Mitsubishi unveils facelifted Mirage

MITSUBISHI Motors Australia Limited (MMAL) has confirmed its updated Mirage micro car will arrive in local showrooms in the second quarter of 2020, following the facelifted version’s reveal in Thailand this week.

The new Mirage shows off heavily revised exterior styling, with the front-end design introducing the brand’s ‘Dynamic Shield’ grille fascia that is making its way onto all of its models.

In this case, the grille is split with two horizontal grille slats finished in red paint.

Headlight design has also been revised, moving away from the outgoing model’s bulbous triangular lamps to a more angular LED combination cluster, while the foglights are integrated into the lower part of the Dynamic Shield fascia.

At the rear, the refreshed Mirage scores a more edgy look with squared-off bumper edges giving it a sense of extra width, enhanced by the LED combination tail-lights with L-shaped lighting signatures.

Two new paint colours have been added to the Mirage’s palette: White Diamond and Sand Yellow.

New 15-inch alloy wheel designs have also been introduced, with two-tone diamond-cut styling.

Inside, some changes have been applied including a new 7.0-inch touchscreen display with Apple CarPlay compatibility, fabric/synthetic leather seat upholstery on higher-spec versions, cloth finishers on touchpoints and a carbon pattern for the meter panel and power window switch panel.

No updated powertrains have been introduced for the new Mirage range, meaning when the new version arrives in local showrooms it will likely carry over the 57kW/100Nm 1.2-litre normally aspirated petrol engine, which drives the front wheels via either a continuously variable automatic or manual transmission.

Combined fuel consumption is rated at 4.6 litres per 100km in the current model.

While the Mirage is offered globally with the choice of hatch or sedan body styles, MMAL will likely only take the former, with the sedan only lasting 18 months on sale before being dropped from the range.

The Mirage has been on sale since the current generation launched in 2013, with an update being applied in 2016.

With two months left in 2019, the Mirage has recorded 505 sales, down 46.8 per cent year-to-date and placing it last in the shrinking micro car segment behind the Kia Picanto (4788) and Fiat/Abarth 500 (600).

Australian specification and pricing will be released closer to the Mirage’s release.