2018 Mitsubishi ASX vs Nissan Qashqai

What's the difference?

It might be an ageing product, but if you're willing to treat the ASX gently then its practicality perks and five-year warranty could still make it smart buying. The top-of-the-range cars are expensive, though, so if it's simple load lugging you're after, consider shopping at the cheaper end of the ASX family.

The Qashqai's MY18 update is subtle but effective. It had a good base to start with, so it was all about detailed improvements. Ride and handling are better, it looks a bit more modern, the safety gear is improved and the exit of the diesel won't upset too many people.

As for which Qashqai is best, it's probably the ST-L - a good mix of spec and price make it our pick. As a range, it's likely the Qashqai will continue to sell as well as it has, despite stiffening competition. It has a solid reputation, well-judged spec and it can carry people and things in comfort and reasonable style.

Well, it looks big. And I suspect that’s the key selling point here. While most in the small SUV segment shoot for a compact and stylish exterior design, the ASX looks big, bulky and a touch old-school, especially parked next to a Mazda CX-3 or Hyundai Kona.

Viewed front on, Mitsubishi's 'Dynamic Shield' front end looks big and bold, while side-on, the high belt line and bulging wheel arches lend it a tough and rugged look.

Inside, you’ll find a simple and clean layout dominated by a touchscreen in the centre of the dash. Splashes of silver and gloss black lift the general ambience, but some of the materials used feel old-fashioned, especially the rippled rubber-plastic that lines the dash. The switchgear in the cabin - especially the heated seats switch - feel pulled from another era, too.

The exterior design has been left largely alone, with just a small amount of surgery to bring it up to date with current Nissan thinking. There's a new iteration of the 'V Motion' grille, revised headlights and more interesting bumper designs front and rear.

The cabin is largely the same - beautifully built, most of the materials are pleasant to the touch if not exactly an aesthete's delight. Everything is well laid-out, the dash is clear and the switchgear all perfectly pleasant. 

The space is well proportioned, too and with the big sunroof, flooded with light, so it doesn't feel the slightest bit tight or claustrophobic, quite a feat in a car this size.

Ah, now this could be the secret to the ASX’s success. At 4365mm long, 1810mm wide and 1640mm high, the ASX towers above its nearest competitor on the sales chart, Mazda’s CX-3, in every significant measurement (the Mazda is 4275mm long, 1765mm wide and 1550mm high), and that means there’s a lot more space in the Mitsubishi for people and cargo.

It feels big in the cabin, with two cupholders separating the front seats. A storage shelf sits beneath the air-con switches, and there are two USB points and a power source in the dash, along with a second power source in a very deep storage bin the divides the driver and passenger.

In the back, there’s plenty of room for passengers (another perk of its size), but there’s no USB points or power sources, and no air vents, but there’s a pull-down divider home to two cupholders and there’s two ISOFIX attachment points, one in each window seat in the back.

Seats up, expect 393 litres of luggage space, but that number grows to 1143 litres with the second row folded flat.

The Qashqai has five seats and in a pinch, you can fill them all without causing a riot or medical emergency. Sadly, there is no seven-seat option.

Rear legroom is good, with enough room behind my driving position for folks of up to 185cm. There is tons of headroom front and rear even with the panoramic sunroof of the higher model spec. The interior dimensions mean four adults can cheerfully fit, with its light airy design (evident in the photos) made even brighter if you've got the full-length sunroof open.

Cabin storage includes up to four cupholders (ST and ST-L miss out on a rear armrest, so no vessel holding back there) and four bottle holders. The glove box easily swallows the owners manual.

The Qashaqi's boot space is nearly number one in its class, bettered only by Honda's HR-V. With 430 litres, it has the luggage capacity for a family getaway and the size for every day needs such as shopping or carrying the kids and their gear around.

Drop the 60/40 split fold back seats and you're in dangerous territory if you live near an Ikea - the space almost triples to 1596 litres and somehow people put these two facts together and your weekends are lost - although I guess it depends how much you like helping people.

The MY18's launch will see four Nissan Qashqai models on the price list: the ST, ST-L, N-TEC and Ti. The N-TEC will be with us throughout early 2018 when the advanced safety technology of the Ti becomes available. The current plan is that the N-TEC will disappear when that happens.

The 2018 Qashqai introduces a number of new features as standard across the range. All of them now have forward collision warning, auto emergency braking and lane departure warning. These are in addition to front and rear parking sensors and the reversing camera carried over from the 2017 models. 

Pricing hasn't moved very much, meaning how much you pay for a Qashqai has only changed due to the new spec level and the end of the diesel models. The ST is up by $500, the ST-L and N-TEC don't really have obvious counterparts given the demise of the diesel and the petrol Ti is $1000 more. Having said that, the ST-L is $1000 cheaper than the old TS.

