ENo supposedly Japanese car has ever been more European. The Mitsubishi ASX, which is produced in Valladolid, Spain, is actually a Renault Captur, with only the brand emblems distinguishing it from its French sister model. And at the rear it says bold and bold: MITSUBISHI.
This procedure, also known as badge engineering, is not a bad thing per se. The customer who is closer to the Mitsubishi dealership than Renault and who wants a five-year warranty instead of three, chooses the compact SUV with the three diamonds.
Adjusted for equipment, there are no price differences either, says a Mitsubishi spokesman. The base price for the 4.23 meter long, always front-wheel drive car is 24,690 euros. A 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine with 91 hp comes under the hood.
There, after a long search, we find two Renault diamonds on the brackets for the bonnet. We looked at the plug-in hybrid, one of the three other variants that are offered. Here there is a system output of 159 hp. Two electric motors, one each on the two front wheels, and a 1.6-cylinder four-cylinder work together. The 10.5 kWh battery should enable an electric range of almost 50 kilometers. A full hybrid with a displacement of 1.3 liters and a system output of 143 hp is also available.
This also has the two electric motors on the wheels and an automatic transmission that works with six gears. 40 percent of customers will opt for this ASX, as expected from Mitsubishi. It is available from 30,990 euros.
The first cars will reach dealers in March. A 1.3-liter petrol engine with 140 hp completes the quartet. Renault also has this engine with 160 hp, so there are five machines on offer here. Of course, the cars do not differ at all in terms of driving. The space is right, the quality too. The Japanese croissant tastes good.
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