Mitsubishi ASX vs Alfa Romeo Stelvio

What's the difference?

There is no question the new ASX is a much better car to drive than the model it replaces. This one is actually fun behind the wheel. The tech represents a massive upgrade, so too does the interior design and practicality. The fact is, it’s a much more expensive car than the old ASX. It is a European built and designed small SUV with loads more tech and features so when you consider that, the pricing makes more sense.

Regardless of the previous model, this new ASX impresses. It’s not perfect - the LS is missing too many items, no hybrid, slightly firm ride - but it’s now a genuine rival for higher quality rivals in the small SUV segment. If the ASX is in your price bracket, it might be time to add it to the consideration list.

The Alfa Romeo Stelvio Veloce is the car you get when you want a sports car but happen to have a kid or two. Its ride comfort is on the lower end but it has heaps of power and enough features that it manages to slide into its price tag without feeling too cheeky. The back seat’s size will limit this to smaller families, though. And I would prefer to see better tech at this grade level, so this gets a 7.1/10 from me.

My son didn’t spend much time in this one but he liked the red paintwork. My mum, however, loved the power and sexy packaging. She gives it an 8/10.

The look of the new ASX is not a huge surprise given it’s based on the second-generation Renault Captur that launched in 2021. Actually the ASX we get is the mid-life facelift for the ASX/Captur twins in Europe, so the design has been refreshed.

At 4238mm long, 1797mm wide, 1585mm tall and with a 2639mm wheelbase, the new ASX is 127mm shorter, 13mm narrower, and 55mm lower than the original, but the wheelbase is only 31mm shorter.

It has a round almost bubble like quality to the exterior design, and not in a bad way. The redesigned front end has Mitsubishi flavour thanks to the ‘Dynamic Shield’ front-end signature, while the sleek headlights and black and chrome grille give off an almost menacing look.

C-shaped tail-lights at the rear flank a massive ‘Mitsubishi’ badge and the lower cladding ensure there’s no doubt this is an SUV.

It’s a handsome car and should get some attention on the road.

Inside, it’s not the last word on interior design, but it’s well laid out and functional. It’s definitely another massive leap over the old model.

At the launch there were no LS grades to drive, but the Aspire comes with cool grey cloth trim and roofliner that adds a nice contrast to the darker plastics and finishes. It’s more vibrant than the top-spec Exceed which has an all-black interior with leather-appointed seats.

The top two grades feature a floating console where the gear shifter is housed (a standard shifter in LS, and notch-like ‘eShifter’ in Aspire and Exceed), while the big multimedia screen dominates the dash.

While the Veloce has had a facelift, the changes are so minor I would dare to ask, why bother?

The daytime running light signature has been tweaked but only die-hard Stelvio fans will notice it. I do like the larger 12.3-inch digital instrument display but surprisingly the multimedia screen remains on the smaller side at 8.8 inches.

Otherwise, there’s no denying the Veloce looks like an Alfa Romeo, staying true to its Italian heritage. It’s solid, with a 1903mm wide stance, but so robust that it moves away from words like 'sleek' or 'sexy'.

The black grille, 20-inch alloy wheels and red brake calipers make it look sports car mean and hint at what's under the bonnet.

The interior looks well made and it's got a bat cave element with the black headliner and panoramic sunroof. There's a plethora of soft touchpoints throughout and the circular air-vents found in both rows add some flair.

Overall, though, the interior is understated and if you’re looking for something as flashy as the exterior, you may be disappointed.

This is an area the ASX excels in.

Up front there are loads of storage options. Multiple nooks for mobile phones, keys and other items, and the Aspire and Exceed get a wireless charging pad and extra storage under the shifter.

The central bin isn’t massive but doesn’t need to be with all the other cubbies, and there is ample room for large and tall bottles in the door bins.

A pair of USB-C ports and a 12V port up front handle electronics.

Thankfully there are physical controls for climate control at the base of the multimedia screen. The other functions housed in the screen like vehicle information and connectivity options are logically laid out and the system is not overly complicated.

Opting for the Aspire or Exceed means you get the brilliant Google Built-in, which is exactly what it sounds like. It’s essentially the Google operating system but for your multimedia screen so you have in-built Google Maps, Play and Assistant. Log in to your Google account and all your favourite places show up on Maps, and you can also log into Spotify and the like. It's a great set-up.

The seats are supportive and well bolstered. Much nicer than the old ASX’s overly cushioned seats.

The second row has more space than you’d expect looking at the car. It’s not cavernous by any stretch, but clever touches like scalloped out front seatbacks and roofliner ensure decent leg, toe and headroom, even with the sunroof in the Exceed. However, three adults in the rear isn’t super comfortable - we tried. Kids should be fine.

Amenities include more USB-C ports, rear air vents (very rare in this category), storage for small bottles in the door, phone holders in the door arm rests, dual map pockets, but no central armrest, which is no great loss.

