Car News

My summer holidays will never be the same again

Every summer I take a very British holiday by the sea and every year it either rains or I find on arrival that the place we are going to be actually staying in turns out to be a shed at the bottom of a farmer’s garden.

Of course like many millions of you – I turned to the interweb to help me book this year– but as it turns out that was useless because what other people may think is a good place to say – does not necessarily mean that the person who goes on the back of your review will also agree with your sentiments entirely.

I will give you an example; last year we booked a nice little log cabin in North Yorkshire – the reviews all said it was a wonderful place for families and that you were free to do as you wish and most of the people who stayed there said how they had had the best time of their life.

So on the back of that I went ahead and booked a week. On arrival things did not seem to be going well at all – because as I pulled up to reception – the Police were on site doing a drugs raid and we were told we had to wait a while before we could get into our cabin. Not the best start to our holiday then having the NYPD on site.

But of course as usual for our summer holidays– things got much much worse.

When we did finally arrive at our cabin, it was filthy and the bed linen looked like it had been lent to Bear Grills for a week while on a recent expedition. Also, stapled to the welcome pack you get when you arrive was an A4 sheet of paper with a list of do’s & don’ts.

I am going to list a few here, but remember that this was described by one person as a place to relax and unwind and a do as you wish holiday venue. So, here we go-  first the don’ts; NO BALL GAMES, NO OPEN FIRES, NO WASHING LINES, NO SPITTING, & NO NOISE AFTER 9PM. Now call me picky – but this was supposed to be a family holiday site. Now the Do’s; ENJOY THE OPEN FIELDS BUT BE AWARE OF CATTLE RUNNING WILD & SUDDEN GUNFIRE DURING EARLY EVENING.

Are you getting the drift? And to add to our woes – the couple that arrived in the cabin next door that very evening decided to spend most of the night shouting at each other because it appears her husband had forgotten to pack the kettle. Plus the couple in the cabin across the road from us looked like a family of friendly monsters because he was about 7ft tall and his wife had bright white hair.

As it happens – we decided to spend most of our week off site and only returning very late each evening and then getting up very early each day before the monsters in the other cabins woke up and we found ourselves sleeping next to a dead Horses head.

So, the next time you decide to use the interweb to get reviews of a place you are considering staying for your summer holidays – can I suggest you ignore all the reviews and instead pop to your local Zoo and ask the gibbons, the orangutans, the gorillas, and even the chimpanzees, if they can give you any ideas of where you can go on you next summer holiday. At least that way you are guaranteed a decent response.

Or you can visit the fantastic town of Lyme Regis in Dorset as I did this year and book when you arrive – that way you can check out your venue before you pay the price of failure, plus if you go during carnival week you are even guaranteed a firework display on the beach.

Lyme-Regis-Marine-Parade

This of course lines me right up for my review of the 2016 Mitsubishi ASX.

Mitsubishi ASX ZC-H 1.6 Diesel 4WD

The ASX is one of those cars you see very little of – and that’s not because its rubbish – but more because people tend to follow trends or actually what their neighbours own.

The ASX is a great looking car and over the last few years Mitsubishi have really started to increase their sales in the UK and it is my hope that buyers start to look more closely at what Mitsubishi have to offer and that in turn will drive sales for what I consider to be a very good car maker indeed

mitsubishi-asx-review-1

I remember testing the first incarnation of the ASX and I liked it a lot – so I am hoping the new model will keep me keen. Also – if you read my review of the L200 recently, then you will know Mitsubishi really can build a genuinely brilliant vehicle and the ASX is right up there with all the others in the Active Sports X over range.

Interior & Technology

Mitsubishi really has gone above and beyond in contrasting the use of textures and materials inside the ASX, a lot of which gives you a pleasing visual impact once you sit inside. And of course the detail around the dashboard and controls has been brilliantly done by the Mitsubishi engineers and designers and none of the controls or switches feel clunky or out of place.

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The ASX’s generous equipment levels are also good and even standard models receive electric windows, heated, folding door mirrors, manual air conditioning, a Bluetooth® hands-free ’phone connection, seven airbags and stability and traction control. If you step up to the ASX ZC-M then it gets even more exciting – adding in climate control air conditioning, heated front seats, cruise control, DAB radio, rain and rear parking sensors, auto-dimming rear view mirror and xenon headlamps, whilst the ASX ZC-H adds satellite navigation, black leather seat trim and a panoramic glass roof.

You will also find a 419 litre boot with the helpful addition of a wide opening tailgate with low floor for easy access, as well as a large 26 litre underfloor tray and a 60:40 split rear bench seat and an easy-fold to flat facility so that you have the versatility to match your ever-changing needs.

On the road:

My test car was fitted with 4WD which means it can do no wrong in my book. I have tested a lot of 4WD cars this year and they all feel very well planted. The ASX had no dramas and even when pushed hard into the corners – it felt controlled and firm. Remember this is an Active Sports X over so it is meant to do all those things a normal car can’t – and I am happy to report all is good and it will keep you firmly planted wherever you decide to take it.

mitsubishi-asx-review-3

Power and Efficiency:

Powered by a ‘1.6L 8 valve 4 cylinder SOHC intercooled turbocharged diesel engine with 112bhp @ 3600rpm and a Max torque figure of around 270Nm @ 1750rpm. Fuel consumption is also very good returning a very impressive 60mpg (combined). There is a 2.2litre version with 147bhp version but I was more than happy with the performance of the 1.6litre fitted to my test vehicle. If you are interested in 0-62 times then it will arrive in around 11.5sec and top speed will max out at 111mph.

mitsubishi-asx-review-4

To sum up:

The ASX is a great car for a great price. Yes it is a little unknown – and maybe that does make it the underdog – but I can assure you that this is no pet hate. The ASX feels like a proper Active Sports X over with very little faults. For that reason alone – I am going to give it five stars as an excellent indication of just how much fun this vehicle is to live with and to drive.

Price: from £15,249 (1.6 Petrol MIVEC ASX ZC 2WD Manual). Car on test £23,499.

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