Malaysia Motoring News: Mitsubishi Mirage

Front view of Mirage GS with Aero bodykit and Chrome package

The Thailand made Mitsubishi Mirage is bound to land on our shore in November and Mitsubishi Malaysia has start taking order right now for their new compact car. There will only be one engine on offer, which is the 3A92 MIVEC 1.2L unit. Displacing 1,193cc, arrange in in-line 3 cylinder configuration, the 4 valve per cylinder unit pumps out a reasonable 78PS@6,000 rpm of power and 100Nm of torque at 4,000 rpm. The drivetrain, combined with a lightweight 850kg (max for CVT kitted in GS trim), the car is claimed to be capable of returning 21km/L of fuel consumption.

Rear view of Mitsubishi Mirage GS trim

There will be two transmission on offer, a 5 speed manual and an INVECS-III CVT, split over two trim level. The entry level GL can only be had either in manual or CVT, while the pricier GS is CVT only. In terms of price, the manual GL is RM56,000, GL CVT is RM61,000 and the GS is RM64,000. All are OTR minus insurance. The car you see in this article are top range GS only, displayed at Mid Valley. One is the pure GS, while the other is the GS decked out in optional leather seats (RM1,500 option), AERO bodykit (RM1,999) and Chrome Package (RM750).

Front view of Mitsubishi Mirage GS in standard configuration

The exterior design can be described as modern conventional. Mitsubishi has adopted a small car layout in terms of length and especially height, resulting in conventional proportion instead of bulbous and tall-boy configuration like many compact car design nowadays. The front and rear design are great departure from the current Mitsubishi design language premièred on Lancer and ASX siblings. Perhaps this is a new design theme from the Japan maker. Aerodynamically, Mirage has a drag coefficient of 0.30, which is reasonably good for a mainstream hatchback.

Mitsubishi Mirage GS with leather pack

The interior too has a typical Mitsubishi cabin design. The dashboard and door trim lack the snazzy approach that even Perodua Myvi has adopt right now with its colorful detailing. The cabin is dominated in hard dark-colored plastic. Mitsubishi however tries to inject some character with the high gloss black centre console panel surrounding the audio and climate control system. There is also a silver lining surrounding all aircond vents and also on steering wheel spokes. Gear console is silver painted too.

Mitsubishi Mirage GS in standard fabric seat

Overall, the interior is cosy for four adult with sufficient legroom for the rear occupants. However, don't expect a spacious cabin as offered by the Perodua Myvi, as the legroom is much less. Boot space however is 245L, much larger than 208L offered by the new Myvi. The seats are a bit flat, particularly the back seat. This is the trend adopted by many Japanese maker right now, and really making the rear passenger thrown everywhere upon tight cornering.

Mitsubishi Mirage is 3,710mm long, 1,665mm wide and 1,500mm tall. It rides on 2,450mm wheelbase. The car is fairly light at 825kg in its barest trim. The chassis bits is also on par with the class standard. Suspension is McPhersons struts up front and torsion beam at the back, while the power steering is electrically assisted unit. Braking is ventilated disc at the front while the rear make do with the drum setup. The 14 inc alloy wheel is wrapped by 165/65 tyre.

Standard equipment across the board include the 2DIN audio interface with USB/iPOD connectivity, dual SRS airbags and ABS braking system. The pricier GS trim gets front fog lamp, rear spoiler, push start button, digitised automatic airconditioning and keyless entry. All model are equipped with 60/40 split folding rear seat for an added practicality, as well as 3 head restraint for the back seat.

The RM750 Chrome package buys you chromed fog lamp panel, front lower grille, tailgate garnish and door scuff plate. The Aero package meanwhile gives you front skirt, side window deflector, side skirt and rear skirt and costs you RM1,999. The cheapest accessories if you must get one is the Ralliart Fuel Lid Cap at RM150.

What do you think about the new Mitsubishi Mirage? Will it make our compact car market merrier? More photos can be found after the jump.