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Bruce Newton23 Jan 2013
REVIEW

Mitsubishi Mirage 2013: Launch Review

Mitsubishi looks to its new mini-car for maxi sales

Mitsubishi Mirage

Local Launch
Sydney, NSW

What we liked
>> Small size perfect for the city
>> Combination of price and equipment
>> More cohesive drive than expected

Not so much
>> Road noise intrusion
>> Build quality could be better
>> Engine needs to be worked hard

OVERVIEW
>> Mitsubishi unearths a name for the past to carve out its future
Remember Mitsubishi? They used to build cars in Australia. Nowadays, judging by their sales decline in a record market, both the brand and its ageing line-up of imported vehicles is struggling for buyer attention.

But the new Mirage mini-car (along with the recently launched Outlander SUV) could help change all that.

Sharply priced and well equipped, it is Mitsubishi's intention that the Mirage sell in record numbers by the standard of the segment. That's 1000 of these Thai-built,1.2-litre triple-cylinder five-door hatches heading out of the showroom every month.

It's a sales figure far superior to what the Mirage's Colt-predecessor achieved, but that was a car that always struggled to hit an attractive pricepoint.

To find a small Mitsubishi that was priced in the Mirage's vicinity you have go back to, well, the Mirage. That's the three-door hatch that sold in Australia between 1996 and 2004.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT
>> Sharp price, plenty of gear
There are three Mirage model lines; ES, ES Sport and LS.

As a launch offer, pricing starts at $12,990 drive-away for the ES, rising to $14,190 for the Sport and $16,990 for the LS. Swap from the standard five-speed manual to a CVT auto and the driveaway pricing rises to - respectively - $15,490, $16,990 and $19,490.

In the month of January private buyers also get a $1000 Westfield gift card, which is tradeable, effectively making the Mirage ES manual driveaway price an appealing $11,990.

Standard ES equipment includes 14-inch steel wheels, body colour doorhandles, mirrors and bumpers, a leather steering wheel with audio and telephone controls, air-conditioning, remote central locking, power windows front and rear,  trip meter, height adjustable driver's seat, CD audio with USB and Aux input and Bluetooth with audio streaming.

The stereo has only two speakers and the spare tyre is a space saver. Metallic paint costs $475, which leaves white as the only colour that won't cost extra.

The Sport adds 14-inch alloys, body colour rear spoiler with high mount stop light, four speakers for the audio system and door-sash blackout.

On top of all that, the LS adds 15-inch alloy wheels, front foglights, leather gearshift knob, climate control, automatic dusk sensing headlights, auto rain sensing wipers, a smart key and one-touch starting.

The Mirage comes with Mitsubishi's five-year/130,000km warranty and the first four services (scheduled at 15,000km intervals) are each capped at $250.

Mitsubishi says the Mirage's 1000 sales per month should break up into 40 per cent for the LS and 30 per cent each for ES and Sport. The CVT should account for around 70 per cent of sales, while around 65 per cent of buyers should be women.

MECHANICAL
>> Simple, basic and modified for Australia
Based on Mitsubishi's new 'Global Small' architecture, the Mirage is a pretty simple concept technically.

It drives its front wheels via a new 1.2-litre triple cylinder engine which utilises double overhead cams, four-valves per cylinder and Mivec variable intake valve timing to produce a maximum 57kW at 6000rpm and 100Nm at 4000rpm.

Fuel consumption for the ES and Sport manual or auto is 4.6L/100km and CO2 emissions are 109 g/km. The LS manual averages 4.8L/100km (113g/km) and the CVT 4.9L/100km (115g/km).

Underpinning suspension is via MacPherson struts up-front and a torsion beam at the rear. The steering is electrically assisted rack and pinion and the braking system a combination of front discs and rear drums.

The Mirage rides on a 2450mm wheelbase, is 3710mm long, 1665mm wide and 1500mm high. Base kerb mass is a mere 865kg, the turning circle a miniscule 9.2m.

Mitsubishi boasts about the body's 0.31 Cd (coefficient of drag) aerodynamic figure, but it's hardly a spectacular achievement. The more notable thing about the exterior is the way it eschews Mitsubishi's corporate look. The new Outlander goes its own way on style too. No more 'jet fighter' grilles then.

Its worth noting that the Australian-spec Mirage is different in important ways to the version tested - and panned - by Australian media in Thailand last year.