Pricing for the ST range opener kicks off at $26,490 for the manual and $28,990 for the CVT auto. Rolling on 17-inch alloys, the ST has a six-speaker stereo, cruise control, cloth trim, keyless entry and start, air-conditioning and a space saver spare tyre.

The ST's sound system is powered by a 5.0-inch touchscreen and features an AM/FM radio, CD player, MP3 player and you can connect your iPhone or Android device via USB or Bluetooth. Sadly - and this goes for the whole range - there is not yet Apple CarPlay or Android Auto support.

Next up is the ST-L, starting at $32,990. On top of the ST spec you'll get 18-inch alloys, roof rails, fog lights, electric and heated folding mirrors, GPS sat nav, partial leather seats, heated seats, electric drivers seat and around-view cameras (as well as the normal reversing camera).

The infotainment screen is pumped up to 7.0-inches and DAB+ digital radio joins the list.

The gadgets list expands with the N-TEC, which will stick around until the Ti's arrival. Priced from $36,490, this one includes 19-inch alloys with fatter tyres, LED headlights (in addition to the LED daytime running lights), dual-zone climate control to replace the standard AC, auto headlights and wipers, panoramic sunroof, rear centre armrest, auto parking and mood lighting. The safety list expands with blind spot monitoring, high beam assist and reverse cross traffic alert.

The $37,990 top of the range Ti will land sometime before the middle of 2018. Compared with the N-TEC, the Ti is basically the same but adds nappa leather interior, lane keep assist and active cruise control. 

Should the N-TEC be wildly successful, would it stick around? We asked, but Nissan wouldn't speculate. The reason for the Ti's late arrival is related to production availabilty of the lane keep assist and active cruise combination.

Those looking for more exotic colours like orange or gold will sadly miss out.

As for the colour choices, there are now eight colours for the Qashqai. As before, 'Ivory Pearl' (white) and 'Pearl Black' are no extra cost. The remaining colours - 'Platinum' (a light grey silver), 'Gun Metallic' (dark grey), 'Night Shade' (a sort of purple blue) and 'Magnetic Red' all cost $495. The new 'Vivid Blue', which is exactly what it sounds like, is new to the range and is also $495.

Those looking for more exotic colours like orange or gold will sadly miss out and the earthy tones of brown are also unavailable.

For a more detailed comparison, see our model snapshots.

Our ASX XLS  was equipped with a 2.2-litre, four-cylinder diesel engine good for 110kW at 3500rpm and 360Nm at 1500rpm. It pairs with a six-speed automatic transmission and sends its power to all four wheels.

The petrol vs diesel decision is no longer part of the equation - as President Trump might say, diesel's ratings were low, with just under 10 percent of cars sold drinking the DERV.

Despite its availability in overseas markets, all-wheel drive is not available in Australia, perhaps because of the X-Trail's popularity (and close relationship to the Qashqai).

The only available engine is Nissan's 2.0-litre naturally-aspirated petrol developing 106kW/200Nm. This neatly side-steps any turbo problems as it's a fairly straightforward sort of engine. As far as engine size goes, it is consistent with its Mazda rival, the CX-3 which also runs a 2.0-litre petrol.

The manual gearbox is a six-speed (just three percent of buyers choose to change their own gears) and mated to the same (MR20DD) engine. For those interested, this engine employs a chain rather than timing belt.

For CVT-equipped cars, the towing capacity is 1200kg for a braked trailer and a very specific 729kg for unbraked, so you can haul a decent load. 

As with 4 wheel drive, an LP gas fuelled Qashqai is also a non-starter from the factory.

Engine specs across the segment aren't remarkably different - some are smaller turbo engines, but most around the 1.8 to 2.0-litre mark. The Qashqai's acceleration performance figures for the 0-100km/h dash are around ten seconds (CVT). Kerb weight ranges from 1343kg for the manual ST to 1429kg for the Ti.

Oil capacity is 3.8 litres and the recommended oil type is 5W-30.

Mitsubishi claims a fairly frugal 6.0 litres per hundred kilometres on the combined cycle, with emissions pegged at 160g/km of CO2.

The ASX is fitted with a big-for-the-segment 60-litre tank.

The offical combined cycle fuel economy figure for the 2.0-litre are 7.7L/100km for the manual and 6.9L/100km for the CVT. On test, which was partly highway and a good chunk of Victorian back roads, our fuel consumption figure was a neat 8.0L/100km.

Fuel tank capacity is 65 litres.

At the risk of sounding overly harsh, the ASX excels at mediocrity. But I really don’t mean that in a bad way.

