National Ballet of Japan takes its 'Giselle' to Royal Opera House in London
She's one of the most enduringly popular figures of classical ballet: Giselle, the deceived young peasant girl with a pure heart.
The role of Giselle was one of the most defining ones for Miyako Yoshida as a ballerina. Now, in her fifth year as the artistic director of the National Ballet of Japan (NBJ), Yoshida takes her original production of 'Giselle' to London for what will be NBJ's first official tour in the United Kingdom. Although the ballet company has performed internationally before by invitation (in 2008 in New York for a special Japan Festival and in 2009 at the Bolshoi Theatre in Russia), it is the first time it has initiated its own tour, financially backed by the Kinoshita Group and supported by The Royal Opera House in London.
First performed in Paris in 1841 with music composed by Adolphe Adam and choreographed by Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot, 'Giselle' tells the story of tragic betrayal and transcendent compassion. When Giselle's lover, huntsman Albrecht, turns out to be a nobleman in disguise and betrothed to another, the shock plummets the girl into madness and then death. Overcome by remorse, Albrecht visits her grave but is tormented by the Wilis, vengeful spirits of unwed maidens, determined to punish him.
The 2022 production of 'Giselle' is revived this year at the New National Theatre, Tokyo, and will be brought to London in July, which will be the first official visit to the U.K. for the National Ballet of Japan. |
Takashi Shikama
Yoshida first staged her own production of 'Giselle' in 2022 to celebrate the NBJ's 25th anniversary season. With additional choreography by Alastair Marriott, Yoshida reworked the perennial favorite with an emphasis on dramatic characterization while staying true to its romantic, supernatural essence.
It was her debut production as the artistic director, and it won rave reviews for its emotional depth. Costumes and settings by Dick French also drew praise for a balance between lively, pastoral elegance and the haunting simplicity of its supernatural realm.
This spring, the NBJ opens a much-anticipated first revival of Yoshida's 'Giselle' at the New National Theatre, Tokyo, shows through to April 20.
Heartfelt homecoming
In July, Yoshida will take her production of 'Giselle' to Covent Gardens at The Royal Opera House in London, where she was a principal ballerina at The Royal Ballet until 2010.
Yoshida says it is exciting to bring 'Giselle' back to England, where she dazzled audiences for over 25 years. She joined the Birmingham Royal Ballet (formerly Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet) in 1984 at age 18 under artistic director Sir Peter Wright, gaining principal status by 1988.
It was Wright who first pushed Yoshida to tackle the role of Giselle. She admits taking on such a demanding character was intimidating at first.
'While I was eager to take on other full-length ballets without hesitation, 'Giselle' was the one that felt like a daunting challenge,' Yoshida says. 'At the time, I struggled with acting and expressing myself fully on stage. Sir Peter personally guided me from the very beginning, which was rare, as he was the artistic director and not often directly involved in coaching.'
Miyako Yoshida, artistic director of the National Ballet of Japan, honed her career as a ballerina for 25 years in the United Kingdom before returning to Japan. |
Jorgen Axelvall
Wright dubbed Yoshida 'the complete prima ballerina,' and he trained her in Birmingham until he retired in 1995. Afterward, she moved full time to The Royal Ballet in London, from where she retired in 2010.
Admitting she feels a 'sense of responsibility' to Wright in staging her own version, it's easy to understand why the ballet is so significant for Yoshida.
''Giselle' has become a culmination of everything I've absorbed over the decades,' she says. 'The ballet contains my own history — it reflects my journey in the U.K., where I grew both as a dancer and a person. Bringing this production back to the U.K. is deeply meaningful.'
Putting her dancers first
Among her numerous accolades, Yoshida has been awarded the UNESCO Artist for Peace in 2004, honored with an Order of the British Empire in 2007 and recognized in Japan with both an Order of Merit, Purple Ribbon in2007 and the Kikuchi Kan Award in 2019.
With her long international career as a dancer behind her, Yoshida is now focusing on the growth of her dancers. Besides expanding their repertoire with productions like 'Giselle,' she wants to offer them the challenge of touring internationally and dancing at one of the most revered theaters in Europe.
