Faults:

Media system fault; nothing else.

General Comments:

Purchased this car when I decided to downsize from my money pit BMW 520d 2011 model. I was so fed up with my current car and wanted to downsize to something more reliable and cheaper to run. Wasn’t looking for a Mitsubishi Mirage, but came across one at my local dealership when looking at different cars.

This one I liked was the Mirage Juro CVT with a 1.2 petrol engine with loads of extras as standard, which I was surprised for a cheap city car. It has heated front seats, Bluetooth media, reverse camera, electric windows all round and keyless entry/start. I don’t feel the motoring press was very fair in panning this car as I think it’s a great little car that’s fun to drive and very economical as well; I manage 45 mpg easily around town, sometimes more, and figures in the high 50’s on a run. The CVT gearbox takes a little getting used to, but it does the job fine and makes it a very easy car to drive.

Seats are very comfortable and the driving experience is good. The brakes and suspension were upgraded on this model after critics complained about poor braking and ride on earlier models. OK the car is only 74bhp and 0-60 is around 11.5 seconds, but it’s not meant to be a performance car! I find the car quite nippy and fun, and will cruise at motorway speeds OK while returning good mpg.

Considering it’s a compact car, it’s very roomy and can seat 5 in reasonable comfort. Boot size is good and when the seats are folded the load space is very surprisingly large.

The only problem I’ve had with the car was the touch screen Bluetooth media system with satnav etc went faulty and needed to be replaced, but this was covered by the warranty when I purchased the car.

Personally I think it’s a lovely stylish little car which has a huge following on the Facebook group with owners all around the world. Some examples of these cars have clocked very high mileages with no troubles which is a testament to Mitsubishi reliability. The car is light and maneuverable and easy to park. Visibility is excellent. I can highly recommend this car, whether it’s a second car, main car, or someone’s first car. Cheap to run and insure is a bonus, but now in the £180 per annum tax band which I think is a ripoff, but that’s the government for you!

Faults:

Rear outer lower control arm bush fell apart and needed to be changed badly.

T.P.S. (throttle position sensor) needed to be adjusted as it bogged down slightly when I floored it.

The rear wiper motor has stopped working.

It needed a good service, and drop links and ARB bushes needed to be changed, but that's all just expected wear and tear.

Aftermarket Powerflow catback exhaust broke just over the axle, so I had it repaired, but I will be changing it for a factory standard exhaust system, as I don't particularly like loud exhausts.

General Comments:

I absolutely love the look of these cars, and the driving position is good with great support from the factory Recaro interior, and I love the feel of the Momo steering wheel.

These cars are very well spec'd with A/C, electric windows, central locking, electric mirrors, digital climate control, Recaro seats and Momo steering as standard.

The handling is pretty good in standard form, but with some uprated shocks and lowering springs, and the addition of front and rear strut braces, it's a whole different ball game.

Brakes are decent, but I think I will invest in some better pads soon.

Performance wise they are pretty nippy, especially over 5200 RPM once Mivec engages, but even low down I find it very torquey, probably due to the Powerflow exhaust, as I can happily cruise along at 40km/h in 5th with no judder or jumping.

MPG is decent, but I was expecting a bit more to be honest. I can manage high 30s on long drives, and low 30s around town, with an average of about 35 with mixed driving.

My previous car was a Toyota Starlet Turbo with a few subtle mods like exhaust, air filter and intercooler, and the boost raised slightly, and performance wise the Mivec wouldn't come close, and I could manage the same MPG with the Starlet, but with lower road tax and the same insurance.

All in all, I like the car, especially the interior and exterior, but performance wise it's OK; I'd prefer my Starlet any day.