Rent Mitsubishi ASX 2023 in Dubai

Pay us when the car arrives, by card, cash, or a wallet like Apple Pay or Google Pay, and you can have the Mitsubishi ASX 2023 outside your door in Dubai within an hour or two. That flexibility suits the kind of renter this compact SUV is built for: a solo driver or a couple who want a higher seat, an easy car to park, and a boot that swallows a week's shopping, all at the cheap end of the lot. It is a no-fuss SUV rather than a clever one. The cabin is plain and the engine is relaxed, but for city errands and the odd airport run, those trade-offs are easy to live with.

What you're actually renting

The ASX sits in the economy class, which tells you most of what you need to know. You get the raised ride height and the upright doors of an SUV without the price or the thirst of a bigger crossover. It's front-wheel drive only, so treat it as a tall hatchback rather than anything that belongs on a dune. There's no low-range, no proper off-road mode, and nothing here that wants to leave the tarmac.

The engine is a 2.0-litre petrol with 150 hp, paired to an automatic gearbox. Around town that's plenty. It pulls cleanly away from lights, holds its own in traffic, and never feels like it's straining at the speeds you actually drive in the city.

Does your luggage fit

The boot holds 358 litres, which is honest small-SUV territory. For a couple flying in to Dubai, that's two large suitcases stood upright plus a cabin bag squeezed beside them. Push to three full-size hard cases and a fourth passenger and it gets tight, fast. Drop the rear seats and the floor opens up enough for a flat-pack run or a bulky pram, which is where the SUV shape earns its keep over a normal hatch. For a single business traveller doing a DXB or DWC pickup, none of this is a worry.

Parking, speed bumps and the city

At 4355 mm long and 1810 mm wide, the ASX is compact enough to be relaxed in Dubai's tighter spots. Marina ramps and multi-storey bays that fluster a full-size SUV are a non-event here, and the upright glass means you can actually see the corners when you reverse into a narrow space.

Ground clearance is 195 mm, taller than any sedan in this price bracket. Community speed bumps and mall entry ramps that scrape a low car are no problem, and you don't flinch at a steep parking transition. You sit higher than the traffic around you too, which is the real reason people pick a small SUV over a hatchback for daily Dubai driving.

On Sheikh Zayed Road

This is where you should be honest with yourself. The ASX is comfortable cruising at the legal limit on the E11, settled and quiet enough for a long airport run. Ask it to surge from 100 to overtake quickly and the 150 hp engine takes its time. It's a 0 to 100 in roughly 11 seconds car, not a quick one, so plan your overtakes rather than relying on instant punch.

For the driving most renters do, that's fine. If your week involves regular high-speed runs to Abu Dhabi with a full car and luggage, a torquier crossover will feel less worked.

Heat, AC and the cabin

Summer is the real test of any rental here, and the ASX handles the basics. Park it in 45-degree sun and the cabin bakes, like everything does. The air conditioning pulls a parked cabin down to bearable in a few minutes from the front vents, faster once you're rolling. There are no rear vents, so back-seat passengers cool more slowly, which is worth knowing if you're carrying people on the school run in July.

The cabin itself is the ASX's weak point. This is an older design and it feels it. The plastics are hard, the screen is dated, and there's none of the soft-touch finish a newer rival gives you. Everything works and nothing rattles, but you won't mistake it for a fresh car.

Fuel, Salik and the rules

The 63-litre tank and roughly 8.0 L/100km in mixed city driving give you around 750 km between fills, so most renters top up once a week and forget about it. On a tank of city errands you'll likely visit the pump less than you expect.

A couple of Dubai standards apply to every rental. Salik tolls are charged to you as you pass the gates, and any RTA fines during your rental are passed on to the renter, so drive accordingly. Seat belts are mandatory in every seat, front and back.

Who should rent it, and who shouldn't

Rent the ASX 2023 if you're a solo driver or a couple who want an SUV's height, view and easy parking without paying for it, and your week is mostly city errands plus the occasional airport hop. It does that job cheaply and without drama.

Size up if you regularly carry four adults with luggage, or if your week leans on fast highway runs where the relaxed engine starts to feel its age. And if a modern, well-finished cabin is high on your list, a newer-feeling rival in the same class will leave you happier, even though the ASX gets you from A to B just as well. Pick it for what it is: a cheap, practical, easy SUV, not a plush one.