I realize this will not win me a lot of friends on a Mirage forum: I'm not a big fan of the Mirage's looks. I think it's uninspired at best, dated at worst, and conservative to the point of invisibility.*
(* Unless you order one of the crazy paint colours. Which I absolutely would.)
All that said, I'd still own one -- a decision of the head, not the heart. Not helped by the styling.
The bright colours sure help
I've actually met a Mirage owner who said she specifically bought the car because of the colour (plasma purple).
Several people commented that they really liked my car's "infra red".
The company surely knows the cheerful pallette helps -- that angle is up front in many of their ads. But I can't help think that those colours only serve to spice up an otherwise bland dish.
It's not about the aerodynamics
A few reviewers have mistakenly blamed the Mirage's better than average aerodynamics for its styling. However, that's misguided criticism. Good aerodynamic design doesn't necessarily lead to "worn-bar-of-soap" styling. EG: the Mercedes CLA sedan has a better drag coefficient than the already slippery Toyota Prius hatchback, yet those cars couldn't look any different.
It's all subjective, right?
Of course it is. But when you read as many Mirage reviews as I have (over 150), and the styling gets repeatedly bad-mouthed (more often than not), it seems like a critical concensus begins to form.
And then doubt begins to creep in: maybe it's just the "car guys" who don't like the looks. Maybe I'm somehow biased. I'm a "car guy". Maybe there's just no accounting for taste (I prefer the looks of the new Nissan Micra, Chevy Spark or Kia Picanto).
So I decided to do a little survey...
When Mitsubishi Canada loaned me this "infrared" base Mirage, I decided I would ask 50 people what they thought of its styling.
And I failed! I only managed to interview 32 people by the time I had to give the car back. (This takes much more time than you would think!)
And I was surprised by the results. More people liked the car's styling than I expected.
3 questions...
I talked to friends, family and strangers about the car. Their ages ranged from a couple of pre-teens to in their 80's. I asked three things while we were standing there looking at / walking around the car:1) What is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow? (Oops! That's another set of questions..)
Ahem...1) As far as subcompact hatchbacks go, give me your overall impression on a scale of 1 to 10.
2) Name a styling element/feature you don't like about it.
3) Name a styling element/feature you do like about it.
Often we ended up talking about a lot more than these three things, so I recorded extra info for many people, like what kind of car they drove, and I noted whether they seemed like a "car person" or not.
The results?
1) As far as subcompact hatchbacks go, give me your overall impression on a scale of 1 to 10.
7 |
Average of all 32 responses |
10 |
Highest score (male in his 70's, owner of a Chevrolet Equinox, not a "car guy")
He said: "It's well-proportioned for a little car. Nothing wrong with it." |
3
|
Lowest score (Male in his 60's, Civic Si hatchback owner - definite "car guy")
He said: "It's a girly car." |
6.7 |
Average of all (17) males (from lowest: 3, to highest: 10) |
7.3 |
Average of all (15) females (from lowest: 4, to highest: 9) |
5.7 |
Average of all (5) "car guys" (they were all guys) |
7.3 |
Average of all (27) "non-car people" |
2) Name a styling element/feature you don't like about it.
This is where it gets subjective... and funny. Not everyone could answer these questions, and some people hated things that others liked.
A definite trend popped up: people don't like the shape of the front of the car more than anything else:
- bulbous nose, like the old Turbo/Rapido train
- big nose
- pudgy front
- spoiler
- rear - too many planes
- no chrome, no bling
- too plain
- spoiler - effect on rear view
- small wheels
- too small
- spoiler looks like an afterthought
- jellybean front
- back end looks chopped off too soon
- plain
- small side rear windows (too much upsweep in beltline); non-blacked out b-pillar
- front end shape
- front end
- girlie car; tiny wheels
- tiny wheels
- front looks blunt, smushed in
2) Name a styling element/feature you do like about it.
And another trend pops up: baby's got back!
- cute, balanced looks
- well proportioned for a small car
- character lines on the side
- aerodynamic elements
- substantial looking back end
- 4 doors
- size
- size
- smooth shape
- back end
- proportional
- cute
- rounded, not boxy
- spiffy
- front end: bumper-to-hood curve
- rear end
- headlights
- sleek side styling
- fun looking
- back end
- cutie pie
- hatchback
- smooth shape
- rear end
- sporty, front end, rear spoiler
- character lines, wheels at the back corners
So there you have it: a solid "7" in this unassailably scientific survey.
That's more than I would have given it!
But maybe Mitsubishi would consider a "7" a roaring success, considering they had to come up with something that would be as inoffensive as possible to the largest number of people in the 150+ countries and cultures around the world where this car is sold.
Despite my feelings on this subject, I'd still own one... in Kermit green, please.
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Related thread: Vote: What do you think of the Mirage's looks / styling?