Manual transmission dropped; CVT now standard on all models
Part of the fifth Mirage generation introduced for 2014
What is the Mirage?
The Mitsubishi Mirage is arguably the most affordable car on the market, and when equipped with the continuously variable automatic transmission, it's also one of the most fuel-efficient, getting an EPA-estimated 39 mpg combined.
It, along with the Mitsubishi Mirage G4 sedan (which we review separately), is one of the most basic vehicles you can purchase. From a spartan interior to its limited list of standard features to the weak engine, the Mirage will remind you of all the dollars and cents you saved purchasing it. The positive attributes of the Mirage, beyond its low starting price of around $15,000, are its excellent powertrain warranty (10 years/10,000 miles), that aforementioned fuel economy, forward collision warning and smartphone integration.
You won't get the warranty on a used car purchase, but you also won't find much changed while looking at the last couple iterations of the Mirage. The updates have been few and far between as the vehicle enters its ninth year of service, and it may not be in Mitsubishi's long-term plans as it (shocker!) focuses on more SUVs and crossovers.
Even if price is your primary concern, it's still worth checking out the subcompact competitors like the Nissan Versa and Kia Rio. If you're OK branching into extra-small sedans, the Hyundai Accent is worth a look too.
Edmunds says
The Mitsubishi Mirage is worth a look if for no other reason than its starting price. But if that's the only reason you're looking, be sure to consider your other options too.
RepairPal Reliability Ratings are based on the actual cost, frequency, and severity of unscheduled repairs and maintenance on make/model data for select 2008-2022 vehicles. The reliability of a specific vehicle may vary depending on its maintenance and driving history, model year, trim, and features.
2019 Mitsubishi Mirage ES 4dr Hatchback (1.2L 3cyl 5M)
Although the 2020 gets a face lift. The 2019 edition is the best since 2014. Larger brakes, sound deaden insulation, steering improved, among other areas. We own a 2017 5speed Nissan Versa, Mirages closest competitor in its price range. Despite have less horsepower, the Mirage is more refined then the Versa. The Versa also gets a face lift for 2020. The reviews on the Mirage have … relatively negative, however, again the 2019 is the best refinement. I average 50 mpg, the 5 speed shifts smooth and once you are comfortable for its power train, it’s para with our Versa.
Note: I purchased a 1987 Mitsubishi Montero new, before SUV were all the rage. The Montero was a great off road and highway vehicle. 15 years together and no problems. Mitsubishi is back in action. Consider the Mirage with its excellent value and warranty.
The 'experts' are Wrong
4 out of 5 stars
WJ, 11/19/2019
2019 Mitsubishi Mirage ES 4dr Hatchback (1.2L 3cyl 5M)
After 95,000 miles on a 2018 five speed purchased new for $9985 in autumn of 2017, I can assure any prospective buyer that the interior noise is not "shocking" as one reviewer claimed, nor does the car wander around the road at highway speeds, nor are all the other negatives by which the so called 'experts' denigrate this car correct. I'm not sure what they expect but I traded a Prius C … for this car and by many measures they feel equivalent-except that the Mirage costs $10,000 less. It is fast enough for all legal speeds, comfortable for 2 people, handles everyday driving perfectly well and gets 43-51 mpg depending on outside temperature and type of driving. I average 47 mpg year round in hilly Pennsylvania. It is not at it's best at highway speeds, but it is not meant to be. The 3 cylinder engine has been around in one form or another for decades and is smooth throughout the RPM range, while the manual gear ratios are perfectly matched for the power band. The transmission is 'notchy' at first but smooths out after about 3,000 miles.The radio, heater, and the air conditioning are adequate, if not powerful, and all the interior electronics like rear defroster and window motors have been trouble free. In fact, after 7 years the car has been totally reliable mechanically except for a rattling heat shield that was easily corrected. I replaced the front brakes and rotors at 37,000 miles after they rusted beyond state inspection standards.That seemed a little premature but could be because of winter salt on the roads around here. The brakes were replaced again at about 70,000 miles. I changed the original Dunlop tires at 25,000 miles ( which wore out too quickly I thought) with an economy brand costing only $34 dollars per tire.These too wore out in 25,000 miles so I put on Kumho tires at $55 each. They perform the best of the three brands and last a little longer, but plan on replacing tires every 30,000 miles at least. I have changed the synthetic oil every 7,000 miles, changed the