2014 Mitsubishi Mirage – Honesty Is The Best Policy

The 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage, a new city car, is the smallest and least-expensive car the Japanese automaker plans to sell here. It is offered in several Skittles-like colors including kiwi green, plasma purple, infrared and sapphire blue. You can also get black, white and silver.

Power comes from a frugal 1.2-liter three-cylinder kicking out 74 hp. Transmission choices are a five-speed manual or CVT.

Mitsubishi makes clear the car isn’t about speed, handling or luxury; it’s basic point-A-to-point-B transportation. The car’s task is simple: Offer cash-strapped millennials and empty-nest boomers the opportunity to enjoy that new-car smell. A five-speed-manual-equipped car starts at $13,790 (including the $795 delivery fee); a CVT adds $1,000, so Mitsubishi thinks the Mirage is cost-competitive with lower-priced used cars. The base car’s fuel economy – 34 mpg city/42 highway/37 combined – ties it up with another fuel-sipper, the 2014 Ford Fiesta. A combined fuel economy of 40 mpg is attainable if you opt for the CVT.

The Mirage comes as a base DE model with staples such as power side mirrors and tilt steering. Upmarket ES trim adds $1,200 to the price; you get everything from pushbutton start to a Bluetooth hands-free phone system to cruise control. A fully loaded Mirage can be had for around $17,000.

The interior is clean and minimalistic. Cloth seats lack infinite adjustability but are still comfortable after several hours. The dash is Spartan with hard black plastics, but we enjoyed the easy-to-use knob-and-button layout. We found the 74-hp engine free-revving, and it had no trouble happily pulling the 1-ton car along. The CVT-equipped car requires a bit more prodding to reach cruising velocity. The steering could use some more weight and feedback, and while the suspension is soft enough for a tolerable ride over cobblestones, taking sweeping corners at speed is an uncertain proposition. Most drivers won’t care.

Mitsubishi is fine with that. By design, the honest Mirage doesn’t offer much for enthusiasts. Mitsubishi Motors North America manager of product planning Bryan Arnett says he’d like a slightly edgier Mirage – perhaps with tighter suspension and a few extra horsepower – but we suspect a raw Mitsubishi Micro-Evolution isn’t in the cards.

Sales goals are set at an attainable 7,000 a year. If all goes according to plan, it will serve as a low-cost introduction to the brand for buyers both young and old. It’s not as sporty as the Mazda 2 is, nor as flashy as the Chevrolet Spark, but the Mirage provides decent competition for other city cars where its price, fuel economy and slate of standard features are concerned.

If Mitsubishi can inform the public about the Mirage’s existence and draw prospects into showrooms, we wouldn’t be surprised if dealers are able to beat the modest sales predictions.