Mitsubishi ASX vs Chery Tiggo 4 PRO

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.

Is the Tiggo 4 Pro the best light SUV on the market? No, it falls short in some key areas, but there’s also a lot to like about it.

The driving dynamics needs more tuning to put it on par with its class rivals. I believe the Chinese brand that invests in a local ride and handling program in the same way Hyundai and Kia have done in the past decade will have a big advantage with customers. The Tiggo 4 feels too vague and unresolved at times, especially in the wet, and that could be rectified with some minor tweaks.

The safety systems also need some major work to make them smoother and less intrusive so you don’t go searching for the button to switch them off - which defeats the purpose of having them in the first place.

But if you can look past (or accept) the driving and active safety issues, there are some big plus points for Chery’s latest model. It looks great inside and out, offers up plenty of value and is as practical as a compact SUV can be.

Chery has come a long way in a short space of time and with some more improvements it’s easy to see it continuing its sales growth with models like the Tiggo 4 Pro.

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.

This is the area where Chery has made immense progress in such a short period of time, which underlines the rapid rate of change the Chinese car industry has been able to manage.

Whereas the J11 I drove all those years ago was a mess, seemingly designed by a team of people not allowed to talk to each other, the Tiggo 4 Pro looks smart and stylish on the outside and in the cabin.

While there are some elements of rival models to the look, there’s also a clear family design to all the Chery Tiggo models that helps create a cohesive look across the range.

It took the South Korean brands nearly two decades to achieve this level of design evolution, so it’s impressive (and worrying for rivals) that the Chinese brands have managed to do it so much quicker.

Inside, the cabin design is not only a major step forward and looks very nice for an SUV at this price point in terms of the presentation and technology.

The dual 10.2-inch screens look more premium than the car's price suggests, as does the lower digital screen for the climate control settings as well as the soft-touch finishes and gloss black trim.

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.

Starting with the question of space, the Tiggo 4 Pro actually offers up good room, for what is ultimately a compact SUV. No, it’s not ideal for a family of five, but for anyone looking for an urban-friendly runabout for singles or couples, it plays that role nicely.

The fronts seats are quite nice, comfortable and offer good support. There’s adequate space in the back to take children, or even adults, with some compromise to the front seat position, but that’s in line with expectations for any model this size externally.

The boot holds a claimed 380 litres, which is quite generous when you compare it to the likes of the CX-3 (264L) and Venue (355L), but can’t match the likes of the Yaris Cross (397L) and Nissan Juke (422L).

The technology in the car is impressive for an SUV this size, especially given the price. The dual 10.2-inch displays look slick, as does the lower screen for climate control, which gives a hint of Audi or Range Rover vibe to the cabin.

The multimedia system is straightforward to use, thanks in large part to the wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, but I did find the ‘Hello Chery’ voice command system hit and miss - although, to be fair to Chery, I find all these voice command systems hit and miss.

One minor amusement is the ‘welcome theme’ that plays when you get in the car. Many brands do this trick, a short musical jingle when you open the door to welcome you inside. The team at Chery went a little overboard, though, and wrote a whopping 15-second theme (yes, I timed it with a stopwatch), which feels like major overkill. Thankfully it can be turned off in the set-up menu.

Chery was not backwards in coming forward with the launch of the Tiggo 4 Pro, with Chief Operating Officer Lucas Harris claiming it is “Australia’s best value SUV.” It’s a huge call to make, but there’s no doubt the Tiggo 4 Pro offers a lot for a competitive price.

There are two model grades to choose from, the Urban, which is priced from $23,990, and the Ultimate, which is $26,990 - and crucially both those prices are drive-away.

That gives Chery a clear financial advantage on its rivals. That’s because the most affordable rival is the Hyundai Venue at $22,500 (plus on-road costs), while the cheapest Mazda CX-3 is $26,950 (plus on-roads) and Toyota’s entry-level model in the hybrid-only Yaris Cross is $30,900 (plus on-roads).

Both the Urban and Ultimate feature the same powertrain, so the difference is in their specification.

The entry-level grade comes equipped with 17-inch alloy wheels, dual-zone climate control, a synthetic leather-trimmed steering wheel, dual 10.2-inch screen display (one for the instrument panel and one for the multimedia), digital radio, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay (wired & wireless), ‘Hello Chery’ voice command and all LED exterior lights.

Stepping up to the Ultimate adds 18-inch alloys, heated front seats, a six-speaker sound system, 360-degree surround camera view, a power sunroof and power-folding exterior mirrors.

All told, the Tiggo 4 Pro is a very good value SUV - even if I wouldn’t go as far as calling it the ‘best value SUV in Australia.’

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.

As mentioned earlier, both Tiggo 4 variants are motivated by the same powertrain. Specifically, it’s a 1.5-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-petrol engine paired with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) driving the front wheels.