That rear pew is comfy and more supportive than the old ASX. And it has a neat party trick. You can slide the entire row (via the base) forwards by up to 16cm, making for more cargo space in the boot. It also folds 60/40 split and when the boot floor is in its highest setting the seats fold flat, aiding loading.

Yet another clever feature is the split level boot. It features under-floor storage that adds a handy 183 litres to the cargo capacity.

With all seats in place Mitsubishi says the cargo space is 484 litres, which is 23 per cent more than the old model. If you slide the rear seat forward as far as it goes that increases that figure to 616L. And if the second row is folded flat the capacity is 1596L.

Interestingly, despite having space for one under the bottom boot floor, a spare wheel (even a temporary one) is not a standard feature. Instead the ASX comes with a tyre repair kit and offers a temporary spare wheel as part of its accessories offering for $750. If you’ve got the space for a spare wheel, why not make it standard? Especially when Mitsubishi is a popular brand in regional and rural areas.

The front row benefits the most in terms of space and features. I have stacks of headroom and legroom in the front seat and didn’t feel like I was too close to my passenger this week.

I like the comfortable electric seats and the fact you can adjust the side bolsters and under-thigh support.

Individual storage options are on the slim side throughout the car and it was something my mum and I found annoying on our road trip because there aren’t a lot of spots to put your little items up front. Think snacks, sunglasses, lip balm etc.

The two cupholders are really drink bottle holders because they’re too large to fit a small takeaway cup without popping the lid off but I like the large storage bins in each front door.

It's a tight squeeze in the back seat for my 168cm (5'6") height and that’s behind my driving position! It could feel a tad cramped back there for those with longer legs.

It’s also a bit awkward getting in and out of the back seat because of the large wheel arches.

The storage bins in the doors are too small to hold a drink bottle but the middle armrest has two cupholders and a phone holder.

Charging options are fantastic up front with two USB-A ports, one USB-C port, a 12-volt socket and a wireless charging pad to choose from. You even get an 'aux' jack, too.

The amenities in the back seat are okay and you get a couple of net map pockets, reading lights, a USB-A and C port, as well as directional air vents.

This Alfa has a no-nonsense approach with the other tech, though. I usually don’t mind that but the touchscreen multimedia system is a little too no-nonsense for this spec-level.

I found it to be laggy and too small. It also regularly turned itself off and rebooted. This happened a few times while needing satellite navigation directions, which was annoying.

Also on the sat nav, you can’t search for a general name of something, like a business, you have to input an address which meant using my iPhone anyway. It’s great that you get wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, though.

The digital instrument panel looks upmarket but isn’t properly customisable and I was disappointed the ambient lighting package only meant that there are lights in the footwells and a tiny overhead light. Adding some extra lighting would have transformed the night-time driving experience.

The boot is the highlight for me because you get a decent capacity at 499L. The load space is level and I like the back row's 40/20/40 split-fold. We had plenty of room on our road trip for luggage and shopping.

You get a temporary spare tyre and a retractable cargo blind. The latter is stiff enough to double as a shelf which is handy and a handsfree powered tailgate comes standard, as well.

There are three models for the Stelvio and ours is the mid-spec Veloce grade, which will cost you $82,950, before on-road costs. The pricing should make it competitive compared to its rivals but the features list isn’t as robust as it could be.

The interior gets most of the big-ticket items with leather upholstered sports front seats, extended leather trim on the doors and dashboard as well as a heated steering wheel.

Both front seats are electric with six-way power adjustment, powered side bolsters and four-way adjustable lumbar support. They also feature a heat function and extendable under-thigh support.

The luxury items continue with the panoramic sunroof, real aluminium accents throughout and a premium Harman Kardon sound system that boasts 14 speakers.

Other standard features include full LED adaptive 'Matrix' headlights, aluminium sports pedals, dual-zone climate control, keyless entry, push-button start and a handsfree powered tailgate.

It's the technology that lets the Stelvio down but I'll go into that later.

For now, all grades of the new ASX use the same 1.3-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine offering up 113kW of power and 270Nm of torque. That’s up on the old 2.0-litre naturally aspirated unit’s 110kW/197Nm.

This is paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission driving the front wheels only, so there’s no all-wheel-drive version.

Mitsubishi is looking into the mild hybrid and full hybrid versions that are offered in Europe but not confirmation on those as yet.

The Veloce has a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine that gives a maximum power output of 206kW and 400Nm of torque. It’s an all-wheel drive and has an eight-speed auto transmission which is very smooth. 

Checking out the specs I didn’t think this would be as powerful as it is. But it’s really fun when you need to put your foot down! I mean, it can go from 0-100km/h in just 5.7 seconds.

The new ASX consumes 6.4 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres on the combined cycle and emits 142 grams per kilometre of CO2.

That’s a decent figure for sure, but not quite as frugal as the 1.3-litre Nissan Qashqai, which manages 5.8-6.1L/100km.

