New Mitsubishi Mirage launches from bargain basement

Those who get in quick can get great value for money with the Mitsubishi Mirage.

Mitsubishi's new Mirage.

WANT a bargain? Mitsubishi is luring buyers of its new Mitsubishi Mirage with a $1000 carrot.

Those who get in before January 31 will get an option of a $1000 Westfield voucher or that figure off the price - dropping it to $11,990 drive-away.

Officially launched today, the pint-size Mitsubishi is a capable little offering.

It's available in three grades, ES, Sport and LS.

While no fire-cracker in the performance stakes, the Mirage is a capable offering which will primarily appeal to young women and older  couples looking for reliable and cheap motoring.

We sampled both the five-speed manual and the continuously variable automatic transmissions, and could easily live with either option.

Those searching for more driving prowess would be better suited to the manual box - but given the sales of light cars are heavily skewed toward automatics, Mitsubishi suspects the self-shifter will be the most popular.

Road manners are good, it sits comfortably at 3000rpm at 100kmh on the highway with minimal road rumble. 

The warranty is five years or 130,000km with roadside assist if you maintain the servicing schedule. Capped price servicing is available for four years or 60,000km at $250 each. 

VITAL STATISTICS
Model: Mitsubishi Mirage.
Details: Five-door front-wheel drive compact hatch.
Engine: 1.2-litre MIVEC engine which produces maximum output of 57kW @ 6000rpm and generates maximum torque of 100Nm @ 4000rpm.
Transmission: Five-speed manual or continuously variable automatic.
Consumption: 4.6 litres/100km (manual and auto ES and Sport); 4.8 L/100km LS manual and 4.9L/100km LS auto.
CO2:  109g/km in ES models, 113g/km LS manual and 115g/km LS auto.
Bottom line: ES $12,990, Sport $14,190, LS $15,490 (automatic transmission is a $2250 premium).