The Incredibly Growing Mitsubishi Mirage Gains a New Face
Christmas just came early for many of you. The Mitsubishi Mirage, a truly inexpensive vehicle sometimes seen wearing a worrisome shade of magenta, will soon be even better than before.
That’s because the subcompact hatch and sedan is about gain an even more dynamic and expressive exterior. Brace yourselves.
Slated to be revealed at an event in Thailand on November 18th, the global Mirage and its sedan sibling (known to North Americans as the G4; Attrage in overseas markets) will amp up the economy car goodness with a heavily revised front fascia. You might recognize the look from the 2016 Outlander.
A teaser image seems to imply the Mirage will gain LED mascara, with its headlamps underscored by a chrome stripe that flows into the border of the new grille. A two-bar insert perks up the middle of the little car’s face. Recall that the first version of this current Mirage generation boasted an air inlet so small, you’d think you were looking at a first-gen Hyundai Accent. Thus, it’s an improvement, whether you want to hand Mitsubishi that compliment or not.
Interestingly, Mitsubishi claims the exterior alterations embody the car’s “Mitsubishi-ness.”
Mitsubishi-ness.
While the basic four-door hatch will surely make its way here, the G4 variant might not. The UK won’t get it, nor will Canada. We’re waiting on word about U.S.-market availability.
As for power, don’t expect any more than what you’ve been getting. According to Autocar, the Mirage’s two global engines (a 1.0- and 1.2-liter inline-three) are expected to carry over, with North Americans gaining the punchier of the two. Currently, the Mirage makes do with 78 horsepower and 74 lb-ft of torque.
While we can poke fun at the Mirage’s bottom-rung standing in the automotive food chain, Mitsubishi is having the last laugh. U.S. buyers clearly see something they like. Unlike most other small cars, the Mirage can boast of steadily rising sales. Through the end of October, Mirage sales are up 10.8 percent in the U.S., with last month showing a 23.4 percent year-over-year volume gain.
That puts the lowly Mirage on track for its best sales year since the model’s late-2014 introduction.
[Image: Mitsubishi Motors]
More by Steph Willems
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Im glad I’m not stuck having to drive bottom feeder cars like this, but that said this thing serves a purpose: it saves money. Something no hybrid ir electric car will EVER do so long as this is an option at this price point. It’s proof that ICE’s are the best bang for the buck.
This is a nice car for either a college student or somebody just starting the work force. I would prefer this over the vulgar Escalade. I would be thrilled if GM or Ford produced a decent entry level car like this. The front end is a huge improvement. This is actually a good looking car.