Yoshida's various experiences as a dancer — with and without the support of a prestigious, national company — make her determined to improve conditions in Japan, where being a professional dancer has not, traditionally, been an easy path, even at the very top. Unfortunately, professionals often seek additional work outside dance or pursue individual sponsorships in order to keep performing.
'Our goal has been to create an environment where dancers can sustain their livelihoods through their performances at the theater — not just by increasing the number of performances and raising their pay, but by ensuring that they have a stable, professional working environment,' Yoshida says.
From introducing personal training programs and increasing opportunities for conditioning, body maintenance and physical treatments, Yoshida aims to raise the standard of care across all aspects of a dancer's life. 'I'm making a conscious effort to listen to the dancers' opinions,' she says.
"Giselle" was Miyako Yoshida's debut production as the artistic director of the National Ballet of Japan, and it won rave reviews for its emotional depth. |
Takashi Shikama
She has also continued the institution's focus on education. NNTT Ballet School, founded in 2001 as a two-year full-time training center to prepare dancers for the professional level, added a preparatory phase for younger dancers in 2009.
Currently, 24 of the 72 ballet company members have been educated through NNTT Ballet School, while the ballet school's acting director and former principal dancer with NBJ, Miwa Motoshima, is a graduate of the school's very first cohort.
'We want to develop dancers who align with NBJ's style,' says Yoshida. 'Once they join the company, I want to push them artistically as much as possible. But in order to do that, they need a strong foundation — the technical skills and vocabulary necessary to progress further. Education is the key. That's where everything starts.'
From reviewing the current structure of dancer's contracts to creating new works that will solidify the identity of the company, Yoshida is looking forward to the future.
'I want people to see how powerful and deeply moving professional dance in performance can be,' says Yoshida. 'I hope audiences can experience that for themselves live in the theater.'
For more information, visit the official website nntt.jac.go.jp/english/ballet-dance
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Step into the back and you'll find plenty of legroom. At 180cm tall, I could comfortably sit behind my seating position. Headroom isn't quite as impressive, and I only had a little bit of clearance. Taller passengers won't be happy, with the roof appearing lower in the back than up front. The rear-seat occupant may grumble. Their seat is ever so slightly higher, while there's a little bit of a driveline hump to eat into their legroom. Really, everyone back here will have something to grumble about as there are no air vents, nor are there any USB outlets. You get a fold-down armrest with cupholders, a map pocket on one seatback, bottle holders in the doors, and that's it. If you have small children, you'll find ISOFIX child seat anchor points on the two outboard seats, and top-tether points for all three seats. Open the tailgate and you'll find a competitive 393 litres of luggage space, expanding to 1193 litres if you drop the 60:40 split/fold rear seats. Under the boot floor is a space-saver spare. To see how the Mitsubishi ASX lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool. Two naturally aspirated petrol engines are available in the ASX depending on variant; the Street features the less powerful option. We would typically see the ASX hover around 9L/100km on the daily commute. Many rivals have moved to smaller, turbocharged engines, and indeed the related Eclipse Cross packs a turbo 1.5-litre. Its claimed combined cycle fuel economy in front-wheel drive guise, however, is virtually the same at 7.3L/100km. To see how the Mitsubishi ASX lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool. We've driven newer Korean SUVs with speed limit assist systems that won't shut up, as well as Chinese SUVs with intrusive lane-keep assist and driver attention monitoring systems. You may therefore find the Mitsubishi ASX, being as old as it is, a refreshingly simple alternative to those tech-laden rivals. There's autonomous emergency braking but no blind-spot monitoring or rear cross-traffic alert – at least not on the ES. There is a lane-departure warning system that alerts you if you cross a lane marking, but doesn't actually nudge you back into place. You therefore don't feel the steering wheel squirming like with many cars with lane-keep assist systems. And yet despite this, the steering is the most awkward part of the ASX driving experience. There mightn't be a nanny intervening to pull you back into your lane, but the steering feels like it's unsettled anyway. The ASX's steering feels like you're working knots out of it, with