A front stabiliser bar improves handling, while beige and black two-tone interior and an integrated audio system give the interior a classier look. Sound deadening has also been upgraded.

Following the media complaints, Mitsubishi engineers came to Sydney and evaluated the car to make sure the modifications were on the right track.

PACKAGING
>> It's good, but it's not that good
From its small size, Mitsubishi has worked hard to eke space out of the Mirage.

Nevertheless, the claim that five adults can be seated comfortably in the Mirage is over-stating the case. They'd have to be shorter and especially skinnier than the average Aussie for that to apply.

However, four full-size adults can fit at a pinch. Kneeroom is tight for rear-seat passengers, but elbow room is ok and headroom is plentiful. The little rear doors open wide to provide decent exit and entry.

The rear seat also split-folds 60:40, growing carrying capacity substantially from the boot's 235 litre maximum.

Storage opportunities include a glovebox, dashboard tray, centre console tray, front door pockets with bottleholders, two front and one rear cupholders. In the rear there is a passenger seat-back pocket but there are no door pockets.

SAFETY
>> Six airbags, but waiting on five stars
All Mirages come with six airbags, comprising driver and front passenger front and side and curtain airbags. Also standard is stability control and anti-lock braking assisted by electronic brakeforce distribution.

Mirages fitted with a CVT add Hill Start Control.

Each passenger gets a lap-sash safety belt and adjustable headrest. There are top tether locations for three child seats and two Isofix mounting points.
Mitsubishi claims the Mirage's big windows and location of the A-pillars aids vision and therefore safety.

As yet there is no NCAP star rating for the Mirage, but the car has been tested by ANCAP and a result should be announced in February. Mitsubishi is anticipating a full five star result.

COMPETITORS
>>A small group, in more ways than one
The Mirage arrives in the small but growing 'sub-light' segment. These cars are often referred to as super-minis or micro-cars, based on their small physical size. teeny engines and entry-level pricing.

The obvious competitors for the Mirage are the Nissan Micra (which come as both a triple and four-cylinder), the Suzuki Alto, four-cylinder only Holden Barina Spark and the more expensive and manual-only Volkswagen Up.

You can also chuck the Chinese-built $9999 drive-away Chery J1 into that mix, but it is at least one class behind the rest of this lot in terms of build quality and drive experience.

ON THE ROAD
>>A basic car, but done well
The Mirage is about as basic as cars get these days. And that's pretty good news because judging by our drive of an ES auto it's actually a bit better than you might have expected - as long as you weren't expecting too much.

There are limitations here, the drivetrain being the most obvious.

Okay, the 1.2-litre engine is enthusiastic, but that doesn't make up for the need to drive the Mirage flat-out when accelerating to keep up with aggressive city and cut-and-thrust suburban traffic.

Hills are not its friend and nor would a full load of adults and luggage...

One positive was the way the CVT smoothed out the limited power delivery better than a traditional torque converter auto would. It also, no doubt, played a role in the decent 6.5L/100km fuel consumption average our two hour loop around the northern side of Sydney finished at (according to the trip computer).

The triple-cylinder engine is a constant companion, pulsing at idle, then vibrating through the pedals and steering wheel as revs rise. It never gets annoyingly loud or rough, but it never subsides into the background either.

Tyre and road noise is a constant companion too, becoming pretty darn intrusive on coarse surfaces - and that's with the improved sound deadening.

And yet, despite all that, the Mirage is a relatively comfortable place to be. It rides without too much wallop and crash, it handles lane changing and bus dodging easily thanks to its size and benign handling. The steering points the wheels in the right direction, albeit feeling quite dead as it does so.

In the driver's seat it's not too hard to get comfortable. The base adjusts through a reasonable height range and the view out is clear. Only the lack of steering wheel reach adjustment is an issue.

No doubt, the presentation of the interior is a cut above the accepted el-cheapo standard. The two-tone and leather trims adds character, as does piano black through the centre stack. But don't expect soft touch plastics or millimetre perfect panel fit.

At this money that's an unrealistic expectation, but at this money so is just about any expectation beyond getting the most fundamental of automotive transport.

The good thing is the Mirage delivers above the minimum requirement. It's not outstanding, not deplorable, but cheap, (mostly) well equipped and well executed. Nice to know you're still with us Mitsubishi.

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