Our Fleet: Mitsubishi ASX 3 1.8 diesel 4WD - April 2013

The Mitsubishi ASX’s media system has been giving me flashbacks to a time when the manual of a car’s media system was essential reading.

New technologies seemed to go hand-in-hand with ever-more complicated user interfaces just to hammer home just how advanced these systems were.

It was almost like telling you that you deserved to use these cutting-edge gadgets only if you could successfully decipher complicated instruction booklets.

Fortunately, in recent years manufacturers have reversed this trend by making the media systems as simple to use as possible, so much so that it’s immediately obvious how to work them.

But the ASX had me bamboozled for a while. I couldn’t work out why, despite having connected my iPod through the supplied USB lead, the Kenwood system would register the device and I could see what was playing, but I couldn’t hear any sound.

Once sorted (my fault as I hadn’t realised I also needed to plug the supplied 3.5mm audio cable in), I couldn’t work out how to select a track or podcast through it. And then I couldn’t save a radio station as a preset through any of the usual methods. I was getting really frustrated.

However, most of my problems were caused by my impatience. All I needed was to dedicate 15 minutes with the instruction booklet to get the media system working exactly how I want it to.

Otherwise, I’ve found little to fault the ASX for. It’s a good-looking car which is also pleasant to drive, with a decent balance between comfort and control.

Performance from the 114bhp 1.8-litre diesel engine is adequate, while the current test fuel economy of 48.1mpg is down on the official combined figure of 54.3mpg.

Cabin space is impressive for such a compact car, too, with plenty of space for four adults and a useful 442-litre boot.