Mitsubishi ASX (2010 - 2021) 1.8 4 ClearTec 4WD 5d Owner Review

Starting with the negatives, even after over 5 years ownership this is not a car I have any emotional attachment to. It's utterly uninspiring to drive and has zero personality. The ride is soft and the car wallows badly at any kind of attempt to push on quickly in the corners. The turbo lag is noticeable, and the Variable Valve Timing can leave the car unexpectedly with no power when pulling away from a standstill - quite dangerous at junctions until you adapt your driving style to it. Fuel economy has decreased markedly since the car passed 90000 miles (from 47mpg to 40mpg), probably due to the DPF trying to actively regenerate more often than before. On the positive side, the car is excellent in winter, the combination of winter tyres and four wheel drive has coped with everything so far. The interior is very well built, especially the seats which show no signs of wear at all. It's quite a small car compared to many more modern designs, which makes it fairly easy to park and to use around town (even if the poor rear visibility detracts from this somewhat). Something that has been particularly good is the window tinting, not the most important consideration perhaps, but still something which makes a noticeable difference to the driving experience. The gearbox seems well designed, the gears are sensibly spaced and the gear shift has a nice, direct action. The 1.8L diesel engine has more than enough power for normal driving situations and is a very good motorway cruiser, happy to drone along at 2200rpm in 6th gear for hours on end. All in all, it's a practical no-nonsense car which does the job it was built to do exceptionally well, but doesn't go a single step further than that.