Mitsubishi Mirage Confirmed for U.S. in Fall 2013—With 1.2-Liter Three-Cylinder!

[FFTeam]

You should like three-cylinder engines. They’re cool. They’re different. They make thrummy little sounds. And come September, Mitsubishi will become the third automaker currently offering one in the U.S. After picking up some forms from the California Air Resources Board, we spoke to a Mitsubishi staffer, who confirmed that a 1.2-liter three will power the new “Global Small Car”—that’s the generic name for the Mirage—when it goes on sale this fall. Although Mitsu is being coy about the car’s name until its debut at the New York auto show in April, the CARB document also lists the name as Mirage. We don’t expect a change there.


If the engine isn’t changed from its naturally aspirated European setup, it’ll give the U.S. Mirage just 79 horsepower. And so the company that once shocked the world by squeezing as much as 400 hp from a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine will have the second-least-powerful car on the American market. The only car the Mirage will outgun is one of its three-cylinder brethren, the 70-hp Smart. With turbocharging, Ford’s new three-cylinder Fiesta packs 123 raging ponies.

Text Source: Car & Driver

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[Matt89]

What's the fuel economy on this car like? Probably shit like most small cars lol

[Malibooya]

Oh god, gross. It looks like a first-gen Yaris.

[sleepyboy]

Yay! I had a 91' Mirage back in the day and it only put out 98hp (roughly) from it's 1.5L 4 cyl. They even came in turbo models back in the day too though not the kind of hp your thinking about lol

[FLYLOW]

Lol the prev mirage was a huge hit back home! Every autozone racer had one.

Had this in my pic file

Mad tyte yo

[Matt89]

Originally Posted by FLYLOW

Lol the prev mirage was a huge hit back home! Every autozone racer had one.

Had this in my pic file

Mad tyte yo

That car actually looks pretty good. Why the newer models look like shit is beyond me.

[lyonsroar]

Originally Posted by Malibooya

Oh god, gross. It looks like a first-gen Yaris.

I...I seriously considered getting one of those...the aftermarket is huge. I think it'd be a fun little car...

[warneej]

There was a Yaris at autocross that used to whip up on people twice its size. It was all the driver but still, shocking.

[azdamay]

The Mirage was popular out here. The driving school I went to as a teenager had them. I (not so) fondly remember the one I was using for my lessons broke down during one of the lessons. But it was better than the Dodge Omni some of the other kids got stuck with.

Sadly I think Mitsubishi is circling the drain in the North American market. While they've sold some good vehicles, they've also sold a lot of lackluster crap... to people who couldn't even afford that and should have been buying a used car. It's a safe prediction that they will be the next foreign make to stop selling here, behind Suzuki.

[whynotthinkwhynot]

This is sure to be as big of a hit as the MiEV.

Yaris: Yes I considered that car too since it was a 3dr, but at the time I was looking couldn't find parts to go zoom zoom. With 200 hp to the wheels, it would be fun, and surely that can be done. I had difficulty getting beyond the interior.... or was that the Sonic?