Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Mitsubishi Debuts 2017 Mirage at LA Auto Show

2017 Mitsubishi Mirage GT front

Mitsubishi has debuted its refreshed 2017 Mirage subcompact at the 2015 LA Auto Show. And yes you read that right, this is a 2017 model; the company is foregoing the MY2016 and skipping right to '17.


The most noticeable change is the front end, which looks much fresher and modern. While I'm not a fan of this wheel style, they actually look good on this car. I also have to say, I really like this color. Frankly, I think this exterior refresh does wonders for the Mirage's looks.

2017 Mitsubishi Mirage GT interior

The car's basic interior features new fabrics, a revised gauge cluster, steering wheel, and shift cluster. A 300 watt Rockford Fosgate stereo with subwoofer will also be available. The infotainment system will also support Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

2017 Mitsubishi Mirage GT side

The '17 Mirage will get a 5.4% bump in power thanks to a roller-type cam. Power from the 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine will go up to 78 hp from 74; torque remains the same at 74 ft/lbs. Do keep in mind that the car only weighs between 1,973 and 2,051 lbs. For comparison's sake, a 2016 Smart Fortwo weighs 1,984 lbs.

While we found the 2014 Mirage's ride to be better than expected on the highway, handling was not a strong suit. Mitsubishi has revised the suspension with different spring rates and shock absorbers to help this. The company is also adding larger disc/drum brakes to aid in stopping the subcompact.

The tiny Mirage has been a surprise hit for the Japanese automaker—and a needed one at that. We'll see if the minor changes to the '17 Mirage will continue to help Mitsubishi pull out of its long slump.

2017 Mitsubishi Mirage GT rear

2 comments:

nlpnt said...

It's amazing what a few tweaks do for a car. Too bad they didn't throw caution completely to the wind and offer an other-than-black interior.

Anonymous said...

Glad to see they are trying to improve it, but that 74 HP engine is just not going to cut it.

I own a 91' Mirage Hatch with 92 HP / 5-speed with roughly the same curb weight and even it feels under powered at times.