Under No Illusions: The 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage Review

Looking to buy or lease a small car? Well the 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage is a no-nonsense 5-door supermini that is well worth a look. While it’s not the most dynamic machine in the world, it more than makes up for it with affordability, spaciousness and very cheap running costs. It’s an underrated contender that mixes some of the best elements of the supermini and city car classes.

The clearest thing about how it’s designed is just how aerodynamically sound it is. Everything from small grille opening to the shape of the rear bumper is optimised for easy airflow and minimal drag in a way that puts its boxier rivals to shame. It’s sleek and tidy looking too. The interior of the 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage is old school – lots of hard plastics and a basic design. They have made an effort by glossing the black centre console though and the storage holders are dotted around in a manner you’d expect. To be fair, where other cars might have more cabin ambience, they won’t be as affordable as this. The steering wheel isn’t reach adjustable but the general driving position is generally pretty good anyway.

All-round visibility is fantastic, allowing you to see all the way down to the bonnet for superior ease of parking when combined with its tiny turning circle of 4.6 metres. The rear seating area is once again a basic design, but the 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage totally wins out here on being very spacious considering the outside dimensions of the car. There’s a good level of head, leg and shoulder room and can comfortably accommodate 4 tall adults and a child in the middle seat. That’s Ford Fiesta style space at city car price! To get this room, they haven’t torn badly into the boot space, which lies at 235ltrs and can be extended to a maximum capacity of 910ltrs if you fold down the rear bench. True, some rivals may offer a tiny bit more, but they won’t have the passenger space to compete in this price range.

Now it’s important to note here that the Mitsubishi engineers prioritised low running costs and space of driving dynamics. As such, it lacks the kind of handling dynamism that most of its supermini and city car rivals have in the bag. It also has quite a bit of body roll around the corners due to a nice priority on ride comfort – double edged sword there. If you take driving one of these as a relaxed enterprise then you probably won’t have any problems – it is essentially what it was designed for. Under the bonnet, we have a 3 cylinder petrol unit that comes in 1.0 and 1.2ltr forms. The 69bhp 1.0 unit gets to 62mph from rest in 13.6 seconds up to a top speed of 106mph.

It’ll get you where you need to go, but its meagre 88Nm of torque might prove occasionally taxing. The 1.2ltr engine is a better proposition with a mildly improved performance of 0-62mph in 11.7 seconds up to 112mph and 20% more pulling power for easy cruising at low to mid-range speeds. Mitsubishi didn’t have to worry about getting a diesel variant in as it already boasts low running costs. The Mirage pumps out 96g/pk of CO2 thanks to its so called Intelligent Motion features which include Start/Stop, regenerative braking, low friction tyres, high efficiency alternator and great aerodynamic qualities combined with its featherweight construction. This makes all models of the Mitsubishi Mirage exempt from road tax and congestion charge. Plus it makes you feel all smug for being so green. Very handy!

All in all, what’s the lowdown with the 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage? It’s a simple proposition – you’ll be hard pressed to find a small car that ticks the boxes for spaciousness, luggage space, 5 seats and low running costs for such an affordable price! It’s certainly one to consider and will reward a driver with practical and sensible virtues if they’re willing to overlook the less than top drawer driving dynamics.

If you want to get hold of the 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage then don’t hesitate to leave us a message on our contact us page or give us a call on 01903 538835 to find out about our Mitsubishi lease deals.