if you’re looking for something good, keep it, or so seems to be the mantra of the mitsubishi asx, now a dozen years into its current generation and carrying its fourth facelift which it launched in turn in 2019.
finally, a new generation of asx with dna shared by renault captur, will arrive on the world stage in the coming months and with it the long-awaited turbocharged and electrified powerhouse. now as to if and when this new model might arrive…
Reading: Car review mitsubishi asx
The latest news for today’s all-too-familiar Asx is that Mitsubishi Australia has recently consolidated the range, reducing it to seven variants.
Meanwhile, there’s been a price hike for the stalwart little crossover that has enjoyed such success locally, partly due to solid value for money.
Then, it’s a good time to revisit the mitsubishi asx gsr 2022 which has become the pick of the big-engined, sporty-infused range of late.
For a long time, the asx has sacrificed its attractive, practical size and its compact, easy-to-handle nature. it is also relatively inexpensive to operate and reliable enough to be very popular with rental car companies, hence its long-standing sales popularity.
but while version 2022 brings continuity to the virtues of the asx, there’s a lot that hasn’t progressed much.
Is there still enough freshness and value in the current formula to divert your interest from your new competition? let’s find out.
how much does the mitsubishi asx gsr cost?
as the penultimate variant in the asx lineup, the gsr costs $31,990 before on-road costs. Starting price for private buyers is around $34,890 according to the Mitsubishi Australia website.
Price is up $500 mid-year for all current variants, with the GSR essentially the middle grade of the three “big engine” 2.4-liter versions on offer, slotting in between the mr and exceed models.
2022 mitsubishi asx price:
- mitsubishi asx es 2.0 manual: $24,990
- mitsubishi asx es 2.0 car: $27,240
- mitsubishi asx es adas 2.0 car: $28,990
- mitsubishi asx mr 2.4 car: $28,990
- mitsubishi asx ls 2.0 car: $29,740
- mitsubishi asx gsr 2.4 car: $31,990
- mitsubishi asx exceed 2.4 car: $34,490
- 18-inch black wheels
- space-saving spare tire
- microsuede/faux fur trim with red stitching
- black radiator grille, mirrors and spoiler
- automatic led headlights
- led taillights, drls and fog lights
- automatic wipers
- electrically folding mirrors
- keyless entry and go
- 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment
- wired apple carplay and android auto
- dab+
- single zone air conditioner
- four usb-a outputs
- reversing camera
- rear parking sensors
- aeb with pedestrian detection
- lane departure warning
- lane change assist
- blind spot monitoring
- rear cross traffic alert
- automatic high beam
- hill start assist
- seven airbags (front, side, curtain, driver’s knee)
all prices exclude en route costs
There are eight colors available. Outside of the no-cost white, six metallic colors, like our tester’s sunset orange, command a premium of $750, with a unique diamond pearl white running for $940.
In addition, several styling packages are offered to enhance your ASX GSR, including an Adventure Package ($2,194), Street Style Package ($2,099), and Styling Set ($2,184), as well as a number of upgrades and individual accessories for additional cost.
a full-size spare tire, for example, costs $247.
what does the mitsubishi asx gsr look like inside?
While the exterior styling of the asx has been refreshed four times, for a total of five faces, the interior design hasn’t received nearly as evolutionary a push. Mitsubishi’s little crossover looks cooler on the outside than on the inside.
That the cabin has aged gracefully (just enough) for so long is a testament to the original design. but from the mid-gray plastic theme and plasticchrome instrument trim to the button arrangements and overuse of glossy piano black highlights, it’s starting to become more than a little dated.
it looks a generation older than the eclipse cross and two or three behind the new outsider.
upsides, the asx’s cabin is spacious and airy enough in ambience, intuitive in its user interface, and pleasantly unpretentious in its “old-school” styling.
The use of materials is mixed, with decent suede cloth and leatherette seat upholstery distracting from some of the Asx’s rather basic plastic trim.
The front seats are comfortable enough, though the level of height adjustment would have to be the flimsiest in motorsport today.
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Pretty redundant seats and shifters aside, there’s not much luxury to distinguish this top-tier sporty model from some of the lower rungs of asx, except for the push button start and some of the chrome.
both the analogue instrumentation, without a digital speedometer, and the modest 8.0-inch infotainment system are cost effective in execution, though smartphone mirroring integrates quickly and seamlessly.
This is ideal because you’ll need a phone app for navigation since no proprietary functionality is included.
2nd-row accommodation is mixed. The seats themselves are comfortable and supportive enough and there’s plenty of headroom, but the high window line limits outward visibility for smaller occupants and knee room is pretty tight if you’re an adult
the limitations in family treatment extend to the lack of rear ventilation; Although, the GSR does have two USB-A ports on the back of the center console for powering devices.
