Mitsubishi Motors UK is trying to make the ASX as accessible as possible while the brand continues to recover some of the market share it lost during the recession. An entry-level ASX 2 with a 1.6-litre petrol engine is being promoted on a 6.9% APR  43-month personal contract plan at £189 monthly payment after a £4,220 deposit.

Versions of the top-specification ASX 4 that AM is reviewing over six months are being promoted on a similar PCP at £239 per month after a £7,570 deposit.

But it’s a hugely competitive market. Renault is currently throwing four years’ free servicing and warranty and a £1,000 manufacturer deposit contribution in the pot to tempt consumers towards its £169 per month deal on its Captur crossover. This challenge means there’s even more emphasis on Mitsubishi’s dealer marketing support and on the staff on the showroom floor to perform.

Nevertheless, the car is becoming more successful. There were 816 ASXs registered in March, an 83% increase on March 2013. Mitsubishi’s marketing lines continue to focus on the ASX’s interior space and its abilities both in town and in the countryside.

While we’ve not yet ventured further off-road than the verge, our all-wheel-drive ASX has shown itself to be compact enough to prove no challenge in city centre car parks, where its standard reversing camera is particularly useful.

The interior space and comfort, enhanced by the panoramic glass roof, is also sufficient to carry teenage children in the rear with little fuss. Its 416-litre boot is also more spacious than a Captur, so there’s little restriction on stowing the typical kit associated with a family day out, and it could tow a 1.4-tonne trailer, which the Captur certainly cannot.

On all trips it is a comfortable, relaxed cruiser. The downside is our car’s fuel economy: the trip computer depressingly indicates an average mpg in the low 30s.

 

What’s been said about the ASX

Carbuyer
The Mitsubishi ASX looks good and is competitively priced, which makes it an attractive rival to the Nissan Qashqai.

Car Magazine
Unless you’re really sold on the ASX’s looks (and we mean really sold), or its workmanlike hard-wearing character, you’re not short of far more desirable rivals to plump for instead.