The ASX drinks 91 RON fuel and has a 48-litre tank which makes for a theoretical driving range of about 750km.

The official combined cycle fuel economy figure is 7.0L/100km and my real-world usage came to 8.4L/100km.

I drove our test model hard but did A LOT of open road driving - 2051km to be exact - so I was happy with the average but I would expect it to be higher in the city.

Based on the official combined cycle number and 64L fuel tank, you theoretically should be able to get a driving range of around 914km but my real-world tests see that figure come in closer to 700km.

Alfa Romeo recommends a minimum 95 RON petrol be used for the Stelvio.

Look, it’s fair to say the original ASX was not a driver’s car. Reliable? Yes. Spacious? Absolutely. Great value? You bet. But fun to drive? Not so much.

So it’s good news then that the new-gen ASX is much more engaging to drive. I quite enjoyed the current-gen Renault Captur the last time I drove it, and the underpinnings of the ASX are the facelifted version of that Captur.

The 1.3-litre turbo-petrol unit might not be ultra quick off the mark, but it is sprightly and really comes alive when you’re at speed. It also has a decent engine note.

I've recently driven another Renault model with basically the same powertrain but it suffered from dreadful lag - a combination of a turbocharger and a dual-clutch transmission.

I had expected the same of the ASX, but there’s little lag to speak of. And the transmission is much smoother in this application. It doesn’t hold gears or do anything DCTs are known for, which is a lovely surprise.

Steering is sharp enough and the feel can be adjusted in the settings. Aspire and Exceed grades come with Comfort, Sport and Perso mode, which is for personalisation.

Ride quality is fine on smooth roads but big pot holes and other bumps are felt in the cabin. It is a European car, so no surprise that it’s been tuned for a more European experience. It’s not so firm it’ll dampen the drive experience, but it could be a touch more supple.

On that, the ASX has not undergone a local ride and handling tuning program like the one its larger Outlander stablemate has benefited from.

That doesn’t mean you can’t have fun in the ASX - you can. It handles high-speed bends on country roads surprisingly well, with more grip than you’d expect. There’s a little body roll but nothing dramatic.

More time behind the wheel is needed, but the tight chassis means the ASX likes a corner.

The cabin has better insulation than the outgoing model but it’s still not the most hushed small SUV money can buy. But it’s another element that’s far from a dealbreaker.

The Veloce is downright fun to drive because of how damn responsive it is. There is plenty of power, so much so, that you’ll look forward to hitting the open road. 

The sporty steering makes for sharp handling and the car moves decisively. I have felt confident all week that it would do what I wanted it to do. It's wide stance also makes it hug the road like an old friend.

However, the suspension is also sporty, aka firm! The padded seats help soften the impact when you hit a bump but you’ll still know it when you hit one. There's also a resonating 'ker-thump' in the cabin, in case you didn't feel it.

The big thing that marred the driving experience for me, at least for a longer trip, is how loud road and wind noise are at higher speeds. It’s loud enough that you need to raise your voice to talk, which I didn’t enjoy.

The Veloce earns back points with how easy it is to park and it handles those stupidly small hotel car parks extremely well.

I don't rate the reversing camera, though. The quality of the image is terrible for this grade-level.

The Stelvio has most of the major items that I like to see on a family car and the standard safety features include adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, driver attention monitor, traffic sign recognition, lane keeping aids, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, a reversing camera, daytime-running lights, front and rear parking sensors, and a tyre pressure monitoring system.

It's important to note though that the safety systems only scored a 60 per cent with ANCAP.

It has autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and car detection and is operational from 7.0 - 200km/h.

The Veloce has a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating but it was done ages ago in 2017, which means it will expire this December. It also only has six airbags, which is low for a family car but the curtain airbags cover the back row.

There are ISOFIX child seat mounts on the outboard rear seats and three top tethers in the second row but two seats will fit best.

You can just squeeze a 0-4 rearward facing child seat in but it will encroach on front passenger comfort.

Mitsubishi's standard warranty is five years or 100,000km, but if you service your car exclusively at a Mitsubishi dealer, it extends to an impressive 10 years or 200,000km.

You’ll also get 10 years of roadside assistance and capped-price servicing. The servicing schedule is every 12 months or 15,000km.

Service pricing starts from $349, but bigger services every four years or 60,000km will cost circa-$1000. The average price of a service across the 10 years is $568, or the total overall is $5686.

Mitsubishi has an extensive network of 185 dealers across Australia and many in regional areas. So service coverage is among the best in the country.

The ongoing costs aren’t too shabby on the Stelvio because it comes with a five-year/unlimited km warranty and you also get five years roadside assistance.

It’s a 24/7 complimentary service that covers a host of items but check out the terms and conditions for more information.

There’s capped priced servicing for five years or up to 75,000km, whichever occurs first.

Services cost an average of $573, which is competitive for the class and servicing intervals are good at every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever occurs first.