Volkswagen T-Cross vs Mitsubishi ASX

What's the difference?

The Volkswagen T-Cross might be late to the small SUV party, but it’s not so much tardy, as making a fashionable entrance.

It’s a very impressive compact SUV - big on space, style and comfort, well priced, decently specified and a smart option for customers who aspire to a German badge being shown off in their driveway.

The Mitsubishi ASX ES is a compact SUV that, surprisingly, can fit its occupants with relative comfort. The boot is a good size and you have just enough up front to satisfy a driver for everyday use.

The size makes it perfect for urban dwellers and the ongoing costs are fantastic. But by current standards its safety is lacking a fair few items for me.

It’s not to be confused with the slightly larger T-Roc model, which has just arrived here too. The T-Roc is bigger, based on the Golf. But that model isn’t quite as clever when it comes to its design as this one.

Despite being smaller, the T-Cross is super smart when it comes to overall packaging. It’s based on the Polo city car, and isn’t much bigger in terms of nose-to-tail length (T-Cross: 4108mm; Polo: 4053mm). However the T-Cross is a taller, boxier design, and that means added practicality. It is 1760mm wide and 1583mm tall, whereas the Polo is 1751mm wide and 1446mm tall.

It still has the rugged SUV styling cues you’d expect, albeit in a bit more of an urban-focused design. There are still chunky bumpers and off road inspired bits to separate it from a standard city hatchback, and it has 180mm of ground clearance - ideal for jumping the occasional gutter.

And because it’s a VW sold in Australia, there are option packs to add on if you want them. The test car you see in these images has the R-Line pack optioned up, which adds a number of body design changes and 18-inch wheels on the outside, and some nice bits inside, too. More on that in the next section.

Disappointingly, VW has launched the T-Cross with a base model that still has halogen headlamps, where the mid-spec car you see here has LED lighting all around. I’ll break down the specs for you in the pricing section. 

I love how the ASX looks. It has a wide stance and enough squared edges to not look too cute but its compact size should appeal to urban dwellers where space is at a premium.

The two panels at the front, which sandwich the chrome grille and house quad LED lights, add a lot of personality to the ES.

As do the 18-inch alloys and the way the lights jut out at the rear. There are multiple bright paintwork colours to choose from if you want to add your own flair.

Once inside, you’re reminded that you’re in a base-type model with the analogue instrument panel, traditional gear-shifter and handbrake, but I have fallen in ‘like’ with how old-school it is.

The fabric trims feature a nice lattice-pattern and the dashboard is simple with just three climate dials to navigate.

Overall, the interior is no-nonsense but that might appeal to drivers who don’t want to be overwhelmed by their car and its tech.

There are some SUVs in this segment of the market that pack more in than you think is physically possible. The Honda HR-V comes to mind first and foremost, and the T-Cross is very close to that benchmark-setter when it comes to interior practicality.

That’s because the T-Cross has a clever sliding second-row seat that allows you to either prioritise back seat room, or boot capacity. Depending on what you’re doing, you can adjust the space ratio to suit.

The sliding second-row means the boot capacity can either be 385 litres (seat all the way back) or 455L (seat forward), and that increases to 1281L with the seats folded flat, too. Under the boot floor is a space saver spare wheel, and those rear seats fold 60:40 as well.

With that back seat in its most passenger-focused setting, and with the driver’s seat set for myself (182cm), I had easily enough knee room, toe space and headroom to be comfortable for hours in the back. With it slid forward, that wasn’t the case - but it’s arguably only going to be used like that if you have younger children in boosters or baby capsules, anyway. 

Either way, it’s a good compromise, one that many competitors can’t offer. Not even the HR-V (though it has Magic Seats which are amazing in their own right).

The back seat amenities are a mixed bag. There are two USB ports for keeping devices charged up, as well as a pair of map pockets on the seat backs, and a pair of large door pockets. Unlike some more expensive VW models, those pockets aren’t lined, though, and that’s a bit annoying as things will move around in them, as they’re not shaped for bottles. 

There are no cup holders, no fold-down armrest, and no rear ceiling-mount grab handles. So it really depends what you prioritise when it comes to the back seat experience.

The front cabin is very familiar to those who have sat in a VW over, say, the past five years. It’s a well designed and very ergonomically smart space, with everything falling to hand just as you’d expect.

The media screen is excellent - an 8.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android auto, but not sat nav as standard (optional). There are knobs and buttons on either side, so it’s easy to find your way around the screen, and the menus are logical, too. 

Storage includes a pair of small cup holders between the front seats, a covered centre bin, a decent glovebox, and a storage tray on the dash top. There’s also a storage caddy in front of the gear selector, which houses a wireless phone charger pad, and also two more USB ports. And just like the rear, the front door pockets are large but unlined, though at least up front you get padded elbow pads on the doors.