It’s more that, should you never ask too much of it, the ASX is more than happy to navigate everything from suburban streets to freeways, the torque from the diesel engine keeping the Mitsubishi powering along smoothly and happily. It’s not the fastest nor most dynamic vehicle in its segment, but it does everything you would normally ask of it without fuss or bother.

But it’s when you delve deeper into its dynamic prowess that the holes start to appear, and the biggest by far is refinement, or lack thereof.

That diesel engine feels harsh under heavy acceleration, but more worryingly, the steering wheel can tug hard to the right when you plant your foot. That’s not too bad if you’re expecting it, but I suspect it could prove dangerous if it was to catch you off guard.

That said, there’s ample power on offer to shift the ASX away from the lights, and it’s a nice and easy drive in the city and further afield if you're gentle with it. Some might suggest the ride is a touch too firm, but I for one prefer to feel connected to the road rather than distanced from it.

And so the big drawback here is simply age, with the drivetrain feeling out-of-pace with modern rivals. A fact that appears to be hurting sales exactly not at all.

The Qashqai has always been near the top of the class when it comes to ride and handling if not quite there for off-road ability - front-wheel drive and the absence of hill descent control pretty much nixes any muddy fun ambitions. Nissan doesn't quote a wading depth, so that should also tell you it's not for rock-hopping.

Front suspension is by McPherson struts while the rear is a multi-link set-up, something you expect from the next segment up. The MY18 features firmer springs, retuned damping and stiffer anti-roll bars. Out on the flowing country roads outside Daylesford, the new set-up wasn't remarkably different to the old, but the body felt slightly better-controlled without ruining the excellent ride.

On 18-inch wheels, road noise seems lower. Part of that comes from additional sound-deadening and some thicker glass in the rear. The wing mirrors still whistle faintly, but it's nothing the stereo can't handle, and you'll really only hear it at speed.

Switch to the 19s as fitted to the N-TEC (and Ti), and all those efforts seem defeated - there's some tyre roar at highway speeds, attributable to both the lower profile of the tyres and their extra width. The ride doesn't seem to suffer though, and it's a pleasant place to be in suburban and city traffic, soaking up the bumps quietly and smoothly.

Unladen ground clearance measures 186mm, which is among the higher-riders in the class and it was quite at home on a deeply-potholed back road. It was perhaps a little firmer than expected over the gravel, but the surface was very poorly-maintained and resembled the Ypres battlefield. Despite only driving the front wheels, it felt secure, the torque vectoring system helping keep it on the straight and narrow. The turning circle is usable if not tight at 10.7 metres.

It rides well, but what's the engine like? I won't lie, I'd like a bit more horsepower, but in a drag race, the Qashqai is going to be pretty much neck and neck with most of the cars in the segment. 

In the cruise it's a quiet engine and the CVT keeps the revs low until you floor it for an overtake, which you will need to do. Then the engine winds up with the CVT keeping it on the boil to make the most of engine specs. Around town both engine and gearbox are unobtrusive.

All Qashqais leave the Sunderland UK factory with at least six SRS airbags, ABS, stability and traction controls, forward collision warning, reversing camera, forward auto emergency braking, front and rear parking sensors and lane departure warning.

You can fit a baby car seat for your child using either one of the three top-tether anchor points or two ISOFIX points.

ST-L buyers pick up around-view cameras with moving object detection.

The N-TEC adds to the safety list with rear cross traffic alert, blind spot warning, park assist and drowsiness detection. Finally, the Ti's specifications include 'Intelligent Lane Intervention', which helps keep you in your lane if you drift towards the edge.

The safety rating is five ANCAP stars, regardless of model. It was last tested in 2014.

Kudos to Mitsubishi for upping its warranty to five years (unlike Toyota, Mazda and others), meaning the ASX is covered for five years/100,000km. There’s also four years of roadside assistance, and capped-price servicing for three years - the latter limiting maintenance costs to $1130 for the first three services over 36 months.

Nissan offers a three year/100,000km warranty and your dealer will almost certainly try and flog you an extended warranty. 

Those worried about service costs will be pleased to note that the MY18 Qasqhai capped price servicing regime is the same price as the previous year's. Service intervals remain at 12 months or 10,000km, with service prices bouncing around from $224 to $532 and averaging $307 over 12 services.

The Qashqai's resale value appears to be performing well and is as good as any in the compact SUV class. A good guide is to expect around 60 percent of the car's value to be retained over three years.

Owners seem to score it well for reliability, with few common faults reported. Searching for gearbox problems, clutch problems, cruise control problems or injector problems produce few results. As there is no longer a diesel option, searching for diesel problems is redundant.