P1.5M budget: 4x2 Santa Fe vs. Full option Mitsu ASX?

**satyricon** · December 7th, 2010 05:36 PM

Originally Posted by actor21

if you are leaning on ASX because its 4x4, why not consider the Tucson its 4x4 and a diesel seating capacity is the same with ASX but a lot cheaper.

but if you are to chose bet sta fe and asx, ASX would be my choice...nice car indeed.

The Tucson is indeed a real nice car, and the Hyundai badge is a big plus with their crdi engine. Kaso last I heard you'd have to wait 3 months for availabality. And, as a purely personal preference, I think the styling is a bit off. Their fluidic design doesn't sit well with some tastes.. Other than that, a Tucson would be just perfect.

**oliver1013** · December 7th, 2010 05:45 PM

Ano pa bang 4x4 ang pasok sa budget na di na magaantay ng 3 o mahigit pang buwan?

**Starex_Gold** · December 7th, 2010 05:47 PM

Honda CR-V 2.4Liter S-X 4WD. 1.525M / 1.545M (PWM)

**niky** · December 7th, 2010 06:59 PM

At 1.5m... it's less a discussion of practicality, and more a discussion of "How much fun do you want to have?"

The Mazda CX7 comes in at just under 1.5m. It's a good looking car, and has, hands down, the best seats and interior quality of the class... but it doesn't quite have the same toys as the Tucson. Best steering, but it's not the quickest or grippiest.

The new CR-V 2.4 has a better ride than before, better seats than before, and much better handling than before. The 2.4 liter engine is powerful for a gasoline mill, and it's now actually fun to drive.

The new X-Trail XTronic transmission is incredible. The 2.5 falls within your price range, too. The ride is good, but the handling and interior aren't quite all that.

The CRDi Tucson is available at well under this mark. Even if it isn't the premium, you're getting good handling, an awesome CRDi engine and transmission and great looks. It doesn't quite have the same "porma" as the Premium model, but with that 160k change from 1.5m (regulard CRDi is 1.34), you can get a better radio and some tasty big mags.

The Santa Fe has seven seats. It may not have as good an interior as the Sorento or the Sonata, but it's more than acceptable. It has a monster of an engine... despite its size, it can spank any SUV in this price range in terms of outright acceleration, save for, say, a Forester XT. The ride and handling are pretty good for a big car, too (though the Sorento handles better). And did I mention it has seven seats?

Now, the ASX. Don't get me wrong... the top-of-the-line AWD is nice, the handling and ride are fantastic... and Mitsubishi sound systems are really quite good... but it doesn't quite have the same cargo space or power as other cars in this price range. Besides, I think the 1.275m 2WD with CVT drives nicer... and the extra change will buy you an in-dash system, some mags and a whole lotta other bling-bling to go with it.

-

Now if you want to be practical... buy a secondhand Crosswind and invest your money in long term bonds.

**satyricon** · December 8th, 2010 02:50 PM

It sure seems Hyundai has been giving the rest of SUV segment a run for its money. The Santa Fe is turning out to be a good, proper choice, as far as this thread is concerned.

As for the X-Trail, CX7, CRV... i typically shy away from gas guzzlers, and that bunch, despite being standouts in their own right, have notoriously huge drinking habits.

I went to visit Diamond Motors Fairview yesterday to ask for a test drive. They have a black 4x2 ASX in the parking lot, turns out the unit was already sold. As yet, they still don't have a test drive unit. Maybe tomorrow at Freeway Motors Cabanatuan I'd be luckier

**Starex_Gold** · December 8th, 2010 03:38 PM

Yung fuel consumption naman ng ASX halos pareho lang ng CR-V.

Sa tingin niyo ba kaya ng ASX 4WD mag 8.5km/L sa city?

**GTi** · December 8th, 2010 03:57 PM

Originally Posted by satyricon

Need your input guys. I'm a noob here, registered to ask for opinions regarding a purchase I've long been planning to make. This decision is really giving me a hard time so I'm hoping you guys can help me out.

My budget tops off at P1.5m and I'm planning to buy a new SUV. Sedans are out of the question considering the crummy road conditions that we suffer through especially during the rainy season. I go to Nueva Ecija about once a week to do business there and take a day off at our farm on my way back to Manila. I usually travel by myself but weekends are another story since I mostly spend them with my kids (two of them plus an ever-present hanger-on) going all over the metro, doing the usual mall run and whatnot.

Considering I'm on a budget, I've narrowed my choices down to two: the 4x2 Santa Fe and the 4x4 ASX. It's not exactly an apples to apples comparison and I guess you guys know why. Things worth consideration are:

Santa Fe:
-nice size, incredible engine, improved consumption (crdi/evgt), upscale interior... but it's only a 4x2 and the image you get when driving one puts you right smack in midlife-crisis category.

ASX:
-Tech galore (paddle-shift, CVT, HID, headlamp washer, etc)
-interior is decent compared to other more plasticky rivals
-AWESOME multi-select 4x4!
-love it or hate it looks --i happen to love it. takes away around 10 years from the driver's age. hehe

... but it is a bit smallish on the inside, the rear seatbacks don't recline, it's new and unproven (would it go the way of the Outie?)

So there, the source of my indecision. Symptomatic of the mid-age crisis I must be going through. Your help would surely prove to be therpeutic.

Thanks and season's greetings to all tsikoteers

The SF ain't a midlife crisis car... just ask the SF owners here. Its a youthful, athletic and sports-oriented vehicle that combines that youthfulness with practicality of which the ASX doesn't have much. With the high gasoline prices nowadays, a 4WD gasoline powered CUV would be very hard on the pocket too. The SF may not have 4WD but its got more ground clearance than the ASX and just drive slowly and carefully in the muddy areas.

When talking of on road performance, the ASX won't be as good as the SF as its got less horsepower and torque compared to the SF as well as additional drag from the heavy 4WD system. If I really want a Mitsubishi CUV, I'd rather go get a 2nd hand Outlander instead. Its got more power, space and better looks to boot. Or if I really need the sedan like comfort, 4WD and a CRDi engine, a 2nd hand SF VGT 4WD or Tucson 2.0ReVGT would suffice.

**ghosthunter** · December 8th, 2010 04:00 PM

Originally Posted by GTi

The SF ain't a midlife crisis car... just ask the SF owners here. Its a youthful, athletic and sports-oriented vehicle that combines that youthfulness with practicality of which the ASX doesn't have much. With the high gasoline prices nowadays, a 4WD gasoline powered CUV would be very hard on the pocket too. The SF may not have 4WD but its got more ground clearance than the ASX and just drive slowly and carefully in the muddy areas.

When talking of on road performance, the ASX won't be as good as the SF as its got less horsepower and torque compared to the SF as well as additional drag from the heavy 4WD system. If I really want a Mitsubishi CUV, I'd rather go get a 2nd hand Outlander instead. Its got more power, space and better looks to boot. Or if I really need the sedan like comfort, 4WD and a CRDi engine, a 2nd hand SF VGT 4WD or Tucson 2.0ReVGT would suffice.

On the topic of the ASX, after driving all variants of the ASX (A/T M/T 4x2 4x4), the best overall would be the 4x2 AT variant (but the MT is good too but heavy traffic in the city would make one prefer ATs over MTs).