2017 Mitsubishi ASX vs Mazda CX-3

What's the difference?

Much like the Mitsubishi Lancer, the ASX continues to sell well despite its age, thanks mainly to a high level bang for your buck when it comes to size and equipment.

Not everyone wants or needs something from the smaller, more stylised crop of small SUVs on the market; sometimes, a good, honest, roomy workhorse does the job just fine.

The ASX will soldier on for a couple more years yet, and will continue to offer great value, if not leading performance or dynamics. A complete lack of all forms of modern driver assistance systems is a tough thing to reconcile, though.

It might be among the smallest of the growing mini-SUV crowd, but the CX-3 is a very strong contender. While the diesel edition might be priced close-ish to the petrol-powered Countryman and Q2, those cars can't match the Akari's safety package and overall feature set. The devil might be in the detail, but the CX-3 has a long spec list.

Unless you need the extra space of its rivals from Nissan and Honda, the CX-3 remains the best of the segment. The Akari might only make up one in 10 CX-3 sales, and the diesel a small chunk of that, but it's a terrific car. I'm just not entirely sure about the price...

The ASX’s pragmatic, undramatic exterior design may not garner it many sideways glances, but it has earned it a legion of owners who appreciate it for that very fact.

The 2017 update has added a new grille and bumper bar treatment to align with the rest of the Mitsubishi range, while the rest of the exterior remains as it has for the last four years.

Thin black plastic overfenders, lower door sills and rear lower bumper treatment add a little bit of offroader illusion, while the new grille and bar arrangement is in direct contrast to a softer, less bejeweled rear.

It lacks the sloping roof design currently favoured by some more modern small SUVs, which gives it a more staid appearance (and more room inside to boot).

The four-model range rides on either 17- or 18-inch rims.

While only two years old, the CX-3 is still fresh. It looks terrific on the road, hugging close to the deck, and the 18-inch wheels are attractive units. The LED lighting also distinguishes the Akari from lesser spec cars.

Inside, it's all very much a lift from the Mazda2 this car is based on, with the same excellent design of the interior to maximise what little space is available. The materials are all quite dark, with rich red flashes thrown in to help lift the mood a little. The leather-like material seems pretty hardy and the fake suede very comfortable and especially warm in winter, while not butt-searing in summer.

The CX-3 does also suffer the silly instrument pack from the 2, but it has been fixed up a bit with clearer dials. The head-up display is much better, too, with high-res graphics that are much easier on the eye.

The big question for any SUV purchase is how many seats, and in the ASX it's five. Both the LS and XLS ranges share largely the same interior dimensions and features.

The top-spec XLS is much better equipped than others in the range, with satellite navigation as standard, along with leather trim, heated front seats and a powered driver’s pew.

There is very little in the way of features for rear seat passengers, with under-front seat vents and no power points. There’s sufficient head room back there, though, despite the presence of the sunroof, and knee and toe room are good behind an average-sized driver even for taller passengers.

The ASX’s rear seat is big enough for three teenage kids, and there is adequate headroom even for taller passengers. Two ISOFIX seat mounts are included.

There are no bottle holders in the doors for rear seaters, but there are cupholders in the centre arm rest. Front seaters get two cupholders and bottle holders capable of holding 1.5-litre beverages. The front centre armrest bin lid is padded and slides for ease of use, too.

There’s a fair bit of glare off the hard plastic dash, though, which can get annoying on a bright day.

Its 393 litres of boot space is around 130L larger than the smaller CX-3, while the LS’s rear extends to 1193 litres of luggage capacity when the seats are down. The two XLS models lose 50 litres of this dimension when all seats are folded flat, thanks to bulkier seats.

One irritation; when the rear seats are folded down, the seat belts remain in place, which takes away some of the usable load area’s dimensions.

The XLS’s driver's seat is good, though the short squab can dig into the driver's thighs on longer trips.

The XLS’s 7.0-inch colour touchscreen-based multimedia system sports digital radio, which is a nice addition, but the ipod connection is little more than a line-in device that offers limited functionality when compared to Apple CarPlay.

By comparison, the LS makes do with a smaller 6.0-inch system.

The CX-3 is not the biggest car in the segment and that's reflected in the rear-seat space and the small boot. If you're over 152cm (five foot) you're in strife in the back, with further drama if you want a drink, because there's no armrest or cupholders. Or vents. Having said that, it's comfortable, and the cabin is small enough for the air-conditioning to quickly sort out the temperature. And there are bottle holders in the doors.

Front passengers enjoy the use of a pair of cupholders and bottle holders in the doors as well.

The boot is the smallest in class at 264 litres, which is just a bit more than the Mazda2 it's sitting on. There is a clever false floor for hiding valuables or expanding space and with the 60/40 split fold seats down, the boot expands to 1174 litres.

The Akari tops the extensive CX-3 range, with this auto diesel all-wheel drive (AWD) lightening the offset account at $37,890, or around $18,000 more than the Neo manual 2.0 petrol, and some $7000 more than a front-wheel drive petrol. You can also have an AWD petrol Akari.

That will land you a fetching-looking machine with 18-inch alloy wheels, a six-speaker stereo with 7.0-inch touchscreen and DAB+, climate control, reversing camera, front and rear parking sensors, keyless entry and start, cruise control, electric driver's seat with memory, sat nav, auto headlights and wipers, active LED headlights, partial leather interior (not all cow, in other words), head-up display, power folding and heated mirrors, seats with suede inserts, sunroof and comprehensive safety package.