an oddly inconsistent weighting. It doesn't feel fluid at all and can still feel heavy at low speeds – for example, when you're negotiating a carpark. The engine is rather gruff. The ticks you'll often hear from an idling engine are more like loud snaps in the ASX, which seems to run rough. Prod the accelerator and you're welcomed with a drone, with the CVT making it sound like you're stuck in one very tall first gear. That CVT does make the most out of the ASX's outputs though, giving the Mitsubishi a relatively zippy feel off the line. The 2.0-litre can nevertheless still feel a little bit laboured at times, however, including when you're driving on steeper grades. Tyre roar is also present even on smoother surfaced roads at double-digit speeds, and becomes more pronounced on coarser-chip roads and at highway speeds. There's a bit of wind noise around the mirrors, too. Ride comfort is decent, with the ASX managing some of Brisbane's poorer roads without much fuss. As for handling, don't go expecting this to be as engaging as, say, a Suzuki Vitara. You feel the high centre of gravity and while it won't fall over in a corner, it won't spark much joy either. The ASX and Eclipse Cross are the last vehicles still standing in Australia on the GS platform, co-developed by Mitsubishi and what was then DaimlerChrysler. Other vehicles to use this platform included the Chrysler Sebring, Dodge Avenger and Caliber, and first-generation Jeep Compass. That's hardly a who's who of talent, but then again Mitsubishi did use this platform for the Lancer Evolution. Swings and roundabouts… The lack of features like adaptive cruise control and lane-keep assist is a bit retrograde, but the greatest omission of all is a digital speedometer. Seriously, Mitsubishi, would it have been so hard to fit one? The ES – sans the ES Street package – strikes us as the best value of the ASX lineup. 2025 Mitsubishi ASX GS equipment highlights: ES adds: ASX ES Street adds: ASX LS adds (over ES): ASX MR adds (over ES): ASX GSR adds (over LS): ASX Exceed adds: To see how the Mitsubishi ASX stacks up against the competition, check out our comparison tool. When the Mitsubishi ASX was tested by ANCAP in 2014 it received a rating of five stars, though this has now lapsed meaning the car is now unrated. This rating from 2014 was based on a frontal offset score of 14.13 out of 16 and a side impact score of 16 out of 16. Whiplash and pedestrian protection were rated Good and Acceptable, respectively. Standard safety equipment includes: ES adds: LS adds: To see how the Mitsubishi ASX stacks up against the competition, check out our comparison tool. Mitsubishi offers 10 years of capped-price servicing, as well as a lengthy 10-year, 200,000km warranty. However, to take advantage of that you'll need to service your ASX at a Mitsubishi dealership. If you don't continue servicing your ASX through Mitsubishi, the warranty drops to five years and 100,000km. Scheduled servicing is required every 12 months or 15,000km – whichever comes first. To see how the Mitsubishi ASX lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool. We often hear enthusiasts say, "Oh, if only you could still buy a new [BLANK]! If they had kept building it, I'd buy one now." We think many enthusiasts who say this are referring to cars like the E39 5 Series or any V8 Commodore sedan, and not the Mitsubishi ASX, a car that wasn't exactly a class-leader in 2010 and has well and truly fallen off the pace since. The Mitsubishi ASX is so very old, and it has scarcely changed during its very long tenure on the market. It makes more sense to buy a near-new one because you won't be missing out on anything. Nothing has changed. It does say something about the arguable lack of advancement in this segment, though, that the Mitsubishi ASX doesn't feel like a complete relic. The styling has held up surprisingly well – what car usually looks better four facelifts later? – and the interior layout and material quality remain quite agreeable, while the warranty is long and the price is cheap. Rivals have packed in more safety equipment, but it hasn't always been ideally calibrated. And many of its Japanese and Korean rivals wear a much higher price tag than the ASX. While Chinese cars are rising up the sales charts, we know there are plenty of buyers out there who don't want to take the chance. Ultimately, though, cars like the Chery Tiggo 4 Pro and GWM Haval Jolion are the most direct competition for the ASX on size and price. So you'll need to decide whether you'll take the chance, or stick with the proven but dated ASX. If you're keen on an ASX, our advice is to stick to an ES and don't add any accessories like this ES Street package. Interested in buying a Mitsubishi ASX? Get in touch with one of CarExpert's trusted dealers hereMORE: Everything Mitsubishi ASX Content originally sourced from: ASX Pros Mitsubishi ASX Cons The end is nigh for the long-lived Mitsubishi ASX. Note: This article is based on our most recent review of the