ALMOST eight years after its Australian launch, the Mitsubishi ASX still punches above its weight in the sales charts, playing a close second fiddle to the long-term small SUV segment leader that is the Mazda CX-3 and comfortably outsells well-regarded models such as Nissan’s Qashqai and the Honda HR-V.

Compared with its younger rivals, the ASX is a pretty unsophisticated thing but nothing can really touch it in terms of sheer practicality from such a small footprint on the road. A five-year warranty helps, as do Mitsubishi’s revolving driveaway deals.

And if you have rented a car at the airport recently, you probably noticed the sea of Titanium Grey ASX base variants in the vehicle pick-up compound.

Yes you can buy better, but the ASX remains a cheap, honest and practical small SUV.