Mitsubishi Motors mark 30th anniversary

KOREAN company Kia provide a seven-year warranty with their new cars, but Japanese manufacturer Mitsubishi go one better and offer an eight-year warranty, the longest of any car company in Ireland.

And the guarantee stays with the car, so if you sell after four years, you can offer a four-year residual warranty.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Mitsubishi Motors in Ireland and to celebrate they have produced a special edition of their ASX, which was their first-ever crossover. This anniversary edition carries a lot of new kit at no extra cost.

Mitsubishi has been producing their classy looking motor since 1991 and it was originally known as an

‘RVR.’ In this part of the world it’s known as an ASX, which is an abbreviation for

‘active sports crossover.’

First impressions were that it was a bit like the best-selling Nissan Qashqai and we all know how important initial impressions are when buying a car. And for a paid up member of the

‘Qashqai-club’ like me that was a big plus.

But to be fair the ASX it has its own personality and distinctive looks. It’s not as chunky looking as the Qashqai and the front of car does have that Volvo look. The ASX’s main rivals are the Hyundai ix35 and Kia Sportage, but the car is very neat and I liked the way the front of the front of the car tapers in to produce a tidy look.

This

‘anniversary edition’ is fitted with extras like Sat Nav and rear view camera, which now come as standard. This information is brought to life on the 6.2-inch screen on the dash. I drove the car during the recent warm spell and my passengers really appreciated the air conditioning. They also liked the high driving position and told me they were very happy with the comfort the car provided.

The only small complaint I had was with the radio. It could have done with a second button on the dash to scroll through the wavelengths. It was difficult, especially when driving, to find a new station.

No problem carrying five people and there is plenty of head and leg room for everybody, back and front. I also liked the way the side mirrors folded in when I applied the central locking.

The boot is a fine size and there is a removable flat floor, which can be easily removed, if any grass or earth has fallen out of bags on the way to your local dump. However, while there is plenty of room underneath that removable floor, there is no spare wheel, just the dreaded repair kit.

Despite all those extras in the

‘anniversary edition’ the entry price for the 1.6 petrol is still only

?¬23,950, which is great value. The 1.8 diesel version will cost you an extra 3K. It’s well known that a 25th wedding anniversary is known as Silver and I had to check on 30, which is Pearl. And, yes I think that’s appropriate for the anniversary edition of the ASX; in a sea of new cars, it’s a Pearl.