Ashburton Courier: September 17, 2020

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MOTORING
Ashburton Courier, September 17, 2020
27
Refined
engine
in new
look
Mirage
The new generation
Mitsubishi Mirage
is athree­cylinder,
front­wheel­ drive
car and very fuel
efficient.
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BY ROSS KIDDIE
I've always dismissed it,but
now IfearI’m colour­blind.
Thereason being is that
whenIpicked up anew
MitsubishiMirage from the
dealership, Iaskedthe very
friendly salesman: “Isitthe
brown car out the front?’’
He replied by saying it
wasn’tbrown, butyellow, and
we got intoadebate. We
finished by agreeing it wasa
mustard colour and, as such,
it is very unusual anddifficult
to describe. It is the colourin
the photograph that
accompanies thisarticle, it is
vivid and not acolouryou
oftensee on today’s roads.
However, I’ve beenassured
it is apopular choiceand, as
in my case,acolour which
draws interest and
discussion.
The new colourcoincides
withanew exterior designfor
the Mirage.The new
generation model is sharper,
less rounded, it is edgy and
boldupfront. There’s alsoa
new interior package,there’s
alot morekit in the car,
especially for safety, while
the controls and functions
havebeenfurther designed
for easeofuse and simplicity.
Eventhough the Mirage is
built in Thailand, it
encompassesthe easy­to­use
Japanesedesignphilosophy.
Insidethe compact body
shell, the wee Mirage makes
gooduse of its proportions.
It’s abit of asqueeze in the
rearfor any morethan two
occupants, but there is
appropriate leg andhead
room, likewise up front. The
driver sitsalittle high in the
seat, but other than that the
driving positionis
comfortable. For those who
are less thanagile,gettingin
and out of the driver’s seatis
abreeze because of its height,
there’s no stressput on the
hips.
Elsewhere, the Mirage sits
on much the sameplatformas
before,although asI’ve just
alluded to, thereare
upgradesthroughout which
further enhances itsfive­star
Australasian NewCar
Assessment Program safety
rating.
Underthe rear hatchback
arealies a235­litre load area,
extendingto912 litres with
the rear seats folded. At the
other end sits a1.2­litre,
three­cylinder,twincamshaft,
12­valvepetrol
engine. It hasmodest power
outputs of 58kW and 102Nm,
but the Mirage is light at
895kg so the engine creates
useful, adequateand thrifty
performance.
Mitsubishi has been busy
refining this engine. There’s
no denying the characteristic
tone that accompanies the
three­pot design, but it’s not
overbearingand Iquite like
the honest, deliberate wayin
which it sounds.
Drive is through
continuously variable
transmission. Thereare no
surprises here and no driveractivated
controls. What you
get is asimplesystem that
works well. CVTdoesn’t load
the engine whichallows it to
workwithin its ownfreedom
parameters, it never feels low
on revs,pick­up is always
deliveredatthe driver’s will.
The Mirageisno
powerhouse and acceleration
fits within its designconcept,
it will make astandstill to
100km/h in 13sec.
However, what doesmatter
the most is whatthe Mirage
achievesin terms on fuel
usage,Mitsubishi claimsa
five­litre per 100km combined
cycle average. During my time
in the test car Idid alot of
inner­city commuting and
short low speed journeys,
evenso, the fuel usage
readout was listing an average
of 6l/100km when Itook the
car back to the dealership.
That included my longopen
roadjourney which offered an
amazing 3.4l/100km
instantaneous figureat
100km/h, the enginespinning
overfreely at 2000rpm.
Three­cylinder engines are
generally strongon torque and
it responds well to mid­range
throttle request, an overtaking
manoeuvre (80­120km/h) can
be achieved in 9sec. With the
freedomofCVT the engine
builds revs andinitiates
momentum quickly,well akin
to its roleanyway.
The Mirage also feels light
from behind the wheel, the
electric power steeringsystem
doesn’t affordalot of
feedback,but the tyres (175/55
x15in Bridgestone Potenza)
are of highqualityand have
high grip levels.
It is also the perfect city
runaboutwith vision and
manoeuvrabilitywell
manufactured into the car. I
like it for its build quality and
engineering aspects whichare
just so downright honest,
bearing in mind that
Mitsubishi hasa10­year/
160,000km driveline warranty
and afive­year/130,000km
vehicle warranty
incorporated into every
Mirage purchase.
Price –Mitsubishi Mirage,
$21,990
Dimensions –Length,
3845mm; width, 1665mm;
height, 1510mm
Configuration –Threecylinder,
front­wheel­drive,
1193cc, 58kW,102Nm,
continuously variable
automatic
Performance –0­100km/h,
13sec
Fuel usage –5l/100km
:: ROBBIE :: KYLE :: WILLIAM
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