23rd Aug 2018, 15:49

Update 2: The car is now 7 years old and has done 130000km. Both front shock absorbers needed changing for the last MOT, but otherwise the car sailed through. Since my last update the diesel filter also needed replacing for the second time; in this car it appears to have a life of about 60000km and causes the engine warning light on the dashboard to come on once it needs replacing, rather than giving a less worry-inducing signal!

Actual fuel consumption is still stable, but the trip computer seems to be becoming more unrealistic and prone to sudden (large) drops in predicted range as time goes by. I haven't trusted the range predictions or fuel consumption readouts since I got the car (see original review above), but they are getting worse.

The steering wheel buttons are starting to stick a little now, sometimes you need to give a couple of prods to get the cruise control to engage, and the "accelerate" function doesn't always work. The rest of the interior is still more or less as-new and working properly (other than the floor mats also mentioned in update 1 above). The seats especially are still in remarkable condition, they've never been massively comfortable or supportive, but you wouldn't really know that they've had 130000km of use.

To sum up, the car is still getting all the basics right - if all I have to complain about is an optimistic trip computer and some wonky plastic buttons, then it must be doing OK.

26th Aug 2018, 02:20

Thanks for the update. These are tempting for their low price, relatively simple running gear, and optional manual transmission. It’s good to know they hold up for the long haul.

22nd Sep 2019, 09:43

Further update:

The car is now 8 years old and has done 147000km. Signs of age are starting to show, with the interior trim developing a couple of rattles, one in the passenger door and one behind the dashboard - both disappear after a few minutes running. There is also a low buzz from the steering wheel for the first 10 or so minutes after the first start-up of the day, so an electrical contact from the steering wheel buttons to the car is probably loose. The rest of the interior is still as before, including the unworn as-new seats!

Mechanically, there have been no unexpected problems. The front brake discs and pads had to be replaced at the 140k service, but otherwise no other age-related work. Fuel consumption is starting to increase (up from around 6L/100km to 7L/100km), which is probably due to the DPF clogging up with ash and having to actively regenerate more often.

All in all, the car is still doing the job asked of it, and doing it well.

30th Jun 2020, 17:26

Final Update:

The car was finally part-exchanged at 155000km and 8.5 years old, having given no mechanical trouble at all. I stuck absolutely to the service schedule until the end, and was repaid with a car which did everything I needed it to do and never once let me down. The engine was very, very good - within the context that the one I experienced was serviced within 200km of schedule (and usually a little early) for its entire life, which hopefully helped. Also, the bodywork and paint remained rust-free and in good condition - again, within the context that the car was garaged every night.

Now that I am driving a new car for the first time in over 5 years, I can also make a better assessment of the ASX by thinking about what I liked better or worse on that.

Positives:

1) The layout of the controls in the ASX is actually really good, something that I didn't appreciate before. Everything falls easily to hand and is where you instinctively expect it to be - except for the hazard warning lights, which I always needed to search for despite the switch being in plain sight!

2) The windows of the ASX, as noted above, are superbly well-tinted to the extent of not needing sunglasses nearly as often.

3) The interior is virtually child-proof, and with the exception of a couple of the buttons, looked as good as it did when I first got the car.

Negatives:

1) In comparison to my new car, the tyre noise was appalling. I really notice how much quieter things are now.

2) The ASX was much more prone to feedback of bumps in the road through the steering wheel, I found that I have actually developed a pre-emptive twitch to prepare myself when I see I'm about to hit an unavoidable defect in the road surface and I am having to learn not to do it with the new car.

3) The gearbox was actually not very smooth, but the engine had the flexibility to work around it.

4) The driving position was very limited. Now that I can sit exactly as I want, I can see just how cramped I really was in the ASX.

5) The all-round visibility, not just to the rear, was very poor. With my new car it's like watching a film in the cinema after only seeing it on a small portable TV before.

What would I put on the ASX's tombstone? "It did the job it was made for."