Limited rear legroom has some benefits in boot depth. it measures 393 litres but is long enough to easily swallow two large travel suitcases, which is an advantage for use with car rental companies.
stowing the 60:40 folding rear seat frees up 1193 litres.
what’s under the hood?
the gsr is powered by a naturally aspirated 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine producing 123kw at 6000rpm and a decent 222nm, which only comes once you rev it up to 4100rpm. outputs are 13kw and 25nm higher than the 2.0-litre unit used elsewhere in the asx range.
while there’s nothing too fancy about the motivation under the hood, both engines run happily on 91 ron fuel, and as proof of their popularity in the rental car industry, they should have safety and reliability.
The entire asx range uses a cvt automatic transmission with front wheel drive regardless of the engine.
combined consumption is 7.9 l/100 km , or about 0.3 l more than the versions with the 2.0-litre engine. the capacity of the fuel tank is 63 liters.
The gsr sits on 225mm wheels and its chassis comes with four-wheel disc brakes and multilink rear suspension. its radius of gyration is 10.6 meters, quite concise.
at 1398 kg, the weight is on par with its size. Meanwhile, the braked trailer is rated at 1300kg while the roof load is 80kg.
how does the mitsubishi asx gsr drive?
having driven countless asxs over the years, i can confidently say that the gsr drives exactly as i remember them doing, for better and not so good.
I noticed in my last review of the asx (the mid-spec LS from two years ago) that its 2.0-liter-equipped powertrain seemed smoother, more polished, and better resolved than I remember from my experience with the surplus 2.4 l tried something rough at the launch of the latest facelift in 2019.
and overall this 2.4 liter gsr is closer to my memories of the latter.
The big-engined ASX experience is marked by two things. First, there’s a degree of initial throttle response that’s so urgent it’s almost alarming. second, when it comes to overall powertrain refinement, there’s certainly room for improvement.
The ASX is pretty eager to get going, as the initial sharp response is followed by some pretty decent oomph handled by a CVT calibration that works with the engine to deliver power pretty well. part of the feeling of speed is undoubtedly helped by the weight less than 1400 kg of the crossover.
add passengers and the gsr becomes less urgent and somewhat boisterous as it gets going. because? Because you really need one rev to take advantage of that high-revving torque peak. still, when tasked with a lightly loaded small city vehicle, it can certainly move fast enough.
However, this car is far from the smoothest operator in the small sport utility vehicle business. There’s a weird granular vibration in the engine that, when stationary and in D to drive, sends vibrations through the controls and cabin like every other 2.4L ASX I’ve driven to date.
Usually unassuming naturally aspirated CVT/gasoline equipped cars are smooth at cruise and seem unfazed under load, while the Asx’s 2.4 is, for the most part, anything but. again, refinement is not his forte.
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Suspension tuning is decent enough, as there’s ample compliance over most road imperfections, and the sharpness experienced over bumps and potholes doesn’t impact the cabin too much.
It’s not the prettiest riding machine in its class, but it’s respectable enough. suspension hardware is; however, it is quite loud, so you tend to hear the thumps as much as you feel them.
Handling is pretty good, as you’d expect from the sportier variant, though there’s no technical indication in the specs to suggest it offers a tighter fit than other asx variants.
but it shows the gsr in some corners and it points well and the 225mm rubber grips well enough in the wet and dry.
Out on the open road, the GSR is pretty confident and planted. It tracks well and is fundamentally a fairly settled and comfortable long-haul truck.
if there’s a problem on a cruise ship or even in the city, it’s that inert management just doesn’t like to self-focus.
This is an older generation trait, which means you’re actually applying small constant steering movements when you’re following a straight line. this gets a bit boring.
what do you get?
asx gsr highlights:
is the mitsubishi asx gsr safe?
the asx earned a five-star ancap rating in 2016 after testing in 2014.
however, the report was updated in 2019, in line with aeb equipment across the range, including intelligent pedestrian detection, as well as other elements of mitsubishi’s suite of adas-branded safety features.
security features include:
how much does it cost to run the mitsubishi asx gsr?
The ASX is covered by Mitsubishi’s unprecedented 10-year warranty as long as it is serviced within the Mitsubishi dealer network (otherwise it’s five years).
It is capped at 200,000 km, rather than the not uncommon unlimited mileage warranty, though, in reality, that’s a true lifetime distance for many owners.
Currently, the so-called Mitsubishi Diamond Advantage also includes 10 years/150,000 km of price cap service, clearly in 12 month or 15,000 km intervals. each visit will cost $299 except the sixth, eighth and tenth visits, each costing $599.
against its combined claim of 8.0l/100km, our tester returned figures of a nine in the test, albeit with a fair amount of low-speed city driving.
carexpert’s opinion on the mitsubishi asx gsr
There are many and varied valid reasons for the longstanding popularity of asx among private and commercial buyers.
while the original asx did help coin the concept of a contemporary crossover with more lifestyle than family inclinations, its job of creating an attractive space in an ever-advancing segment becomes more difficult as time goes on
where the asx really holds its shine is in its economic value.
You’re probably better served with the more affordable 2.0-liter variants (with prices starting with a two) than at the top of the $30k-plus band, where you face much more contemporary opposition.
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more: all mitsubishi asx
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