The steering wheel is lovely, and the optional pack with the upgraded sound system and digital driver info screen is worth the money, if you ask me. It adds to that technical, Teutonic feeling that you get in VW products, and helps align the interior nicely to the already excellent standard of perceived quality - even if there are plenty of hard plastics used.

The ASX is roomier up front than in the rear, and taller occupants will be most comfortable in the front row. There is plenty of head- and legroom, and surprisingly for this class, there’s also a good amount of elbow room!

The front seats are comfortable and well padded and adjust manually but I miss having lumbar support on longer trips.

The fabric trims look nice and it’s great that carpet mats come standard in the ES.

The back seat offers an okay amount of room for my 168cm (5'6") height but taller occupants may feel squished.

My son struggled at times to fit his large school bag through the smaller door apertures, as they are not as wide as the front. However, its 205mm ground clearance makes it an easy car to slide into most of the time.

The back seats aren't terribly comfortable because you feel like you’re perched on top as they sit straight like a church pew. Expect a few 'oomphs' from passengers when going around corners.

Individual storage options up front are good for this class with a deep middle console and glove box, two cupholders and two drink bottle holders. Plus, there is a little cubby in front of the gear shifter which is the perfect size for a phone.

In the back, there is a single map pocket and two cupholders but I would have liked to have seen at least one USB port, too.

As you might expect at this grade level, the amenities are very basic throughout the car. It takes a while for the air conditioning to hit the back row because of the one-zone climate control and lack of directional air vents back there. This is something my son reminds me of on hot days.

The technology matches the amenities with the 8.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system being super simple on graphics and options. It is responsive but basic to use.

There are two USB-A ports and a 12-volt for charging and it’s easy to connect to the wired Apple CarPlay. There is wired Android Auto for those users, too.

The instrument panel has a small digital screen that shows your trip information and average fuel usage but is otherwise analogue and easy to read. There is digital radio and Bluetooth connectivity but that’s it for the tech.

The boot is a good size at 393L and you get a temporary spare tyre underneath the floor. The load space is level and while the tailgate isn’t powered, it’s not a heavy lid to operate.

There are six models for the ASX and ours is the second-from-the-bottom ES grade, which will cost you $27,990, before on-road costs. Let’s check out some of the features you get for the price tag.

Being at the lower end of the line-up means your specifications are a bit slim in the ES but you do enjoy an 8.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system, fabric trims, wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as full LED exterior lights.

Other items include 18-inch alloy wheels, one-zone climate control, two USB-A ports, Bluetooth connectivity, rear parking sensors, dusk sensing headlights, rain sensing windscreen wipers, carpet mats, automatic high beam function, and a digital radio.

The price point for the ES places it as one of the more affordable options compared to its similarly specified rivals with the Kia Seltos S coming in at $29,500 and the Suzuki Vitara sitting at $31,490.

However, the MG ZS has a before on-roads cost of just $22,990 and you get a fair few more features than our test model. Some extra standard specification in the ES would make it stand out against its competition. 

Powering the VW T-Cross will be two different engines.

At launch, and in our test car, is the 85TSI petrol engine, a 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo unit with 85kW of power (at 5000rpm) and 200Nm of torque (from 2000-3500rpm). It is teamed exclusively to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, and only comes in front-wheel drive. It’s hardly fast, but can manage 0-100km/h in 9.9 seconds.

There’ll be a more powerful 110TSI motor soon. It has a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol-turbo with 110kW of power and 250Nm of torque. It also comes with a seven-speed dual-clutch auto and 2WD. It’s hardly a horsepower hero, but VW claims a 0-100km/h time of just 7.8sec for this variant. 

So that means there’s no diesel, no four-wheel drive (4WD or 4Motion), nor all-wheel drive (AWD), and no hybrid, plug-in hybrid or electric variant, either. 

The kerb weight for the 85TSI model is just 1240 kilograms, which is very light for a small SUV. The towing capacity is also a bit light, with an unbraked towing capacity of 630kg and a braked towing capacity of 1100kg.

The ES has a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine with a maximum power output of 110kW and 197Nm of torque. It is a front-wheel drive and has a continuously variable automatic transmission.

For manual enthusiasts, you can option a five-speed gearbox on the base GS model but I find the ES to be perfectly adequate to run about town in. And while it’s lacking a little in power, it has enough punch for open-road driving if need be.

Claimed fuel consumption for the T-Cross 85TSI is 5.4 litres per 100 kilometres - the claim is perhaps a little ambitious, as is often the case with Euro three-cylinder petrol engines.

But it does have start-stop technology and brake energy recuperation, and during my time in the T-Cross I’ve seen a return of 6.4L/100km across a mix of urban and country driving, as well as some long highway stints. 

The ES has an official combined cycle fuel economy figure of 7.7km/100km but my real-world usage came to 8.6L.

This is a disappointing figure considering how much open-road driving I do, so I would expect that figure to be higher in the city. Unfortunately, the ES isn’t as economical as I was hoping.

Based on a 7.7L/100km fuel cycle and the 63-litre fuel tank, expect to see a driving range of around 829km.

