lack of refinement or luxury, but if you prioritise used car value over plush interiors, then the Mitsubishi ASX will be one for the shortlist.

Find a Mitsubishi ASX for sale on heycar.

Decent ride quality helps absorb road humps and potholes. The steering is a little slow compared to what’s on offer from the SEAT Ateca, but the Mitsubishi ASX is easy enough to control.

The 1.8 diesel can be specified with two-wheel drive or four-wheel drive, with the latter providing impressive performance in snowy and icy road conditions.

The Mitusbishi ASX is not a car that’s going to make you feel like heading out for a drive just for the sake of it. However, it’s a car that is more likely to get you to your destination in poor weather than most SUV rivals.

On faster roads, the Mitsubishi ASX is sufficiently refined to cover longer trips without leaving you tired, and the driving position is a little more raised than in most other SUVs to give a good view in all directions.

The Mitsubishi ASX was launched in 2010 with two engine choices – one petrol and one diesel. The 1.8 diesel with 150PS provides the best performance and economy.

Variable valve timing allows it to trickle down to 800rpm, and it slowly accelerates without protest from 1000rpm, even up inclines. However, peak torque of 300Nm comes in quite strongly at 2000rpm.

The 1.6 petrol with 115PS works fine in town, but struggles with just 154Nm of shove. It’s not turbocharged, and as a result feels breathless when pushing to join a busy motorway or leave a narrow junction.

Only those who are set on buying an Mitsubishi ASX, but don’t cover enough miles to justify the diesel, will want to opt for the petrol, which is also limited to two-wheel drive only.

In 2013, Mitsubishi expanded the engine line-up with the addition of the 150PS 2.2-litre diesel. The 2.2 unit produces more urge – 360Nm from 1500rpm – and is paired with a six-speed automatic transmission.

It’s the only automatic in the Mitsubishi ASX range, with the 1.6-litre petrol and 1.8-litre diesel linked, respectively, to five-speed and six-speed manual gearboxes. 

All of the engines in the Mitsubishi ASX line-up are good on economy. As a result, the 1.6 petrol should exceed 40mpg, while the 1.8 diesel should surpass 50mpg.

The 2.2 diesel returns 48mpg in the hands of many Real MPG drivers, which isn’t bad when you consider it’s limited to an automatic transmission and four-wheel drive only.  

The Mitsubishi ASX was supplied with twin front, curtain and side airbags, and a driver’s knee airbag too. You also get hill start and brake assist functions with earlier versions, plus ESP traction control.

When the Mitsubishi ASX was updated late 2016, it did not get safety tech such as lane departure warning or automatic emergency braking, so it quickly began to trail newer rivals like the Skoda Karoq.

However, the 2019 update did see rear cross traffic alert added to the top-level trim version.

Depending on the engine and drivetrain of the Mitsubishi ASX you choose, it can tow a braked trailer of between 1200 and 1600kg.

That higher figure is for the four-wheel-drive diesel model. With an unbraked trailer, the Mitsubishi ASX is limited to as little as 500kg for some models, but others can pull up to a more useful 745kg with an unbraked trailer.

The interior of the Mitsubishi ASX is large and comfortable, and offers sufficient headroom and shoulder room for four large adults.

In base-spec trim the seats are covered in cloth and provide lots of support. Higher spec cars get leather trim, which provides more long-distance comfort owing to the deeper cushioning. 

The driver’s seat gets height adjustment and a multi-adjustable steering wheel. There’s an adjustable centre armrest up front too, while the rear seats split 60/40 and can be folded away to provide a flat load space. 

The 442-litre boot isn’t as large as the loadspaces in excess of 500 litres found in the Hyundai Tucson or SEAT Ateca, but the low floor makes it easy to slide heavy items into the back of the Mitsubishi.

The boot floor doesn’t have a load lip, either, which makes the Mitsubishi ASX an easy car to load or unload.

The Mitsubishi ASX is offered in various trims, but even basic versions get alloy wheels, air-conditioning and electric door mirrors. 

