Compact crossovers are among the fastest-growing vehicle segments in the industry, with all the major volume manufacturers fielding a product of some description within this bustling segment. The Mitsubishi ASX was among the first of these crossovers to arrive locally back in 2011. Since then the ASX has been updated five times, with enhanced styling, improved safety, added specification and up-to-date in-car technology.
The ASX faces incredibly stiff competition within this segment, so for today’s comparison, we have selected two contenders that are similarly priced to the ASX and which also feature and automatic gearboxes as these are rising in popularity exponentially. Our goal is to determine which one from this trio represents the best value for money.
Related: Expert Mitsubishi ASX Car Reviews
The competitors
|
|
Mitsubishi AX 2.0 auto |
Suzuki Vitara 1.4T GLX auto |
Toyota C-HR 1.2T Plus auto |
|
Engine size |
4-cyl, 2.0-litre petrol |
4-cyl, 1.4-litre turbo petrol |
4-cyl, 1.2-litre turbo petrol |
|
Power/Torque |
110 kW/197 Nm |
103 kW/220 Nm |
85 kW/185 Nm |
|
Kerb Weight |
1 375 kg |
1 160 kg |
1 440 kg |
|
0-100km/h |
11.5 sec |
9.5 sec |
11.1 sec |
|
Airbag count |
7 |
7 |
7 |
|
Load Volume |
406-litres |
375-litres |
328-litres |
|
Price |
R 429 995 |
R 426 900 |
R 431 900 |
|
Claimed consumption |
7.9 L/100 km |
5.9 L/100 km |
6.4 L/100 km |
|
Maintenance plan |
5 yr/90 000 km |
4 yr/ 60 000km |
6 services /90 000 km |
|
Warranty |
3 yr/100 000 km |
3 yr/100 000km |
3 yr/100 000km |
Comparing the trio
Practicality
These compact crossovers are likely to be owned by young families, meaning that space is important. If we have a look at the vehicles’ dimensions, the Toyota is the longest and the widest, but the Mitsubishi has the longest wheelbase and is the tallest while the Suzuki sits almost perfectly in the middle of the two contenders, meaning that seating five occupants in relative comfort should not present a problem.
When comparing the boot space, we see where the C-HR’s sleek proportions put it at a slight disadvantage as it has the smallest boot, followed by the Suzuki and then the ASX, which has 78-litres more space than the C-HR and 31-litres more than the Vitara. All three contenders offer seating for five and are available with optional tow bars. All three offer ISOFIX child seat anchor points on the outer side of its rear seats.
Power and performance
The engines in this trio are all four-cylinder units, however, the Mitsubishi is the only model to not feature a turbocharger, which it counteracts with displacement, featuring a 2.0-litre engine, 0.6-litres larger than the Suzuki and 0.8-litres bigger than the Toyota. Both the ASX and Vitara feature six-speed torque converter automatic gearboxes while the C-HR makes use of a CVT
The turbocharged engines have less power than the naturally aspirated unit in the ASX, however, the Suzuki provides superior torque while the Toyota runs the ASX close, but crucially, both turbocharged units provide their respective torque figures from 1 500-4 000 r/min versus the ASX which can only deliver its 197 Nm at 4 200 r/min.
The ASX has the slowest claimed 0-100km/h time, however, it is the Toyota that is the heaviest and the one which produces the least power and torque which may make it the least accelerative in the real world. The Suzuki is by far the lightest and has the best power-to-weight ratio making it the most accelerative and indeed the lightest on fuel. The ASX has the highest claimed fuel consumption figure, consuming 2.0 L/100km more than the Vitara and 1.5 L/100km more than the C-HR. The Vitara emits the least CO2 emission too, with a figure of 138 g/km versus 144 g/km in the C-HR and 184 g/km in the ASX.
Specification
From a specification perspective, all three models come with alloy wheels, the ASX and C-HR 18-inch items and the Vitara 17-inch wheels, all have climate control, a multifunction steering wheel, touchscreen infotainment systems with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality, a reverse camera, cruise control, front and rear electric windows and side mirrors, a rear windscreen wiper, split-folding rear seats, auto LED headlights. The Vitara is the only model with front and rear Park Distance Control, however, the ASX gets heated leather front seats while the Vitara gets combination suede and leather seats while the C-HR has cloth seats. Both the ASX and Vitara feature a panoramic roof as well as keyless entry while the C-HR gets standard remote central locking but gets an autodim interior mirror and heated exterior mirrors, features which are also present on the ASX.
Safety
For today’s comparison, we will be using the Australasian ANCAP assessment programme when comparing the safety ratings of each contender as ANCAP has tested each vehicle. The ASX was tested by the ANCAP assessment programme in 2014 where it scored the maximum 5-Stars, achieving 34.13 out of a possible 37 points.
ANCAP also tested the C-HR in 2017, meaning that specifics such as adult and child occupant protection, pedestrian protection and safety assist systems were judged where it scored 87%, 77%, 65% and 68% respectively. The Suzuki was tested by ANCAP in 2015 where it achieved the maximum 5-Star safety rating, scoring 35.79 out of a possible 37 points.
Warranty & maintenance plan
All three of these contenders are sold with a 5-year-/100 000km warranty as standard. It is then between the Mitsubishi and Toyota when it comes to the best service plan as both cover 90 000km, but the Mitsubishi’s is time-based while the Toyota plan guarantees six services, meaning that it depends on how long you indent on keeping the specific vehicle in question.
Verdict
The trio of products that we have assembled for this comparison are exceptionally competitive within this segment, however, there can only be one winner. Looking at the figures, all three cars are incredibly similar in terms of price, specification, and safety. The Suzuki appears to have the superior powertrain while the ASX appears to be the most practical and the Toyota offers the most modern package. The product that has performed the most consistently throughout all of the categories used in the comparison is the Suzuki, which takes the victory here today, despite its inferior service plan.
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