The touchscreen is supported by Mazda's 'MZD Connect' media system, which is quite good. Ripping off good ideas from BMW and Audi, it is controllable by a rotary dial while on the move and touchscreen when stationary. It's the best of any Japanese head unit, but still goes without Apple CarPlay or Android Auto and could do with a graphical update.

The only available option is the lovely 'Soul Red' metallic paint for a very reasonable $300, the rest of the seven colours are offered at no extra cost. This would not happen on an Audi or a Mini.

Engine size is typical for the class. A 2.0-litre four-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine is matched with a five-speed manual gearbox, available on the LS front-wheel drive (FWD) only, and an older-generation continuously variable transmission (CVT) that drives the front wheels in the ASX LS and XLS FWD models. It makes 110kW (147 horsepower in the old money) and 197Nm.

Mitsubishi added the 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel from the larger Outlander to the both the LS and XLS grades in 2012, along with a traditional six-speed automatic transmission and an AWC all-wheel drivetrain.

Engine specs of the direct injection common rail oiler are rated at 110kW of power, along with 360Nm of torque from a low 1500rpm.

It can tow 1400kg of braked trailer in diesel form and 1300kg in petrol specification, which will cover light pop-top caravans and camper trailers, as well as smaller boats.

For those keen on grabbing the owners manual and getting their hands dirty, oil type for the petrol engine is 15W-40, with 5W-30 required in the diesel.

The Akari's diesel engine is Mazda's own 1.5-litre 'SkyActiv-D'. Available only with a six-speed automatic but with a choice of front- or AWD, the four-cylinder turbo unit delivers 77kW and a more impressive 270Nm (considerably more than the petrol).

The 2017 iteration of this engine has had a thorough re-working to improve responsiveness and refinement. Successfully, as it happens.

The CX-3 can tow 1200kg braked and 800kg unbraked.

Mitsubishi rates the ASX LS petrol at 7.4 litres per 100km on the combined fuel economy cycle, while we recorded 9.3L/100km after 330km via the dash.

The ASX XLS diesel is rated at 6.0 litres per 100km on the combined fuel economy cycle, while we recorded 7.2L/100km after 300km via the dash.

Fuel tank capacity is 63 litres for petrol models, and tank size in the diesels is 63 litres.

There is no LPG-powered model available.

Mazda claims the diesel AWD returns 5.1L/100km, 0.3L/100km higher than the front-wheel drive. I got 5.9L/100km in a mix of high-speed highway running and bashing about in suburban and urban traffic; a pretty good effort.

The front-wheel drive (FWD) petrol-powered versions of the ASX are showing their relatively old age, especially when compared to newer vehicles in the market. When you need to get on the gas it's clear no 0-100km/h acceleration records are under threat. The engine is an underperformer, the CVT is pretty awful and the steering system is not very pleasant.

Ride and handling are acceptable, however, and the ASX does little wrong – it just feels cheap and old while doing it.

The 4 wheel drive diesel cars, thankfully, are a much nicer proposition, with much improved steering, excellent ride, good noise suppression and reasonable levels performance thanks to the extra torque of the turbo-diesel.

The all-wheel drive cars also have a modicum of off road ability, thanks to decent suspension travel and Mitsubishi’s sophisticated AWC system, which can be turned on via a button on the centre console.

Although this isn't an off road review, it's worth noting the ground clearance of the AWD XLS is actually slightly lower than that of the FWD ASX at 180mm (versus 205mm), thanks to the AWD gear hanging under the car.

As is Mazda's wont, the changes for 2017 are tweaks. The CX-3 was already a good machine, but had a couple of refinement issues, including road noise. In the case of the diesel, it was a bit clattery and not exactly the smoothest engine available.

Both of those have been attended to, which is pretty good going given the CX-3's relative youth. It's still not as quiet as a Nissan Qashqai, nor as stable on the rough stuff (the CX-3 makes do with cheaper torsion beam rear suspension) but it more than makes up for it with a tauter, more interesting chassis and better steering. The steering is further improved - although not as obviously as in the bigger 3 - with Mazda's 'G-Vectoring' tech, which helps the car feel more planted in the corners.

Part of the noise abatement is down to thicker glass and more under-carpet insulation, but the engine itself is far better than I remember. With a plucky 77kW, it's much more responsive to a floored throttle, but it's still no rocket off the line. 

The 270Nm of torque makes it a very relaxed highway cruiser, sailing along in sixth gear, barely above idle, and overtaking is as impressive as ever.

The bottom line is, it's still plenty of fun and will compare well with more expensive European rivals while showing most of its Japanese competition the way.

The CX-3 has six airbags, ABS, traction and stability controls, city emergency braking (forward and reverse) and hill holder. The Akari picks up blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert and lane departure warning.

All CX-3s look after the young 'uns with three top-tether restraints and two ISOFIX points, one on each side of the rear seat.

All CX-3s carry a five-star ANCAP safety rating, the highest attainable.

Mitsubishi offers a five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty, four years of free roadside assistance and a three-year capped price service program for the ASX range.

Due at every 15,000km or 12 months, each service costs $350, $500 and $630 respectively for the diesel, and $230 for each of the three services for the petrol model.

The servicing arrangement will expire if the car travels more than 52,500km within the three-year period, though.

The ASX enjoys strong resale value and a reputation for being a low-maintenance, worry-free car, with little history of recalls, reliability issues or common problems to report. But for faults or complaints, including diesel problems, turbo problems, timing belt or chain issues, as well as transmission problems, please see our Mitsubishi ASX problems page.

The CX-3 is offered with Mazda's three-year/100,000km warranty package with optional roadside assist at $68.10 per year.

Service pricing is capped and you're expected to visit every 12 months or 10,000km.