Mitsubishi ASX, as there have been no major changes since it was have updated key details such as pricing and specifications with the most up to date information available. Read the latest price and specs article here for all the details. A new Mitsubishi ASX, in the form of a restyled Renault Captur, is finally coming to Australia this year. Government approval documents show the new-generation ASX will be offered in LS, Aspire and Exceed trim levels, although pricing hasn't been confirmed. The current-generation model was launched back in 2010, back when Julia Gillard was our prime minister, and it has had four facelifts since then – the most recent being in 2019. Yes, this is one old car, easily the oldest in its segment. And since its 2010 launch, versions with turbo-diesel power, all-wheel drive, and even Peugeot and Citroen badging have come and gone. Though it no longer tops the sales charts in its segment, it remains an extremely popular option. I last drove an ASX four years ago, and it hasn't changed since then except for the usual reshuffling of the model lineup. A lot has changed in the small SUV segment since then, however. The MG ZS has become Australia's best-selling small SUV, and the GWM Haval Jolion, Chery Tiggo 4 Pro, and Chery Omoda 5 have come along to give local buyers additional modern but affordable Chinese offerings. Most of these Chinese SUVs offer similarly tempting prices to the ASX, but much longer lists of standard safety equipment. Mitsubishi introduced a Street package for the ASX ES last year, and we've put this to the test here. Given it costs $2500 more than the ES for cosmetic upgrades – detailed further below – and no extra performance, it isn't our pick of the range. Best to stick with the standard ES, which would have earned a better value for money score, or get the LS which costs the same as an ASX with the ES Street package but packs more safety and convenience features. To see how the Mitsubishi ASX stacks up against the competition, check out our comparison tool. For something this old, the interior actually has held up pretty well. The doors feel a little light and tinny, which while making it easier for kids to enter the car doesn't set the best first impression. Then you sit down and see an instrument cluster and an overall dashboard layout that haven't changed since 2010, and things are off to a wobbly start. Speaking of wobbles, that centre console bin lid is exceptionally wobbly, while the climate control knobs look like they once held custard tarts and the headliner looks like mouse fur. It initially all seems a bit cheap and old – the latter of which makes sense, given this is a 14-year-old car. Look a bit closer, however, and the ASX (mostly) holds up to scrutiny. Those tacky fan speed and temperature knobs are still infinitely preferable to touchscreen-based climate controls. Gloss black trim is used sparingly, and only in places you're unlikely to touch. And those analogue instruments are still attractive, even if the chrome cylinders they sit in are a bit 2000s now. Oh, sure, the screen in between the analogue gauges is rubbish. There's no digital speedometer, while the trip computer is ridiculously unintuitive and is controlled via a single button. Even a tamagotchi has more buttons, and don't get us started on how the fuel economy readout flips back and forth between modes whenever you restart the car. The infotainment system is also rudimentary, with particularly dated graphics. But there's (wired) Apple CarPlay and Android Auto so you'll probably never look at the rest of it, while the screen size is still acceptable in 2024 – if you're asking for more than eight inches, you're being greedy. The reversing camera resolution is adequate, too. The touchscreen's placement within the centre stack – instead of jutting out of the dashboard like a tombstone – betrays the ASX's age, but it's still easy to see on the run. Also betraying the ASX's age is the lack of a wireless phone charger or even a spot big enough to keep your phone. There's a tray at the base of the centre console, but it won't fit many of today's large smartphones. You can put it in the centre console bin, while there's also a decently sized glove compartment. The gated shifter and manual handbrake are another couple of signs you're in an old car, though the former is at least different from the one the ASX launched with back in 2010. Progress… The cloth upholstery is attractive with its tessellating cubes pattern, and the front seats are comfortable though I couldn't get an ideal seating position – I always felt like I was perched too high. Material quality in the ASX is pretty good overall. Where many rivals don't bother, Mitsubishi put squishy leatherette trim on the sides of the centre console to make it easier on your knees. The tops of the front doors are finished in soft-touch plastic and while the piece of soft-touch trim across the front of the dashboard looks a bit stuck-on, the graining matches the hard plastic found on