Choose a mid-spec Mitsubishi ASX in 3 trim and you’ll get (almost) everything you’ll need, with cruise control, rear privacy glass, keyless start plus automatic headlights and auto windscreen wipers. 

Regardless of which spec you choose, there’s no hiding the fact that the interior lacks any sort of premium feel. While the dark and shiny plastics are hard-wearing, they feel low-rent and scratchy, and the cheap switches and dials are a long way from the quality found in a Kia or Nissan.

That said, everything is bolted together well enough, which provides confidence that the Mitsubishi ASX will survive everyday usage, without anything rattling loose.

However, SUV interiors have moved on considerably in terms of quality since the car was launched in 2010, and it shows.

Early Mitsubishi ASX 4 trim models came with a Kenwood screen integrated into the dash. It could be connected to an iPod and also doubled as the reversing camera’s screen.

When the Mitsubishi ASX range was updated in November 2016, the 4 trim was the only one with a standard infotainment system.

This consisted of a seven-inch touchscreen display, satellite navigation, DAB, CD player, SD card compatibility and reversing camera.

Then, in late 2018, the slimmed-down Mitsubishi ASX range saw all models gain the Mitsubishi Motors’ Smartphone Link Display Audio (SDA), which utilises Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility and is also equipped with DAB radio and a reverse camera.

A year after this, the screen was enlarged to an eight-inch display.

Choose an earlier Mitsubishi ASX, and you should pay from around £5000 for one in good order with 80,000 miles on the clock.

A newer Mitsubishi ASX at three years old with 20,000 miles will cost you about £17,000.

Frugal fuel economy is a party piece of the Mitsubishi ASX in all its guises.

The best of the bunch is the 1.8-litre turbodiesel with front-wheel drive. This offers 51.4mpg, while the 4x4 version still manages 49.6mpg.

Both of these figures were achieved under the older methods of fuel economy testing, and the 1.6-litre petrol registered 47.1mpg when assessed in this way.

Our Real MPG data shows those numbers are not too far from the truth, while the 2.2 diesel records a claimed 48.7mpg and delivers 38.6mpg in the real world.

Carbon dioxide emissions are not quite so impressive with the Mitsubishi ASX, so reckon on paying £180 per year, whether the car was registered before or after 1 April 2017.

A Mitsubishi ASX won’t be a strain on the finances for routine maintenance, while insurance is affordable as the range sits within groups 13 to 23.

Mitsubishi ASX 2 models come with 16-inch alloy wheels, electrically foldable door mirrors, rear foglights, hill start assist, Bluetooth, air-conditioning plus electric front and rear windows

The Mitsubishi ASX 3 trim adds privacy glass, chrome exterior details, keyless entry and start, front foglights, rear parking sensors, auto lights, auto wipers, climate control, heated front seats and cruise control.

The Mitsubishi ASX 4 gets a panoramic glass roof, leather upholstery, powered adjustment for driver’s seat, electrically adjustable driver’s seat, DAB radio, navigation, rear-view camera, roof rails, front skid plates, xenon headlights along with electric, heated and folding mirrors with indicators.

In 2018, the range was reduced to the single Mitsubishi ASX  Juro trim with 18-inch alloy wheels, LED DRLs, privacy glass, front foglamps and keyless entry and go with start/stop button.

The interior features climate control air-conditioning, Grand Luxe upholstery with front seat heaters, cruise control, and Mitsubishi Motors’ Smartphone Link Display Audio (SDA) which utilises Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility.

After this, in 2019, the Mitsubishi ASX 4 Black Edition arrived with black 18-inch alloy wheels, black mirror covers, black front skid plate and a panoramic roof.

The roof rails are also finished in black along with the side window mouldings. The interior adds aluminium pedals, a black window switch panel and red stitching on the steering wheel, gear stick, handbrake and centre console.

Towards the end of 2019, the Mitsubishi ASX 4 Dynamic and Mitsubishi ASX 4 Exceed were introduced.

The Dynamic has the revised eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system. DAB, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The Exceed ups the spec with standard TomTom sat-nav included.