Mitsubishi upgrades Mirage

Mitsubishi has released an upgraded MY2016 Mirage hatch and sedan line-up with small price rises, but the pint-size city car remains Australia's cheapest new car with a base price of $12,250 plus on-road costs (up $260 from $11,990).

That's not counting Suzuki's sub-light Celerio hatchback, which costs $12,990 drive-away but – as Mitsubishi points out – does not match the Mirage with a maximum five-star crash rating.

The company says "Australia's most affordable 5-star ANCAP safety-rated car" receives fresh exterior looks, upgraded interior and better on-road dynamics for 2016.

Six Mirage variants are on offer, with a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) adding $2000 to the price of the entry-level Mirage ES five-speed manual, the CVT-only LS flagship adding a further $1000 and sedan versions commanding a $2250 premium. The Mirage LS CVT sedan tops the range at $17,500. Premium paint costs $550 extra.

The MY16 Mirage five-door hatch gets the lion's share of changes, including a new front grille with chrome accents, redesigned bonnet, and fresh front and rear bumper and wheel designs (14-inch steel wheels with covers for the ES and two-tone 15-inch alloys for the LS).

Inside, a new high-grade black seat trim and cushioned rear seats are claimed to improve passenger comfort and piano black and chrome accents enhance the cabin's touch points. The passenger side sun visor also gains a vanity mirror, lid and ticket holder, while the ES model features new three-dial air-conditioning controls.

In addition, the LS scores black accents for its gear shift panel and power window switch panels, plus a new high-contrast instrument meter with white back lighting, an outside air temperature reading and illuminated gear shift panel.

Mitsubishi says the Mirage's on-road performance benefits from "more intuitive steering response, better balanced handling and increased ride comfort", thanks to extensively reworked suspension tune and electric power steering calibration. There's also new front suspension top mounts to improve ride comfort and reduce road noise, while the CVT auto has been recalibrated to deliver improved rolling acceleration.

Safety features are unchanged, including six SRS airbags, Active Stability Control (ASC), Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with Emergency Brake-force Distribution (ABD) and an Emergency Stop Signal function (ESS), but Hill Start Assist is now standard on the ES manual.

Meantime, the MY16 Mirage sedan comes with minor interior updates but is also said to offer improved on-road performance. All sedans now come with Hill Start Assist, with cruise control added to the LS.

Underneath, there's a "comprehensive spring and damper tune for reduced body roll, stable handling and a more comfortable on-road performance". As with the hatch, there's revised CVT calibration to improve rolling acceleration and retuned electric power steering to improve control at lower speeds.

Inside, the base ES sedan receives revised three-dial air-conditioning controls and the LS offers a high-grade meter cluster with outside air temperature reading, plus a new three-spoke leather-clad steering wheel and piano black trim on the power window switch panel and gear shift panel.

There are two new paint colours for the hatch (Sunrise Orange and Wine Red), which also comes in Cyber Blue, Red Planet, Black and White. Wine Red is also new for the sedan, which also comes in Cyber Blue, Cool Silver and White.

Combined with class-leading fuel economy of 4.6L/100km, a $270 reduction for capped-price servicing over four years makes all Mirages – which also come with a five-year/100,000km warranty and five-year Roadside Assist plan – one of Australia's cheapest cars to own and operate.

There are no changes to the Mirage's 1.2-litre DOHC MIVEC petrol engine, which has service intervals of 15,000km or 12 months (whichever comes first). The capped-price service schedule now looks thus:

15,000km (12 months) – $200
30,000km (24 months) – $230
45,000km (36 months) – $230
60,000km (48 months) – $230

"Mirage is already packed with great standard features, so for 2016 we've made meaningful improvements to Mirage's Capped Price Servicing costs, dynamic performance and visual appeal, while preserving Mirage's attractive price point, which we know is critical to value-conscious micro car shoppers," said Mitsubishi Motors Executive Director of Marketing Tony Principe.

"Mirage is still the most affordable car in Australia with five-star ANCAP safety, and it's this combined with Mirage's low running costs, great packaging and class-leading fuel economy that has made it one of the top picks in the micro segment since 2013."

2016 Mitsubishi Mirage pricing (plus ORCs):
ES manual hatch – $12,250
ES CVT hatch – $14,250
LS CVT hatch – $15,250
ES manual sedan – $14,500
ES CVT sedan – $16,500
LS CVT sedan – $17,500