Mitsubishi’s facelifted and safer Mirage hatch remains one of New Zealand’s value motoring packages – if you can put up with that annoying noise.

Mitsubishi Mirage XLS
Price: $21,990 (down to $19,990 on special)
Powertrain and performance: 1.2-litre three cylinder DOHC MIVEC petrol engine, 58 kW at 6000rpm, 102 Nm at 4000 rpm. Continuously variable automatic transmission. Fuel consumption 5 L/100km, emissions 115 g/km CO2.
Vital statistics: Length 3845mm, width 1665mm, height 1510mm, wheelbase 2450mm. Luggage space 235 litres. MacPherson strut front suspension, torsion beam at the rear. 15-inch alloy wheels with 175/55 R15 tyres.
We like: A motoring value package, excellent safety specification for the price, good interior room, easy to drive.
We don’t like: That pronounced engine noise.

YOU’VE got have a certain amount of the affection for the Mitsubishi Mirage. But does it have the goods today for that affection to last?

For several years from the early 1980s the little hatchback was good enough to be the backbone of the brand’s market presence in New Zealand, to the extent that not only did it account for 35 per cent of all hatchback sales here, but it helped Mitsubishi rule as the country’s most popular new vehicle brand with a market share of close to 19 per cent.

These days it is Toyota that dominates, with sales more than double those of any other vehicle brand. But Mitsubishi continues to do well all the same – year to date it is in third place behind Ford with a share of 8 per cent.

But just like every vehicle brand, it is achieving its market share largely via ute and SUV sales. Triton ute and the ASX and Outlander SUVs all feature in the list of New Zealand’s top 10 best-selling vehicles.

And as for Mirage, these days it’s well and truly out of the sales limelight as it performs its duties as the smallest, most economical and least expensive Mitsubishi on offer.

I suppose you could say the Mirage is now living the quieter life, which is probably reflective of the more senior age group that buys this type of vehicle.

This year the Thai-built car received its second facelift, with exterior changes including a fresh take on Mitsubishi’s so-called dynamic shield design language. In other words, Mirage has a new nose complete with chrome detailing. The model also sports new 15-inch alloy wheels, and daytime running lights.

Interior changes include a black-on-black colour scheme with – you guessed it – black fabric seat material. There’s also a new combination meter cluster, cruise control is now standard, and the car gets its own unique smartphone link display audio (SDA) system that is compatible with both Apple Carplay and Android Auto.

It’s all rather good. So too are a number of safety features that have been added to the Mirage as part of its facelift.

The little car now has lane departure warning, forward collision mitigation with pedestrian detection, and a reversing camera with its view displayed on the hatchback’s 7-inch central touch screen.

All of that is an addition to numerous existing safety features that include active traction control, hill start assist, four-wheel ABS with brake assist, and driver, passenger, side and curtain airbags. All of that contributes to the five-star Ancap crash safety rating.

So the 2020 Mirage boasts a fresher look, improved interior, and it carries great safety specification for a model that currently retails for $19,990. All of that helps keep the model up to date, despite the fact it has been on the New Zealand new vehicle market since 2013.

But what is falling behind is its drivetrain.

Mirage continues to be powered by a 1.2-litre three-cylinder DOHC MIVEC petrol engine that develops 58 kW of power and 102 Nm of torque, mated to a continuously variable automatic transmission.

This CVT has a two-step planetary gear set that is designed to better match engine revs with the job at hand, and when the vehicle was last facelifted in 2017 the transmission was re-mapped to improve vehicle acceleration.

I remember when the Mirage was first launched seven years ago, and even when it was facelifted three years ago, many critics enjoyed the experience of driving the hatch with its three-cylinder engine, with one fellow journo even going so far as to describe it as a “hoot”. In retrospect I suspect this wasn’t so much because of any lightening acceleration but more because of the car’s pronounced three-cylinder engine note.

Triple-cylinder engines traditionally have a rougher sound because there’s a slight gap in the timing of their four stroke internal combustion cycle. Trouble is many other car manufacturers have succeeded in reducing this engine note, while Mitsubishi hasn’t.

There are numerous cars with three-cylinder engines out there, too. They range from the more expensive Audi A1, through the more reasonably priced product such as Volkswagen Polo, Skoda Fabia and Ford Fiesta, to the very small product such as Suzuki Celerio.

In more recent times we’ve also received the latest Toyota Yaris and Ford Puma, both of which are powered by three-cylinder engines of varying sizes – culminating in the Yaris GR which pours 200kW out of its little triple.

I suppose it has to be said that the Yaris GR’s engine is 1.6-litres and turbocharged, while the Mirage’s unit is 1.2-litres and normally aspirated, so in a motoring sense they are as different as chalk and cheese. But other product such as the Fabia and the new Puma come closer in terms of engine sizes, and they are much quieter and more powerful.

But then again neither of those vehicles retail for less than $20,000, and that is what helps to keep the Mirage relevant in the small car class. It’s one of the least expensive cars you can buy, which helps present it as one of the value packages when all that new standard safety specification is taken into account.

And it remains an enjoyable drive too, although these days the experience is no longer a “hoot”. The car is easy to operate, there’s good interior space and comfort for the vehicle size, and it is safe. But it is also noisy, which is why this generation Mirage is now showings its age.