transmission fluid at 50,000 miles and the air filters at 30,000 and 60,000 miles, which is basic maintenance. Last summer at 75,000 miles the engine started using a little oil, maybe 1/2 quart in 3,000 miles, but the engine runs normally and that amount has not changed in 15,000 additional miles, so I'm just driving it for now. At 85,000 miles I changed the accessory belt and brake fluid as preventive maintenance, and a few miles ago I had to change the first driving light bulb-a two minute job once you have the bulbs. The car just reached 95,000 miles so I plan to replace all four brakes and tires this summer, as well as the transmission fluid again. In conclusion, I consider the car with the manual transmission fun to drive-not in a Mazda Miata way- but in a small car easy to zip around way. A Mirage is not the fastest, smoothest, most powerful car on the road but it is not supposed to be. Rather it is a reliable daily driver car with a great warranty at a fantastic price. I have heard that they are discontinuing the Mirage, but finding a used, low mileage, well maintained one for $10,000 or less would be a good deal- One owner in Minnesota obtained over 400,000 miles, so they are durable if taken care of. Test drive this car for yourself- If it is not to your tastes, fine, but do Not be discouraged by the expert reviews. Many people who actually own this car love it. Personally, I bought this car as what mechanics call a "disposable car"-meaning I plan to drive it until it dies so I am not worried about resale value. I do Not work for Mitsubishi nor know anyone who does.
Great Little Car
5 out of 5 stars
lee, 06/11/2019
2019 Mitsubishi Mirage ES 4dr Hatchback (1.2L 3cyl 5M)
Love the Mirage, It's no race car but with the 5 speed it will get up to freeway speeds pretty quick. I drive twice weekly from Central Wa. to Seattle over Snoqualmie Pass all year round and I avg 40+ Mpg. It Drives excellent year round in the hot summer to the Crazy Snow with no problems. I do put snow tires on in the winter. Would recommend this little beast over any hybrid out there. … Almost the same MPG. 1/3 to 1/2 the price and no battery dying after 80,000 miles.
No issues with getting up to speed.
5 out of 5 stars
Buraze, 03/20/2022
2022 Mitsubishi Mirage ES 4dr Hatchback (1.2L 3cyl CVT)
Second update, as requested by Edmunds: We still enjoy the car. Maintenance is cheap, and fuel economy seems to be improving. The improving fuel economy is likely due to us being used to driving the car more efficiently as we are more aware of the cars characteristics. It is super reliable, we are at just shy of 12,000 miles.
Update, as requested by Edmunds: Nothing has changed, Still … enjoy the car.
I am writing this mostly because I am tired of hearing how this car is "underpowered" and slow. No, it is not slow and I do not have issues with acceleration, merging, or passing other vehicles. There are no notable instances where I had issues on launch when driving this car. 0 to 60 does not normally need to happen. It takes turns very well and they do add more sound dampening materials than they did when they made the 2014-2015. Sound dampening was the only thing though that I thought needed to be improved as it was still noisy especially from the wind sound across the roof. So I installed sound deadening material throughout the interior. All of the floor and part of the roof now have this installed. This fixed the noise issue, but now it is too quiet inside.
The car is good, and even sits three kids side by side in the back which even other cars we test drove couldn't do comfortable, including some SUVs. Storage was way better than we expected though it is deceptive from the outside. The headroom is more than in my older 96 Subaru Outback which is still going strong.
From a different perspective, this is a low maintenance car. 3 quarts of 0w20 oil about ever 5-7k miles 10 dollar good filters. About 4 quarts if you needed to change the CVT fluid. (every 40-50k miles.) Most of the parts needed for this car are also on the cheap side though if they fail under the warranty period, it's covered and it is one of the best warranties. The engine is a alloy block with heads and a MIVEC variable valve system. It is possible that this could produce more power, but they chose instead to focus on reliability, economy, and improved MPG and it shows. The transmission is also rated for 150hp so it should last a long time with the limited 78hp this engine is setup to produce. The CVT uses a three gear setup paired with a dual conical with belt CVT design. A high and low gear with reverse. Engineering wise, I am happy and impressed, even if the numbers are "small." Handling has also improved against 2014 and 2017 variants of the Mirage and I think it mostly has to due to the stiffing of the suspension springs which help take the body roll out of the question though cornering does still have a little of that SUV roll in tighter turns.
