Just to clarify, we are talking about the Mitsubishi Mirage and not the Mirage G4, as the latter has had some updates in the past months. The Mirage, however, has had updates few and far in between. Let’s read on the pros and cons of owning a Mitsubishi Mirage.

PROS

The Mitsubishi Mirage is a very versatile and fuel economical car. Its sleek design makes it nimble enough to cut across traffic and navigate tight spaces and corners on Metro Manila highways and side streets. It’s a great first car, or something you give your child upon graduating or entering college. It’s price point makes it very economical, starting at PhP 711,000 for the GLX M/T and PhP 765,000 for the GLX CVT.

The new sporty look of the Mirage with black panels and trimmings, black side mirrors and black door handles, as well as black wheels gives the car a fresh, youthful, and sportier look. The black interior adds to this agenda and it’s a charming first car for some. The updated entertainment system is also a plus!

The Mitsubishi Mirage also has standard safety features like dual SRS airbags for the front passengers and a Reinforced Impact Safety Evolution body, which basically means the body and chassis of the car absorbs impact and ensures safety of its passengers in the unlikely event of a crash.

The Mirage, as Mitsubishi claims, is “surprisingly roomy”. It can hold up to 5 passengers plus a little cargo on its little trunk space. It’s 76hp 1.2L in-line 3 DOHC MIVEC engine can carry you all in the city roads and highways, plus the occasional out of-town barkada trips.

It is also fuel efficient, probably the best feature of the Mirage, apart from the standard Mitsubishi reliability everyone expects.  With its 35 liters of fuel tank capacity, a liter can go as far as 10-14 kilometers of city driving (others claim to achieve 12 kpl under EDSA bumper to bumper traffic) while a whopping 18 to 21 kilometers to the liter on the highway.

CONS

The Mirage is a basic car. The reason why I don’t want to nitpick this car is because what we see is basically what we expect to get. A car with basic functionalities. A car that can bring people safely from point A to point B.

As simple as it is, the car is reliable and fuel efficient with a neat engine and a neater engine output, considering its size. But my question is this: if we are willing to pay PhP 711,000 for the manual and PhP 765,000 for the CVT, why not add a little over or less than a hundred grand and get the base model of the Mirage G4, which has the same engine and power output but is practically bigger and has better features? Or if you want to get a sporty micro-compact hatchback, why not get the Honda Brio? The RS model is just about the same price, and it comes with the stock body kits. Who doesn’t like a black top hatch with a diffuser and rear spoiler?

To end, it’s not that the Mitsubishi Mirage is a bad car but there could be better choices. If you value fuel economy and doesn’t mind the looks, the Mirage is a car to start with, or simply a daily driver. It is reliable and fuel efficient. Ultimately, to each its own, and brand loyalty to Mitsubishi is still a thing. C’mon, the brand practically made the Japanese fighter planes in World War II, you’d trust them to make you a small car. *wink*

Also read: Mitsubishi Brings to Light the 2022 Mitsubishi Xpander