It makes 108kW/210Nm, which is quite competitive against its rivals, which adds another layer of appeal. The CVT does a decent job and the engine pulls strongly and smoothly in most situations. It’s one of the more impressive elements of the dynamic package.

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 fuel economy figure for the combined cycle is 7.3L/100km, which is well off class-leading for a compact SUV.

The Kia Stonic has claimed ratings between 5.4-6.7L/100km (depending on the model) and the Mazda CX-3 has a 6.3L/100km claim, but Hyundai’s Venue manages 7.0-7.2L/100km to make Chery’s figure stand out less.

We saw a 9.2L/100km on the trip computer on test, but that was almost exclusively urban driving. The claimed urban cycle figure is 8.9L/100km, so the real-world economy isn’t too far off Chery's claim.

However, it’s clear that the punchy engine performance comes at a cost of efficiency, so that should be factored into your consideration of the Tiggo 4.

It does have a fairly large 51-litre fuel tank, which means it has a theoretical driving range of nearly 700km.

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 Tiggo 4 Pro Ultimate made a strong first impression… until the moment I started driving it. As impressive as the brand’s design evolution has been, there is still work to be done on the dynamic side. 

While the engine performance is good, the ride needs some fine-tuning as it’s quite soft, which is good for soaking up bumps but also means less chassis control.

The bigger issues are the steering and the brakes, both of which are below the level of Chery’s rivals in this segment.

The steering is too light, which normally wouldn’t be a deal-breaker as it makes parking and navigating traffic easy, but combined with it being unevenly weighted it becomes problematic.

It leads to a disconnected feeling between the driver and the road, and while I understand that a compact SUV doesn’t have to have sports car-like ‘steering feel’, it feels disconnected and that leads to it feeling vague to drive at times.

It doesn’t help that the Giti tyres fitted to our test car don’t provide very good grip, especially in the wet. During a summer rain shower the front end of the Tiggo 4 felt like it was going to understeer at times, with very little grip when turning, even at low speeds.

This problem is compounded by a long brake pedal, with very little initial bite when you press it. Instead, you need to bury your foot in order to get the Chery to slow with any sense of urgency and that led to some uneasy moments during our test drive.

Then there’s the adaptive cruise control, which I’ll dive into later in ‘Safety’, but has a major impact on the driving experience. Put simply, it has very poorly calibrated lane keeping assistance when the cruise control is activated, which seemingly cannot be turned off, despite turning off lane keeping assistance separately.

This leads to the car drifting in the lane until it finds the lane marking and then rather aggressively tugging the steering wheel to push you into the centre - and then begin the process again. This leads to near-constant tugging of the wheel in your hand which is as unnerving as it is annoying.

The Tiggo 4 Pro hasn’t been crash tested by ANCAP or Euro NCAP yet, so there is no third-party safety rating. However, it does come with a comprehensive list of active driver assist systems (ADAS), notably across both the Urban and Ultimate variants.

The list of fitted equipment includes autonomous emergency braking (AEB), emergency lane keeping, lane departure warning, lane departure prevention, adaptive cruise control, integrated cruise assist, lane change assist, rear collision warning, rear cross-traffic alert, door opening warning and a driver monitoring system.

That’s a lengthy array of features, which should score the Tiggo 4 well, however, as we mentioned above, it’s hard to give a good review when some of these systems are so poorly calibrated for real-world conditions that we turned them off (or attempted to).

While some, such as the driver attention system and door opening warning do their job well, others are too intrusive or aggressive when activated and spoil the driving experience.

The key villain is the lane keeping when the adaptive cruise control is activated, with the previously mentioned tugging at the wheel.

This repeated wandering in the lane followed by a firm tug at the wheel is simply not good enough and needs to be recalibrated by Chery as soon as possible.

What makes it so maddening is that other systems seem well-calibrated. For example, the driver attention warning is very good for a modern car, not overly sensitive and emitting a subtle chime when it notices your eyes wandering off the road. So Chery needs to take the same care and precision with its other systems.

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.

As a still new-to-Australia brand, Chery has made the smart move and is offering a seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty plus capped-price servicing and roadside assistance for the same period on all models. This gives buyers taking a chance on an unfamiliar brand some peace-of-mind should anything go wrong.

Service intervals are every 12 months or 15,000km (whichever comes first) and servicing is only $280 for the first five workshop visits, rising to $375.64 for the sixth service and $295.54 for the final one covered by the initial plan.

That means a total of just over $2071 to maintain your Tiggo 4 Pro for the first seven years of ownership.

There are still long-term questions about reliability and residual values Chery needs to answer, but only time can tell what those answers will be. Given that, the seven years of ownership coverage is a strong offer.