Speakers inside are also notably better than older versions of the Mirage as well. This is paired with the 7 inch infotainment system. I wouldn't say that the speakers are thumping loud, and this is evident with the size of the magnet on them. They sound quiet but sound good and if you have sound dampening/proofing materials installed it sounds better. But I did not think a upgrade was needed for my wife and I after the sound proofing.
You do need to connect the android phone directly to the USB connection next to the cup holders to get Android Auto to work. I believe Airplay does not need to be directly connected and only needs a wireless connection to work but I did not test that.
When it comes to the market now, it is hard to find cars at the MSRP. This is the cheapest car you can buy, but there is a lot of things I like about it. Sure, many cars do it better at higher prices with more bells and whistles, but that also means more difficult and expensive repairs and increased chances that more failures will occur.
Safety wise, this has full curtain airbags for the sides as well as front airbags and driver knee airbag (for the only marginal score offered by the IIHS where the foot had a potential to make contact in the partial overlap test.) It also comes with a backup camera as well as frontal collision avoidance system. (A dual camera, for stereoscopic vison which is for depth perception, design that applies the breaks for you to mitigate the chances of a accident or mitigate the damage if there is one.) Another instance of safety that is overlooked is the connection to the road through the steering wheel. The steering feel is good here, despite being a electric assisted steering, it does not take the feel of the road away from the driver. I enjoy driving this car, even if the CVT refuses to thrust me into the seat on a take off. (I don't hate CVTs from a engineering standpoint, but I understand that it takes the "fun" out of feeling gears changing.) The engine will let you rev high in this car, which is partly why flooring the pedal wont let you do much in this car. I found that if I moderate the flow and feel of the CVT out, through the acceleration pedal, I can get it to accelerate more efficiently and more engaged. So far, our city and hwy mpg is around 38city on a cold day and 45 mixed average. I have no just hwy travel, but my wife frequently gets 48 when going to work which is mostly hwy. So this is a great car if you want a cheap, reliable car that you shouldn't need to repair often and can transport up to three kids (9,7,4) to where they need to go. (The 4 year old is still in a 3 in 1 booster seat with harness. Another Interesting to note moment, my kids say the rear seat was the most comfortable of the cars we tested. Loads of leg room even at 6'1 I was happy in the back seat behind the drivers seat.
I do hope this helps someone out there. Despite my opinion or facts, I still think people should test the cars they want to drive to find out what works best. If you have kids, bring kids seats to see if they fit well, and it even helps to bring at least one kid who will be riding in the back to see what feels good for them as well. Many of the cars we tested focused mostly on the front seat comfort, the only one we tested that was better was the Subaru, and that was too pricey for us as we had to replace our car more quickly than we would have liked due to numerous wiring faults that started to pop up. (A theme I saw with GM vehicles of late.) The whole chip shortage issue that has starved our appetites for cars is not helping. Honda and Toyota do have options, but both were more expensive, and the Sentra from Nissan failed our kid test but felt great overall in the front but only used versions were near us when we were looking and they were asking nearly new prices for cars that were 60k miles or higher. I am super happy with the car we did get, and even traveled nearly 100 miles to get it.
We have a limited number of reviews for the 2023 Mitsubishi Mirage, so we've included reviews for other years of the Mirage since its last redesign.
These Are the Cheapest New Cars & SUVs on Sale Today | Top 10 Least Expensive New Cars for 2023
New cars these days are expensive, to say the least — the average price of a new car is currently standing at almost $50,000 — and trying to find something less expensive can feel like a daunting task. Fortunately, though, there are still a decent number of cheaper new cars available, and we're here to help you find them. Edmunds' Lauren McCay takes you through the top 10… cheapest new cars on sale today in the video above!
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