Before we go any further, particularly with the controversy of celebrity chefs being paid-to-tweet, let me just say that I’m a firm believer in transparency and honesty. In blog posts where I have received sample products or travel, you’ll always see a disclosure statement at the bottom of the article where I give credit to the PR agency or representative. Or sometimes I’ll use that space to disclose any conflicts of interest that may affect my credibility. With that said, my blog posts are never skewed just because I received something for free.
Food bloggers get sent shit loads of free stuff. Mummy bloggers, I hear, get even more.
For me, I’ll only blog about a small percentage of the things I get sent. My decision is dependent on only two factors, and that is whether or not I like it, and if it will be of genuine interest to you: my family, friends and dear readers. This comes back down to ‘why I blog’, which isn’t tied to any monetary goals.
Mitsubishi approached me some time ago with an opportunity to test drive the new Mitsubishi ASX. I already have a car which I rarely drive so I was a little hesitant in my response. Plus I’m not very confident with driving big cars as I’ve always owned small hatchbacks. But I was assured that the Mitsubishi ASX is a city-sized 4WD which meant it was smaller than your typical 4WD. To quote them, “Imagine all the benefits of a traditional SUV – like a spacious interior, roomy boot and extra height to give you a better view of the road ahead – combined with the ease of driving and fuel efficiency of a smaller car.”
What won me over wasn’t their generosity in loaning me a car for a whole week with a full tank of petrol, but it was the fact that I was actually moving around that time and thought the car would be useful during my moving hell. How convenient, I thought!
Further to that point, they presented me with a super exciting opportunity to be filmed. I’ve always wanted to go into video blogging but as I lack the video editing skills (and time!), I haven’t pursued it. So I couldn’t think of anything better than to have a professional team follow me around and capture me on film! And yes, I was paid – not for a positive opinion (they were always insistent on allowing me to be open and honest about my thoughts on the car, regardless of how negative or positive it was) – but to compensate for my time. I’m a busy businesswoman, so time is money.
So I test drove the car last October during my move, and we finally scheduled a date to film last month!
The idea behind the shoot was to capture me, doing what I do best… Eat! And our mode of transportation would be a brand new Mitsubishi ASX instead of my aged Mercedes-Benz A190 LWB.
First stop wasn’t very far from home at all. We drove down the street to Café Ish and started with a wattle maccacino, a karaage soft shell crab omelette for me, and the very beautiful vanilla risotto with stewed red beans, rice dumpling, choc rosella sauce, ANZAC cookie and native violets for Zen!
With food in our stomachs, we ventured off to Marrickville Markets for this week’s groceries and some goodies for our afternoon picnic. Farmers markets are such a captivating experience for all the senses – I love the crowd, the abundance of fresh produce, and all things made with heart.
Then we stopped by my local haunts – Bourke Street Bakery for some brioche and a fennel, raisin & cherry sourdough loaf and sweet treats (and another coffee), and Maloney’s Grocer for some cheese and jamon!
Last stop was my most favourite spot in Sydney – Wendy’s Secret Garden 🙂
Just in case you’re in the market for a new car, I’ll just mention that I totally wanted to keep this car after the test drive! The iPhone/Bluetooth connectivity was so awesome plus when you reverse park, a visual of the back of your car gets projected onto the rear mirror which makes parking in tight spots such a breeze! It also has quirky features such as automatically retracting side mirrors (when you lock the car). Apparently, the car is pretty fuel efficient too, so it ticks all the boxes!
I’ve always thought that my A190 was deceptively spacious but the ASX was even more surprising. When you’re inside, you feel like you’re in a massive car but on the outside, it’s only just slightly bigger than your average small car. Funnily enough, it took me longer to get used to driving my car again than it did getting into the ASX. My steering and accelerator pedal feel so stiff now, it just doesn’t compare!
Anyway, without further ado, here are the videos!
As you can see, it was such a pleasure to drive, and I had so much fun filming! Yay to being on video!
The vehicle model featured in these videos is the Mitsubishi ASX 2.0 Petrol 2WD CVT with Luxury Pack. For more information, go to www.mitsubishi-motors.com.au/vehicles/4wd/asx
This post is sponsored by Mitsubishi.
