2012 Mitsubishi ASX Black Edition Review

Take a bog standard Mitsubishi ASX 4. Bounce down to Bow Wow Boy down the road who is "mad talented" with some paint and what do you get? That's right, it's the 2012 Mitsubishi ASX Black Special Edition.

Adnan Ebrahim

18 May 2015

Appearances can be deceptive, but with the ASX Black everything comes at face value. We drove the standard Active Sporting Crossover ASX in September 2011 and found it to be a real contender against the popular Qashqai. Some issues arose in a slightly unrefined diesel engine and an ungainly manual six-speed, but one of the main issues I had with the car was its tame looks, especially in a "so 20th century" black metallic paint job.

In November last year, Mitsubishi decided to add a little spice to the ASX equation and announced the release of a special edition. Instead of nonchalantly pawing over the visual improvements, we decided to get our high-tops dirty and headed to our local field. Despite this particular ASX 4 being only equipped in 2 Wheel Drive, with 147bhp sent to the front wheels, we wanted to see whether this beast was afraid of getting a little muddy.

Cue the Mitsubishi ASX Black Edition Wintery Sports Day on YouTube.

Cutting straight to the headline figure, the ASX Black costs £1000 more than the equivalent ASX 4s at £22,000. So what do you get for the extra dosh? Under the hood, there really isn't anything extra - the same 1.8-litre diesel powers the 1460kg car and propels it from 0-62mph in a smidgen under 10 seconds. 221 lb-ft of torque definitely helps the situation and helps the car to avoid feeling sluggish low down in the rev range. The diesel is still gruff on cold starts and harsh acceleration, and the fact that this isn't a premium level car means that good insulation against tyre roar and engine vibration seems to have been left out of building materials.

So, it's all the same car underneath the skin. But the skin itself shows some youthful upgrades.

Take the Polar White paint and Matt Black Roof combination. These really pack a visual punch and makes the car a strong head-turner as I experienced in Central London. Coupled with 17" matt alloys, spoiler, mirrors and grille, the ASX Black Edition looks leaner, meaner and more expensive than the ASX4 Standard. Which is surely a good thing when premium competitors include the Audi Q3, which for similar spec would run you up £26,550 at the register.

On the inside, where there was leather there is now leather with carbon fibre detailing on the side supports. ASX Black badging has also been stitched into the backrests which will make showing off about your Special Ed that much easier.

Tech kit includes a multimedia system by Kenwood Electronics; all included is a handy reverse camera, sat-nav and simple iPod connectivity which can be controlled from the multi-function steering wheel (a necessity in today's world)? Along with seat heaters, there isn't much in the way of electronic luxury, but you get what you pay for and with the ASX Black, you're getting a lot of car for your money.

With combined fuel economy of 51.4mpg, the final question to ask: who is this car for? In my mind, a specific type of creature comes to mind. He's a married man. He's a family man. He does a fair bit of driving, ferrying the kids back and forth from sports games. But he's also image conscious and not yet fully matured. The wannabe gangster of the group.

As a result, he wants a car that is practical, affordable, economical and totally outrageous. The Mitsubishi ASX Black Special Edition is probably his ideal car. Damn straight, homie.