the dash top. Step into the back and you'll find plenty of legroom. At 180cm tall, I could comfortably sit behind my seating position. Headroom isn't quite as impressive, and I only had a little bit of clearance. Taller passengers won't be happy, with the roof appearing lower in the back than up front. The rear-seat occupant may grumble. Their seat is ever so slightly higher, while there's a little bit of a driveline hump to eat into their legroom. Really, everyone back here will have something to grumble about as there are no air vents, nor are there any USB outlets. You get a fold-down armrest with cupholders, a map pocket on one seatback, bottle holders in the doors, and that's it. If you have small children, you'll find ISOFIX child seat anchor points on the two outboard seats, and top-tether points for all three seats. Open the tailgate and you'll find a competitive 393 litres of luggage space, expanding to 1193 litres if you drop the 60:40 split/fold rear seats. Under the boot floor is a space-saver spare. To see how the Mitsubishi ASX lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool. Two naturally aspirated petrol engines are available in the ASX depending on variant; the Street features the less powerful option. We would typically see the ASX hover around 9L/100km on the daily commute. Many rivals have moved to smaller, turbocharged engines, and indeed the related Eclipse Cross packs a turbo 1.5-litre. Its claimed combined cycle fuel economy in front-wheel drive guise, however, is virtually the same at 7.3L/100km. To see how the Mitsubishi ASX lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool. We've driven newer Korean SUVs with speed limit assist systems that won't shut up, as well as Chinese SUVs with intrusive lane-keep assist and driver attention monitoring systems. You may therefore find the Mitsubishi ASX, being as old as it is, a refreshingly simple alternative to those tech-laden rivals. There's autonomous emergency braking but no blind-spot monitoring or rear cross-traffic alert – at least not on the ES. There is a lane-departure warning system that alerts you if you cross a lane marking, but doesn't actually nudge you back into place. You therefore don't feel the steering wheel squirming like with many cars with lane-keep assist systems. And yet despite this, the steering is the most awkward part of the ASX driving experience. There mightn't be a nanny intervening to pull you back into your lane, but the steering feels like it's unsettled anyway. The ASX's steering feels like you're working knots out of it, with an oddly inconsistent weighting. It doesn't feel fluid at all and can still feel heavy at low speeds – for example, when you're negotiating a carpark. The engine is rather gruff. The ticks you'll often hear from an idling engine are more like loud snaps in the ASX, which seems to run rough. Prod the accelerator and you're welcomed with a drone, with the CVT making it sound like you're stuck in one very tall first gear. That CVT does make the most out of the ASX's outputs though, giving the Mitsubishi a relatively zippy feel off the line. The 2.0-litre can nevertheless still feel a little bit laboured at times, however, including when you're driving on steeper grades. Tyre roar is also present even on smoother surfaced roads at double-digit speeds, and becomes more pronounced on coarser-chip roads and at highway speeds. There's a bit of wind noise around the mirrors, too. Ride comfort is decent, with the ASX managing some of Brisbane's poorer roads without much fuss. As for handling, don't go expecting this to be as engaging as, say, a Suzuki Vitara. You feel the high centre of gravity and while it won't fall over in a corner, it won't spark much joy either. The ASX and Eclipse Cross are the last vehicles still standing in Australia on the GS platform, co-developed by Mitsubishi and what was then DaimlerChrysler. Other vehicles to use this platform included the Chrysler Sebring, Dodge Avenger and Caliber, and first-generation Jeep Compass. That's hardly a who's who of talent, but then again Mitsubishi did use this platform for the Lancer Evolution. Swings and roundabouts… The lack of features like adaptive cruise control and lane-keep assist is a bit retrograde, but the greatest omission of all is a digital speedometer. Seriously, Mitsubishi, would it have been so hard to fit one? The ES – sans the ES Street package – strikes us as the best value of the ASX lineup. 