The Mitsubishi ASX Black, with its new engine line-up, is a strong competitor in the growing crossover market where CO2 emissions and running costs are more important than ever.
For this road test I tried the 1.8-litre DI-D 2WD ASX Black 2011 model year vehicle with 147bhp and 221lb ft of torque from 2,000rpm; giving a top speed of 124mph and zero to 62mph takes a swift 9.7 seconds.
The official fuel economy in the combined cycle is 51.4mpg with CO2 emissions of 145g/km. However on my test drive, over a period of one week, resulted in an overall average of a remarkable 58.9mpg.
On one occasion the figure was even higher after a long A road journey with a 50mph speed limit when 62.4mpg appeared on the computer. The low-ish CO2 emissions mean road tax is £130 a year and company car tax 22 per cent.
In the first quarter of 2012, Mitsubishi will introduce a revised version of this 1.8-litre engine which is even more frugal on fuel and comes with lower CO2 emissions but, although the torque figure remains the same, the power output has been significantly reduced to just 114bhp and that means the top speed is lower at 117mph and zero to 62mph takes 10.2 seconds.
The official fuel economy figure improves to 54.3mpg and CO2 emissions are lower at 136g/km which means lower road tax costs at £115 a year and lower Benefit-in-Kind company car tax rate at 20 per cent.
The 1.6-litre 115bhp petrol engine also has changes for 2012 but power and torque remains the same at 114lb ft at 4,000rpm. The fuel economy is 47.1mpg instead of 47.9mpg for the 2011 model year engine - a move in the wrong direction.
Staying the same are CO2 emissions at 139g/km with a road tax cost of £115 and BIK company car tax at 18 per cent. Top speed remains at 113mph and zero to 62mph still takes 11.4 seconds.
Although there is no reduction tax charges on the 2012 petrol derivative, there is an increase in braked towing capacity from 1100kg to 1200kg.
Which engine?
These figures show there is an interesting choice to be made between engines whether they are 2011 or 2012 model year units.
The petrol unit is slower in performance but is cheaper to buy by £2,240 and that is a major consideration. The official fuel economy is not greatly worse than the diesel and there isn't much to choose in road tax costs but the company car tax is less.
The petrol unit requires servicing every 12,500 miles but the diesel unit has to be serviced every 9,000 miles.
Perhaps these figures speak for themselves in favour of the petrol engine. But for high mileage business users and some retail customers, the diesel unit is just nicer, stronger and more responsive to drive in its current form Whether it is nicer and more responsive to drive in its lower powered 2012 form remains to be seen.
But for now higher mileage drivers and those that like the torquey and responsive characteristics of a modern turbodiesel engine, Mitsubishi's 1.8-litre, 2011 model year, variable valve timing unit is an impressive feature of the ASX. It is a bit noisy under acceleration and sounds a bit harsh at tick-over but the real-life fuel economy is brilliant.
It was effortless to average close to 60mpg with this engine most of the time and the top speed of 124mph with zero to 62mph taking just 9.7 seconds was impressive.
I'd prefer the 221lb ft of torque to be available below the current 2,000rpm rev range because the high final drive ratio used to minimise overall CO2 emissions, made it feel less responsive than the figures suggest it should be. Once you get into the powerband with the turbo blowing the response is first class but below 1,750rpm the response was flat, not like a modern diesel engine at all.
Driving at lower speeds requires driving in a lower gear than normal for a modern diesel engine. The driver just needs to keep the revs up and in many ways it was like driving a petrol engined SUV, more revs equals more torque and better response. It is interesting that the lower powered 2012 model year 1.8-litre turbodiesel unit does develop its maximum torque at a lower rpm level - lesson learnt perhaps.
Practicality and drive
In other respects the Mitsubishi ASX crossover is a roomy five seater with good load space. The ride was comfortable, the interior looks a little dated compared to the latest standards in controls, switches and layout offered by the likes of Ford and Vauxhall.
The handling was sure-footed but poor road surfaces did at times unsettle the ride and noise intrusion from the tyres into the car was quite high.
The new Black specification is a real blinged-up 'marmite' addition to the range. The ASX 4 donor level of specification will be better suited for most people. Black in terms of the ASX line-up means brash in my eyes and it looks as though this model is aimed at the young business user where glitzy wheels and body styling and paintwork tweaks have a greater appeal.
The fact that the publicity images for the ASX Black use urban street art and graffiti as a background probably says it all and it's a similar advertising theme to the ones used for the Nissan Qashqai and Juke crossover models.
Milestones
Mitsubishi ASX 1.8 Diesel 2WD 5-Door Crossover
Engine/Transmission: 1.8-litre, four-cylinder, variable valve timing, direct injection turbodiesel, 147bhp, 221lb ft of torque from 2,000rpm, 6-speed manual with front wheel drive.
Performance: 124mph, 0-62mph 9.7 seconds, 51.4mpg (58.9mpg actual) CO2 145g/km, VED road tax £130, BIK company car tax 22%.
Insurance group: 19E.
Dimensions/capacity: L 4,295, W 1,770, H 1,615mm, boot/load space 442 to 1,193-litres, 5-seats, braked towing weight 1,400kg.
For: Brilliant fuel economy, lively engine, roomy, solid, well made, comfortable, high specification.
Against: The very high £2,240 price premium for the diesel over the petrol powered models, no automatic transmission option, diesel models need servicing every 9,000 miles, reduced bhp output for 2012 model year diesel models, Black models look brash and glitzy.