A more versatile Mirage

Press, 21 February 1980, Page 13

A more versatile Mirage

By

JOHN FRIDD,

An excellent example of the space and fuel-ef-ficient "world car” that will become more and more common in future years was- launched recently by Todd Motors. The five-door Mitsubishi Mirage GLX is a very well-designed . little car

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that will sea’J four adults comfortably and carry a surprising amount of luggage. The extra two doors and 105 mm in length have transformed the Mirage from its original threedoor “second car” image to one of a serious contender on the family car market.

A lot of work has gone into the rear of the fivedoor Mirage to make best use of space. The car has a split rear seat that provides seating for three, two or one adults, with a corresponding increase in cargo space. In addition, the rear seat-backs have three reclining . positions which enable a reasonable amount! of baggage to be carried in the “boot” area alone — with the seats in the most forward position, it is possible to carry, for instance/ one large suitcase and one mediumsized one plus two soft bags as well as five adult passengers, although this seat position would not be very comfortable for the rear-seat passengers on a long trip. With the rear seat-backs

recline, the' large suitcase would have to come out, which, shows the importance of the reclining function.

The outer rear-seat passengers also get reclining seat belts; the only drawback in these is that they get in the way when the seat-backs are lowered Co create a larger cargo area. Child-proof locks are standard on both rear doors. There is adequate head-room and leg-room in the rear for average-sized adults and the seats are quite comfortable. The Mirage GLX has a

rear wash-wipe system as standard and the rear window has a built-in demister element.

Apart from the redesign in the rear, the five-door GLX is pretty much the same as the original Mirage. However, the garish houndstooth cloth on the seats has been replaced with more neutral cloth — on the GLX cloth trim is a .nocost option — and the replacement of white plastic with cream plastic on the dash has quite effectively softened the garishness there, too. The car has the 10speed “Supe r-shift” gearbox that is unique to the Mirage' range, and once again I must say that I would prefer a good five-forward-speed box — it would do the job almost as well and probably make for more positive changes — the gear lever is a little “sloppy” on the “Super-shift” Mirage.

The extra 80 mm on the Mirage’s wheelbase seems to have affected its handling a little ‘ — I recall the three-door Mirage being a little more responsive when extended on a winding road. However, the car is still stable and extremely quiet at speed, its concealed drip channels and sashless doors cutting

wind noise dramatically. The five-door Mirage has the thrustful 1244 cu cm overhead camshaft motor that powers the basic Mirage and Mitsubishi claims that up to 5.6 litres per 100 km (50 m.p.g.) should be obtainable with careful driving. I got 8.5 1/100 km (33 m.p.g.) in some hard, mainly urban, driving.

Standard equipment on the Mirage GLX includes an easy-to-read quartz digital clock, an internal hatch release, trip meter and bumper over-riders. ! The five-door GLX sells for . $8695,. quite a bit more than its only direct New Zealand-assembled competitor, the Mazda 323 five-door, which costs $BOBO. Another strong .competitor will. come on to the scene this year when the new Honda Civic range is launched —• this will include a fivedoor hatch-back.

(Test Mirage supplied by. Todd Motors, through Cooper Henderson.) ,