The T-Cross drives like a Volkswagen. That might sound like a pretty obvious assertion, but the fact of the matter is that the German brand has a certain feel to the way its cars drive, and this little teeny weeny SUV drives rather similarly to some of the other members of the VW family, including much larger models.

That's one of the things I like most about the T-Cross. It drives bigger than it is. That means it feels substantial and considered on the road, not light (even though it is, at 1240kg) or small (though it is) and it doesn't feel like it'll get pushed around on the open road either.

Truly - I did more than 600 kilometres in the T-Cross, including a lot of highway and open road testing, and it feels substantial, refined and well resolved, which is something you can't necessarily say about a lot of its small SUV competitors. 

It's impressive, but it isn't perfect.

The engine is good and offers a nice whoosh of midrange pulling power, but in stop-start traffic the throttle response - in combination with the dual-clutch auto and start-stop engine tech - can make for some frustratingly slow take-offs. 

As speeds rise, it's a more enjoyable drive. The transmission shifts smoothly and smartly, and the engine response is ample, though up steeper hills you might wish for a touch more grunt, and the good news is the 110TSI model coming soon is bound to appease that desire.

The steering is nicely weighted and offers decent feel to the driver's hands, and you're never left second-guessing what will happen next. 

The suspension is quite well sorted, though my test car's 18-inch alloy wheels and low profile tyres (Hankook Ventus Prime 215/45/18s) were a little sharp over less-than-perfect urban streets. It still rides well and copes with big lumps and bumps decently, but it can be a little jittery - though arguably any small SUV on 18s will have a similar criticism levelled at it. 

I feel like I’ve gone back to basics with the ASX ES. I’m much more alert in it because it doesn’t have the same standard safety tech that I’m used to (more on that below) and it took me a few drives to stop throwing my keys into the cupholder because you need the key to turn on the ignition.

I've missed the good old-fashioned turning of a key. It’s a lot more satisfying than pressing a button.

Overall, the ES is an enjoyable little SUV to drive and there is enough power to allay any worries about whether it will make it up a hill.

The ES is solidly placed on the road and handles corners well but the steering is not exactly razor sharp and you have to make big adjustments. But you get used to that pretty quickly.

In terms of ride comfort, the suspension is adequate for the smooth stuff but you’ll know it if you hit a bumpy road. The cabin noise also creeps up, which is annoying on a longer trip.

It’s certainly compact with its 4365mm length and 1640mm height but that makes the ASX easy to park. The sloping bonnet and relatively flat behind also make it easy to determine where the car starts and ends.

This is very handy because the reversing camera is a bit blurry and you miss out on front parking sensors at this grade level.

The ES has a basic safety package and it’s not until you’re in the higher grades that you enjoy items like rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure alert, or lane keeping assist.

It’s also missing a big-ticket item for me and that’s autonomous emergency braking.

The following safety features come as standard at this grade level, LED daytime running lights, forward collision warning, seat belt reminders, rear parking sensors, a reversing camera, dusk-sensing headlights and cruise control.

Models made after January 2023 are currently unrated by ANCAP but the previous ASX achieved a maximum five-star assessment back in 2014.

I’m not sure how relevant that is because it's unlikely this car would fare well with its current list of items against the updated ANCAP testing criteria.

It does have seven airbags, including a driver’s knee airbag but its rivals tend to have a few more safety features that come standard. The most similar rival would be the Suzuki Vitara S model. 

If you need to fit a child seat or two (definitely not three), there are ISOFIX child seat mounts on the rear outboard seats and three top tethers across the rear row.

VW Australia backs its models with a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty plan, which is equal to the majority of mainstream players in the market.

There’s also a couple of new service plans available, aimed at lowering the cost of ownership.

At the time of writing, the pricing for the brand’s “Care Plans” were pegged at $990 for three years/45,000km, or $1800 for five years/75,000km cover (VW says the first service is free).

If you compare that to the brand’s pay as you go offer (Assured Price Service), you’ll save $256 for three years, or $645 if you get the five-year plan. It’s well worth considering rolling into your finance plan. 

There’s one year of roadside assist cover included for new VW products, but if you maintain your car with the brand, it renews up to nine further times, allowing 10 years of roadside cover.

The ASX comes with the ‘Diamond Advantage’ that Mitsubishi is well-known for and that means you’ll enjoy a 10-year, or up to 200,000km warranty, whichever occurs first.

What?! I know. Pretty great. In terms of duration, that’s much better than anything else on the market at the moment.

Worth noting, however, that a five-year/100,000km warranty is 'standard' and the 10-year cover only applies to cars serviced according to the factory schedule at an authorised Mitsubishi dealership.

If you do, you’ll also enjoy a 10-year or up to 150,000km capped-priced servicing plan. 

And although the services average on the more expensive side for this class at $502 each, having those extra few years is a bonus.

Servicing intervals are reasonable at every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever occurs first.