Mitsubishi resurrects Mirage to compete in small sedan market

Mitsubishi’s dominance in the local motoring market has also highlighted the chink in its armor: the lack of a small passenger car that will complement its strong SUV and pick-up range. Thankfully, the stars have aligned and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. has launched their global small car project, now known as the Mirage.

The Mirage is an old nameplate that hasn’t been used in the local market for almost three decades. Thankfully the new one was worth the wait.

The Mirage is an all-new hatchback built in Mitsubishi’s Laem Chabang port city facility in Thailand. An all-new factory expansion, called Plant No. 3, was put up to answer the forecast of more than 100,000 units for fiscal year 2012, producing both LHD and RHD Mirages to be exported to Asean, Africa, Australia, South America and Europe.

Let’s get the nit-picking out first. Outside, it looks like a Lancer sedan that’s been prematurely hatched while still in its embryonic stage. The back end looks quite a bit better in this respect. The Mirage’s interior is okay as small cars go, and with its projected SRP of between P500,000 and P600,000 for the four variants coming in, but on its own, the plastics feel low-rent and could use more soft-touch materials. Some bright silver and shiny black piano wood trim helps liven up what could have been a taxi-spec interior. The switchgear is all-new and modern, with a/c vents having a hint of Chevrolet Camaro in them. The speedometer dominates the instrument cluster with the tachometer on the left, and fuel level and other information displayed to the right.

The rear cargo space is deep, allowing tall objects to be safely secured. It’s the biggest cargo space in its class according to Mitsubishi engineers. I can easily fit two medium-sized travel bags standing up. If you need more space, drop the 65:35 split-folding seats to open up the rest of the interior for more cargo space. The seats are comfortable and supportive, and the 65:35 spit-folding back seats are surprisingly very roomy for a sub 6-foot journalist with a 42-inch waistline and 220-lb++ frame. Credit goes to an almost flat floor and quite tall-mounted front seats that allow my size 11 EEE’s to slide underneath them, providing good foot, knee and overall legroom. Sadly, the raised front seats, which help give more foot-room is a double-edged sword as drivers sit high up; it could have been made a bit lower to improve driving feel. The 3-spoke steering wheel could also use a bit more adjustment, again to improve driving position, feel and feedback.

The variants we tried out at the Bira International Circuit near Pattaya were equipped with a single driver’s airbag and ABS-EBD brakes on small and narrow 14-inch wheels equipped with 165/60 R14 all-season Yokohama tires. OEM 15-inch wheels will be available on higher end variants once they arrive in the Philippines.

The powertrain is an all-new 3-cylinder engine code-named 3A92 that features 12 valves and DOHC MIVEC engine to help make the most out of the modest 78 PS and 100 Newton-Meters of torque. Attached is a 5-speed manual transmission with a very light and positive feeling clutch, or Mitsubishi’s INVECS-III CVT transmission, which features both a normal mode and sport mode that simulates a 6-speed transmission for more aggressive driving.

Moving off, the Mirage jumps forward a bit, probably due to the light weight when using the 5-speed manual or the sport mode of the INVECS-III. But up until 4,000 rpm, progress is slow and steady, until which the MIVEC crashes the quiet party and suddenly gives the tiny 3-cylinder lump a decent amount of adrenalin as it surges enthusiastically forward. Keep the revs between 4,000 and 5,500 rpm and the Mirage is surprisingly entertaining on the fast and flowing Bira International Circuit. The 40-100 kph speed range power-band is adequate so you can take the Mirage out of town and be confident on the highway too. The engine does feel coarse, like a chain saw when revved hard, but loves to rev nonetheless. All the units we were driving barely had 1,000 kilometers in them, and with more mileage accumulated, engine operation should smooth, response should improve and hopefully free up a wee bit more power in the process.

The steering feel is ultra-light, almost lifeless but is thankfully quick and accurate. Playstation Generation drivers won’t have any problems picking up on the Mirage’s digital feel and feedback. The ABS-EBD equipped brakes, discs up front and drum brakes at the back are strong, giving enough grunt to stop the 830-870 kilogram Mirage (depending on transmission and options) spearing past 140 kph on the long sweeping sections of Bira. The suspension is soft but thankfully doesn’t bob and bounce up and down uncontrollably when going through the faster sections of Bira; the Mirage transfers its weight clearly and organically in this respect so you won’t have problems feeling the car as it loads up its tires when braking hard or cornering. Curb riding is fine; there’s still a good amount of harshness that enters through the cabin but the suspension and steering don’t feel upset and out of depth despite the rough gatorback FIA regulation curbing on the apex.

On-track histrionics are not the Mirage’s strongest suit, so consumers will be pleased to know that Mitsubishi’s own tests have produced a highly believable 22 km/liter fuel consumption on combined city and highway driving. Methinks a 10-12, possibly even a 14 km/liter fuel consumption is attainable in purely city driving in our traffic-laden metropolis.

Despite some foibles, Mitsubishi has a winner here: a surprisingly roomy interior, decent poke from the engine, great fuel economy. If they can get the pricing down to well below P600,000 by the fourth quarter of 2012, I can’t see why this won’t be Mitsubishi’s latest success story.