Mitsubishi will add a middle armrest to the driver’s seat, rain-sensing wipers, and automatic headlights to the mid-level Mirage LE in 2024. Graphite Gray and Jet Black will replace Mercury Gray and Mystic Black from last year. All Mitsubishi cars now come with a free two-year repair package.

Pros

• So incredibly sensible.
• Amazingly good fuel economy.
• For the first two years, there is no charge for maintenance.

Cons

• So little.
• Terrible handling while driving.
• I need to catch up with other businesses.

The 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine in the Mirage only makes 78 horsepower, which is needed to get the hatchback, which weighs only 2,100 pounds, around town, let alone on the highway. A continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) is standard on all models, which only adds to how dull the small car is. The transmission should be blamed for keeping the engine going at higher rpm to get the most out of its poor output. The resulting drone makes it look like the Mirage’s straight-line acceleration is a lot harder than it really is. It takes the Mirage about 11 seconds to go from 0 to 60 mph, and during that time, the car is filled with an annoying roar of engine noise.

Automatic emergency braking is built into the base Mirage ES type. The top-of-the-line Mirage SE now has automatic high beams and a warning system for when you start to drift out of your lane. However, the Mirages need more advanced tools to help the driver. Check out the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) webpages to learn more about the Mirage’s crash test scores. Some important safety factors are:

• Most automatic emergency brakes can identify the driver.
• There is a lane exit warning available.
• You can get automatic high-beam headlights.

The Mirage is one of the least expensive new cars on the market right now, and it looks good inside. A lot of rough plastic is used, and the form of the cabin is as simple as a rice cake without salt. All five seats are uncomfortable, but the front ones have enough room for your legs. The back seat is barely big enough for two people, let alone three, and the flat floor of the three-across bench makes it even worse. The Mirage has a good amount of cargo room for its size. When the back hatch is opened, a 17-cubic-foot storage space is revealed. The space grows to 47 cubes when the back seats are folded in half, 60/40.

The EPA says that the Mitsubishi Mirage gets 36 miles per gallon in the city and 43 miles per gallon on the highway. The Mirage has some of the best fuel economy scores of any gas-only car on the market.

Every Mirage comes with a standard infotainment system, which includes a 7.0-inch tablet that works with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The system also includes a four-speaker radio setup and Bluetooth connectivity.

The Mirage is best for first-time drivers when it’s equipped with the ES trim level, which makes it fairly priced, with many much better cars on the market. The ES trim level is the least expensive way to buy a Mirage, but it still comes with a lot of useful features for its class, like cruise control, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support, and an automatic climate control system.