Mitsubishi Mirage 2014 Review

Mitsubishi has taken an interesting route with the all-new sedan version of its Mirage hatch. This isn’t simply the same body with a different rump, it has been stretched by 100 mm in its wheelbase to greatly increase legroom in the back seat. To the extent that it can seat four adults with ease. I’m a six-footer in the old money and can sit comfortably in the back with the driver’s seat in my normal position.

The industry statistician, VFACTS, has therefore moved the Mirage sedan into the next size category up (officially it’s a Light Car like the Mazda 2 and Toyota Yaris, not a Micro Car like its tiny hatch basis - though I’ve yet to hear a member of the public using these terms when asking me about cars…)

Mitsubishi Mirage totally dominates its market category with year-to-date sales of Mirage hatch that are almost as high as the total of the other eight cars in the class combined. 

Interestingly, Toyota took the same tack with its Corolla sedan late last year. The Corolla sedan is also significantly bigger than the hatch, which has noticeably increased sales.

There’s a message here: Australian car buyers are happy to move to smaller cars, but demand useful interior room.

Speaking of which, the Mirage sedan has a very large boot capacity at 450 litres. However the back seat can’t be folded so versatility isn’t as good as it should have been.

VALUE

Two sedan models are offered. Even the lower cost one, the Mirage ES, has alloy wheels, air conditioning and full connectivity that includes Bluetooth. It’s priced at $14,990 with the manual and $16,490 as an auto. On-road costs aren’t included in these prices.

The Mirage LS only comes with the automatic transmission and is priced at $17,490. It gains keyless entry and start, automatic lights and wipers, a leather trimmed steering wheel, tinted side glass, a slightly more upmarket trim and some added chrome details.

ENGINE / TRANSMISSION

Power for the Mirage sedan comes from the same 1.2-litre three-cylinder engine as the hatch. With 57kW of power and 100Nm of torque it’s no ball of fire. Transmission is by five-speed manual or CVT automatic.

DRIVING

Our brief drive showed surprisingly low levels of interior noise for this class. Considerable work has gone into achieving sound reduction and the latest Mirage hatches have also received this NVH minimisation treatment. We will try and get hold of a hatch for an update on its road test.

Mirage sedan and hatch have a five-year, 100,000 kilometre warranty. Capped price servicing applies to the first four services. The rrp is $299 for each, the schedule is 15,000 km or 12 months, whichever comes first.