Factory changes/upgrades to the Mirage for Australia
We've read in more than a few Aussie reviews that the car has received a number of factory upgrades for the local market, vs. the Thai market vehicle that was test driven earlier by some reviewers.
Upgrades/changes:
- Front anti-roll bar (to address common gripes about the amount of body roll in hard cornering -- you can certainly see this in some of the YouTube vids of the car on a race course)
- Additional sound deadening (and the car has received more than a few compliments in Oz reviews about how quiet it is even at 100-110 km/h / 60-65 mph)
- Upgraded interior trim (the 2-tone cabin treatment)
- More safety equipment: 6 airbags vs. 2
(Jamie, did I miss anything?? Let me know and I'll add it in.)
On one hand, this is great news, because it shows Mitsu is willing to tweak the car in response to constructive criticism / local buyer preferences. That might mean offering a genuine "stripped down" version in some markets (eg. the 1.0L with fewer convenience & safety items), or adding equipment for others.
But on the other hand, upgrades can have downsides! All this extra stuff adds mass. And let's face it - the car's feather weight is one of it's good features. "Feature bloat" is what's led us down the path to having some really heavy little cars (e.g. the portly Chevy Spark / Barina Spark). And it's only partly safety-related. And adding mass is a vicious circle, requiring more mass to handle it (bigger engines, brakes, wheels/tires) etc.
EG: The lightest Oz Mirage variant is the base 5-speed model, at 865 kg / 1907 lbs (source: Oz brochure).. Whereas in other markets (e.g. Malaysia), the 1.2L version with less equipment tilts the scales at just 825 kg / 1819 lbs (Source: Malaysian brochure).
So we have to be careful about what we wish for!
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View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 62.4 mpg (US) ... 26.5 km/L ... 3.8 L/100 km ... 74.9 mpg (Imp)