Motor Mouth – May 2012
Here’s my column from the May edition of the Herald. Just a little piece on car modification, with a short overview of the Mitsubishi ASX Black Edition I recently reviewed. Hope you enjoy it!…
So by the time you read this we will be in the fine month of May. What makes it so special? Well for starters it means we are closer to the summer, however short and rainy it may be. My birthday is also in May, and this year it’s a ‘biggie’. I turn 21, and so I shall most likely have to grow up somewhat. Or will I?
For starters, I feel like I have done a fair bit of growing up already, most reflected when it comes to my interest in cars. I no longer see speed as the sole purpose of a vehicle. Louder is not always better. ‘Fun’ encompasses more than just 0-60 times. I also have a more sensible view on car modification…
In 2001, the film “The Fast and The Furious” showed us all that bodykits, big wheels and nitrous-oxide were the best thing in the world. I spent the next 5 or so years (before I was even old enough to drive) planning just how I would be able to create my own street racer. There would be a ludicrous bodykit, an even more ludicrous paintjob, and an exhaust pipe at least three feet in diameter. Oh how I would have the coolest car… sigh.
Gladly by the time it came round to buying a car I no longer had this view. I no longer think that I am cleverer than the boffins designing these cars. In no way would I wish to undo their hard work by tinkering under the bonnet of a car that cost millions to design. But that’s not the end of it. I now believe there are ways to modify cars that are tasteful, and can retain the original vehicle’s practicality.
The most simple of these is to modify the colour scheme slightly. This can be achieved by changing the colour of wheels or wing mirrors for example. Even the manufacturers are doing it. Audi S and RS models have silver wing mirrors. It’s the same with Volvo R-Design cars. Then you come to the car I have just recently tested; the Mitsubishi ASX Black Edition.
Do not assume this is some impractical pimp-wagon though; the changes are purely cosmetic. What you get in your £1,000 ‘Black Edition’ kit are black wheels, black wing mirrors, a black roof, black finishing to the lower front and rear bumpers, and the word ‘black’ stitched into the seats. A lot of black then. But when you couple this to an exterior colour such as Polar White (the colour of my test vehicle) it creates a superb-looking contrast that really turns heads.
From my review, it scored 44 out of 50; being the highest scorer to date. It is a family car, with all the comfort and convenience required, but also has that ‘edge’ to it. Funny how it works; you paint a few parts of the car black and it suddenly looks completely different and more appealing.
Priced at £23,745 it’s not unreasonable, and the list of standard equipment is lengthy. I would own one of these, yet I wouldn’t feel boring in doing so. It’s a car that has all the space and equipment a family man could use, but also caters for the immature side which thinks black wheels are cool. It shows that family cars can have a fun side too, and that I may not have to grow up after all!
Read the full review on my blog. Be sure to keep up to date with Simply Motor, as I have more reviews on the way soon, promising to make great reading.
Dan