2025 Mitsubishi ASX GS equipment highlights: ES adds: ASX ES Street adds: ASX LS adds (over ES): ASX MR adds (over ES): ASX GSR adds (over LS): ASX Exceed adds: To see how the Mitsubishi ASX stacks up against the competition, check out our comparison tool. When the Mitsubishi ASX was tested by ANCAP in 2014 it received a rating of five stars, though this has now lapsed meaning the car is now unrated. This rating from 2014 was based on a frontal offset score of 14.13 out of 16 and a side impact score of 16 out of 16. Whiplash and pedestrian protection were rated Good and Acceptable, respectively. Standard safety equipment includes: ES adds: LS adds: To see how the Mitsubishi ASX stacks up against the competition, check out our comparison tool. Mitsubishi offers 10 years of capped-price servicing, as well as a lengthy 10-year, 200,000km warranty. However, to take advantage of that you'll need to service your ASX at a Mitsubishi dealership. If you don't continue servicing your ASX through Mitsubishi, the warranty drops to five years and 100,000km. Scheduled servicing is required every 12 months or 15,000km – whichever comes first. To see how the Mitsubishi ASX lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool. We often hear enthusiasts say, "Oh, if only you could still buy a new [BLANK]! If they had kept building it, I'd buy one now." We think many enthusiasts who say this are referring to cars like the E39 5 Series or any V8 Commodore sedan, and not the Mitsubishi ASX, a car that wasn't exactly a class-leader in 2010 and has well and truly fallen off the pace since. The Mitsubishi ASX is so very old, and it has scarcely changed during its very long tenure on the market. It makes more sense to buy a near-new one because you won't be missing out on anything. Nothing has changed. It does say something about the arguable lack of advancement in this segment, though, that the Mitsubishi ASX doesn't feel like a complete relic. The styling has held up surprisingly well – what car usually looks better four facelifts later? – and the interior layout and material quality remain quite agreeable, while the warranty is long and the price is cheap. Rivals have packed in more safety equipment, but it hasn't always been ideally calibrated. And many of its Japanese and Korean rivals wear a much higher price tag than the ASX. While Chinese cars are rising up the sales charts, we know there are plenty of buyers out there who don't want to take the chance. Ultimately, though, cars like the Chery Tiggo 4 Pro and GWM Haval Jolion are the most direct competition for the ASX on size and price. So you'll need to decide whether you'll take the chance, or stick with the proven but dated ASX. If you're keen on an ASX, our advice is to stick to an ES and don't add any accessories like this ES Street package. Interested in buying a Mitsubishi ASX? Get in touch with one of CarExpert's trusted dealers hereMORE: Everything Mitsubishi ASX Content originally sourced from: ASX Pros Mitsubishi ASX Cons The end is nigh for the long-lived Mitsubishi ASX. Note: This article is based on our most recent review of the Mitsubishi ASX, as there have been no major changes since it was have updated key details such as pricing and specifications with the most up to date information available. Read the latest price and specs article here for all the details. A new Mitsubishi ASX, in the form of a restyled Renault Captur, is finally coming to Australia this year. Government approval documents show the new-generation ASX will be offered in LS, Aspire and Exceed trim levels, although pricing hasn't been confirmed. The current-generation model was launched back in 2010, back when Julia Gillard was our prime minister, and it has had four facelifts since then – the most recent being in 2019. Yes, this is one old car, easily the oldest in its segment. And since its 2010 launch, versions with turbo-diesel power, all-wheel drive, and even Peugeot and Citroen badging have come and gone. Though it no longer tops the sales charts in its segment, it remains an extremely popular option. I last drove an ASX four years ago, and it hasn't changed since then except for the usual reshuffling of the model lineup. A lot has changed in the small SUV segment since then, however. The MG ZS has become Australia's best-selling small SUV, and the GWM Haval Jolion, Chery Tiggo 4 Pro, and Chery Omoda 5 have come along to give local buyers additional modern but affordable Chinese offerings. Most of these Chinese SUVs offer similarly tempting prices to the ASX, but much longer lists of standard safety equipment. Mitsubishi introduced a Street package for the ASX ES last year, and we've put this to the test here. Given it costs $2500 more than the ES for cosmetic upgrades – detailed further below – and no extra performance, it isn't our pick of the range. Best to stick with the standard ES, which would have earned a better value for money score, or get the LS which costs the same as an ASX with the ES Street package but packs more safety and convenience features. To see how the Mitsubishi ASX stacks up against the competition, check out our comparison tool. For something this old, the interior actually has held up pretty well. The doors feel a little light and tinny, which while making it easier for kids to enter the car doesn't set the best first impression. Then you sit down and see an instrument cluster and an overall dashboard layout that haven't changed since 2010, and things are off to a wobbly start. Speaking of wobbles, that centre console bin lid is