They say you get what you pay for. Within reason, the automotive industry is a prime example of this truism. Pay less for a car? get a stripped-down model with a lawn mower power plant. Pay big bucks? get luxurious seating and power to spare.
The Mitsubishi Mirage is inexpensive -- not necessarily cheap, but inexpensive -- and the adage is definitely true in this case: if you don't pay much, you don't get much. This vehicle is considered in the same "class" as the Honda Civic, the Toyota Corolla, and the Ford Escort (among others). I've also driven the Escort and the Corolla for this model year, and the Mirage fits neatly in the middle. It's marginally better than the Escort (but only marginally), and not the car the Corolla is. Note that all three experiences were renting the vehicle; this time I put about 500 miles on the Mirage on a six-day rental including city driving in Austin and Houston, Texas, and a 370-mile round trip between the two. The vehicle had slightly over 15,000 miles on it when I returned it.
Do I like the Mirage? in a word, "maybe." I definitely
did not like the standard rental-car configuration of a bottom-of-the-line motor and an automatic transmission -- but then I
never like automatic transmissions paired with underpowered engines.
A Stroll Around the Exterior
The Mirage attempts to look "sporty," not a particularly easy task for the four-door DE trim-level sedan I was driving. Chrome trim and paint details are minimal. The design features a sloping aerodynamic nose and a flat-tailed rear end. Fourteen-inch wheels keep the body close to the ground. Sport trim models feature a front airdam and add a spoiler to the read deck for no apparent reason; kicky alloy are also available except in the base trim options. If you're interested, I was driving a silver model. The body design allows for a reasonably large trunk (including one of those *&*%$ compact spares).
Have a Seat
The cabin is -- as one expects in this size vehicle -- cramped. The seats on my DE were light gray cloth, the interior also included medium gray carpet, and dark gray plastic door and dash trim. The instrument cluster features white/red/gray on black, and knobs and switches are likewise black (or perhaps "charcoal gray"). Amenities include
* a glove box of sufficient size to hold a few small items; it's larger than the glove box of the Escort (but what isn't?).
* a small console-mounted storage for CDs/cassettes/other junk
* a slide-out cupholder exactly sized to a US 12-oz soda can
* a folding rear seat
* small, molded map pockets in the doors and on the console
* ash tray and cigarette lighter.
* folding sideview mirrors with interior "stalks" for adjustment
* fuel and temperature guages, plus speedometer with trip odometer,
* on-dash display of the current gear
* adjustable steering wheel
The Safety Scene
Both driver- and passenger-side airbags are standard (no cutoff for the passenger-side bag, though). I'm not particularly attuned to child safety seats, but there appeared to be anchors for a such devices in the rear seating.
A Test Drive
The Mirage handles well at both city and highway speeds; the ride is fairly jerky, as one would expect for an inexpensive compact. The interior noise level is lower than that of the Escort or the Corolla, but it's not as quiet as my '92 Accord (even with 117,000 miles on it). Acceleration (with three-speed overdrive automatic) is quick away from a dead stop, and the vehicle also responds (although sluggishly) to punching the pedal at highway speeds. The shift from first to second gear on the automatic, however, produced almost no acceleration -- I began to think the transmission was slipping.
Economy-wise, I got in the neighborhood of 30 MPG for about 220 miles of the trip (150 highway and the rest city). The vehicle uses regular unleaded gasoline.
High Points: the "Accelerator Pedal"
The Mirage gets good gas mileage and handles well in city driving. It corners smoothly, fitting into tight spots where SUVs fear to tread (as one would expect for a car almost five feet shorter than a Suburban). The cabin is relatively comfortable for a road trip, including good adjustment for the driver's seat; and the interior noise level compares favorably with other vehicles in its class (in my experience).
Quality control of my sample was well above average: nothing missing, no strange gaps between body panels, no paint drips. A drive in the rain left me with no leaks, though there was heavy condensation on the spare tire when I picked the vehicle up.
Low Points: The "Brake Pedal"
The thing's a dog. With an automatic transmission coupled with a small engine (1.5 litre 92-horsepower four-cylinder), it barely has enough power to get out of its own way; and that can be dangerous on road trips. I rather suspect that the five-speed manual transmission would both improve economy and acceleration, and would strongly recommend that prospective owners opt for the manual configuration.
The interior is cramped and has some below-average design features: console storage is placed far to the rear -- far enough that it requires a contortionist to open it while keeping one's eyes (where they belong) on the road. The steering wheel has a limited range of adjustability; some drivers may be uncomfortable with the maximum height it allows. The back seat is (as one might expect) cramped. The air conditioning is underpowered, but it takes a
heck of an air conditioner to stand up to city driving in Houston when it's ninety out there!
Overall
Take a close look at competing models -- especially the Civic and Corolla -- before settling on the Mirage. I haven't checked its reliability with CR, but seem to remember that it's average or slightly above (as compared to the usually stellar records of Honda and Toyota).
As regards the yes/no recommendation, I do not recommend this car with an automatic transmission -- and can't speak from experince about its performance with a manual.
Amount Paid (US$): 12345
Condition: New
Model Year: 2001
Model and Options: DE four-door sedan AuUtomatic
