2020 Mitsubishi Mirage

The Mirage is available in four trims: ES, LE, SE, and GT. Pricing starts at $14,990 including destination for a base ES and only climbs to $18,290 for the GT.

The Mitsubishi Mirage is powered by a 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine that delivers 78 horsepower and 74 pound-feet of torque. The lack of powers leads acceleration to come at a glacial pace, which makes for uneasy highway handling.

Power is supplied to the front wheels through a five-speed manual transmission on the ES and a continuously variable transmission (CVT) on all other trims. The CVT is a $1,300 option on the base model.

Fuel economy checks in at an EPA-estimated 36 miles per gallon city, 43 mpg highway, and 39 combined with the CVT. These figures drop to 33/41/36 mpg (city/highway/combined) with the manual.

The five-seat Mirage is much better suited with only four passengers in tow. Cargo capacity is 17.1 cubic feet in the trunk, which expands to 47.0 with the rear seat down.

With its diminutive dimensions, it's disappointing to see that the Mirage comes with no standard active safety features at any trim level. Worse yet, there aren't any available on the option's list outside of front and rear parking sensors ($480).

We understand that this is an economy car bent on offering value, but that isn't going to cut it in 2020.

Base ES models start with a 7-inch display with HD radio, Bluetooth, and one USB port. Smartphone integration enters the picture when buyers move up to the LE, which brings a 6.5-inch infotainment setup with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The ES trim is pretty basic, but you wouldn't buy a $15,000 subcompact expecting luxury features. There's 14-inch steel wheels, a six-way manual driver seat, a four-way manual passenger seat, and a four-speaker audio system.

It delivers modern essentials like power windows, cruise control, automatic climate control, keyless entry, a rear window defroster, and LED taillights.

The main option across the Mirage range is a $595 Rockford Fosgate audio system, outputting 300 watts through an amplifier and subwoofers.

The Mirage LE is most notable for having the 6.5-inch display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Additional upgrades include 15-inch alloy wheels, heated front seats, a driver seat armrest, a leather wrapped-steering wheel and shift knob, and black interior fabric with red accents.

The modest price hike means the SE receives relatively little in the way of extra features. In fact, it loses the heated seats and it's back to 14-inch wheels, although they are alloys at this level.

Over the LE, the SE does offer fog lights, side mirrors with turn signal indicators, chrome front inner door handles, push-button start, and Mitsubishi's FAST-Key entry system.

GT buyers benefit from HID headlights, 15-inch two-tone alloy wheels, and heated front seats. Otherwise, it's specified identically to the SE trim.

Compare Mirage Trims Side-By-Side