exceptionally wobbly, while the climate control knobs look like they once held custard tarts and the headliner looks like mouse fur. It initially all seems a bit cheap and old – the latter of which makes sense, given this is a 14-year-old car. Look a bit closer, however, and the ASX (mostly) holds up to scrutiny. Those tacky fan speed and temperature knobs are still infinitely preferable to touchscreen-based climate controls. Gloss black trim is used sparingly, and only in places you're unlikely to touch. And those analogue instruments are still attractive, even if the chrome cylinders they sit in are a bit 2000s now. Oh, sure, the screen in between the analogue gauges is rubbish. There's no digital speedometer, while the trip computer is ridiculously unintuitive and is controlled via a single button. Even a tamagotchi has more buttons, and don't get us started on how the fuel economy readout flips back and forth between modes whenever you restart the car. The infotainment system is also rudimentary, with particularly dated graphics. But there's (wired) Apple CarPlay and Android Auto so you'll probably never look at the rest of it, while the screen size is still acceptable in 2024 – if you're asking for more than eight inches, you're being greedy. The reversing camera resolution is adequate, too. The touchscreen's placement within the centre stack – instead of jutting out of the dashboard like a tombstone – betrays the ASX's age, but it's still easy to see on the run. Also betraying the ASX's age is the lack of a wireless phone charger or even a spot big enough to keep your phone. There's a tray at the base of the centre console, but it won't fit many of today's large smartphones. You can put it in the centre console bin, while there's also a decently sized glove compartment. The gated shifter and manual handbrake are another couple of signs you're in an old car, though the former is at least different from the one the ASX launched with back in 2010. Progress… The cloth upholstery is attractive with its tessellating cubes pattern, and the front seats are comfortable though I couldn't get an ideal seating position – I always felt like I was perched too high. Material quality in the ASX is pretty good overall. Where many rivals don't bother, Mitsubishi put squishy leatherette trim on the sides of the centre console to make it easier on your knees. The tops of the front doors are finished in soft-touch plastic and while the piece of soft-touch trim across the front of the dashboard looks a bit stuck-on, the graining matches the hard plastic found on the dash top. Step into the back and you'll find plenty of legroom. At 180cm tall, I could comfortably sit behind my seating position. Headroom isn't quite as impressive, and I only had a little bit of clearance. Taller passengers won't be happy, with the roof appearing lower in the back than up front. The rear-seat occupant may grumble. Their seat is ever so slightly higher, while there's a little bit of a driveline hump to eat into their legroom. Really, everyone back here will have something to grumble about as there are no air vents, nor are there any USB outlets. You get a fold-down armrest with cupholders, a map pocket on one seatback, bottle holders in the doors, and that's it. If you have small children, you'll find ISOFIX child seat anchor points on the two outboard seats, and top-tether points for all three seats. Open the tailgate and you'll find a competitive 393 litres of luggage space, expanding to 1193 litres if you drop the 60:40 split/fold rear seats. Under the boot floor is a space-saver spare. To see how the Mitsubishi ASX lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool. Two naturally aspirated petrol engines are available in the ASX depending on variant; the Street features the less powerful option. We would typically see the ASX hover around 9L/100km on the daily commute. Many rivals have moved to smaller, turbocharged engines, and indeed the related Eclipse Cross packs a turbo 1.5-litre. Its claimed combined cycle fuel economy in front-wheel drive guise, however, is virtually the same at 7.3L/100km. To see how the Mitsubishi ASX lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool. We've driven newer Korean SUVs with speed limit assist systems that won't shut up, as well as Chinese SUVs with intrusive lane-keep assist and driver attention monitoring systems. You may therefore find the Mitsubishi ASX, being as old as it is, a refreshingly simple alternative to those tech-laden rivals. There's autonomous emergency braking but no blind-spot monitoring or rear cross-traffic alert – at least not on the ES. There is a lane-departure warning system that alerts you if you cross a lane marking, but doesn't actually nudge you back into place. You therefore don't feel the steering wheel squirming like with many cars with lane-keep assist systems. And yet despite this, the steering is the most awkward part of the ASX driving experience. There mightn't be a nanny intervening to pull you back into your lane, but the steering feels like it's unsettled anyway. The ASX's steering feels like you're working knots out of it, with an oddly inconsistent weighting. It doesn't feel fluid at all and can still feel heavy at low speeds – for example, when you're negotiating a carpark. The engine is rather gruff. The ticks you'll often hear from an idling engine are more like loud snaps in the ASX, which seems to run rough. Prod the accelerator and you're welcomed with a drone, with the CVT making it sound like you're stuck in one very tall first gear. That CVT does make the most out of the ASX's outputs though, giving the Mitsubishi a relatively zippy feel off the line. The 2.0-litre can nevertheless still feel a little bit laboured at times, however, including when you're driving on steeper grades. Tyre roar is also present even on smoother surfaced roads at double-digit speeds, and becomes more pronounced on coarser-chip roads and at highway speeds. There's a bit of wind noise around the mirrors, too. Ride comfort is decent, with the ASX managing some of Brisbane's poorer roads without much fuss. As for handling, don't go expecting this to be as engaging as, say, a Suzuki Vitara. You feel the high centre of gravity and while it won't fall over in a corner, it won't spark much joy either. The ASX and Eclipse Cross are the last vehicles still standing in Australia on the GS platform, co-developed by Mitsubishi and what was then DaimlerChrysler. Other vehicles to use this platform included the Chrysler Sebring, Dodge Avenger and Caliber, and first-generation Jeep Compass. That's hardly a who's who of talent, but then again Mitsubishi did use this platform for the Lancer Evolution. Swings and roundabouts… The lack of features like adaptive cruise control and lane-keep assist is a bit retrograde, but the greatest omission of all is a digital speedometer. Seriously, Mitsubishi, would it have been so hard to fit one? The ES – sans the ES Street package – strikes us as the best value of the ASX lineup. 2025 Mitsubishi ASX GS equipment highlights: ES adds: ASX ES Street adds: ASX LS adds (over ES): ASX MR adds (over ES): ASX GSR adds (over LS): ASX Exceed adds: To see how the Mitsubishi ASX stacks up against the competition, check out our comparison tool. When the Mitsubishi ASX was tested by ANCAP in 2014 it received a rating of five stars, though this has now lapsed meaning the car is now unrated. This rating from 2014 was based on a frontal offset score of 14.13 out of 16 and a side impact score of 16 out of 16. Whiplash and pedestrian protection were rated Good and Acceptable, respectively. Standard safety equipment includes: ES adds: LS adds: To see how the Mitsubishi ASX stacks up against the competition, check out our comparison tool. Mitsubishi offers 10 years of capped-price servicing, as well as a lengthy 10-year, 200,000km warranty. However, to take advantage of that you'll need to service your ASX at a Mitsubishi dealership. If you don't continue servicing your ASX through Mitsubishi, the warranty drops to five years and 100,000km. Scheduled servicing is required every 12 months or 15,000km – whichever comes first. To see how the Mitsubishi ASX lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool. We often hear enthusiasts say, "Oh, if only you could still buy a new [BLANK]! If they had kept building it, I'd buy one now." We think many enthusiasts who say this are referring to cars like the E39 5 Series or any V8 Commodore sedan, and not the Mitsubishi ASX, a car that wasn't exactly a class-leader in 2010 and has well and truly fallen off the pace since. The Mitsubishi ASX is so very old, and it has scarcely changed during its very long tenure on the market. It makes more sense to buy a near-new one because you won't be missing out on anything. Nothing has changed. It does say something about the arguable lack of advancement in this segment, though, that the Mitsubishi ASX doesn't feel like a complete relic. The styling has held up surprisingly well – what car usually looks better four facelifts later? – and the interior layout and material quality remain quite agreeable, while the warranty is long and the price is cheap. Rivals have packed in more safety equipment, but it hasn't always been ideally calibrated. And many of its Japanese and Korean rivals wear a much higher price tag than the ASX. While Chinese cars are rising up the sales charts, we know there are plenty of buyers out there who don't want to take the chance. Ultimately, though, cars like the Chery Tiggo 4 Pro and GWM Haval Jolion are the most direct competition for the ASX on size and price. So you'll need to decide whether you'll take the chance, or stick with the proven but dated ASX. If you're keen on an ASX, our advice is to stick to an ES and don't add any accessories like this ES Street package. Interested in buying a Mitsubishi ASX? Get in touch with one of CarExpert's trusted dealers hereMORE: Everything Mitsubishi ASX Content originally sourced from:
