Let me tell you my most irrational automotive hot take.
I am a Mitsubishi fan.
Like all matters of the heart, your love of car brands is, at the core of it, irrational. It’s some combination of what you grow up with, your memories behind the wheel, and the knowledge that you and some automotive factory workers (maybe very far away) are sharing a sacred bond.
The 2001 Mitsubishi Mirage was an Unkillable Tank (Size Small)
In the case of the Mitsubishi Mirage, I drove a 2001 DE Coupe. Just an absolutely, appallingly reliable econobox. Four cylinders, two doors, zero frills, just what my broke ass ordered.
That car had a 50 foot tall tree fall on in during a Midwestern windstorm. Probably 500 pounds of wood, right across the hood. As my dad and I chainsawed the tree into toothpicks, we were pretty sure the Mirage was toast. It LOOKED toast, with the hood stoved in by about 3 inches.
Sure enough though, peeling off those layers of lumber, it made a metallic pinging sound. The hood was literally bending back into shape. By the time the tree was removed entirely, the hood was ready for a dent puller, and about an hour later with some elbow grease, you could barely tell the tree ever landed.
We jokingly call these the “Mitsubishi nanites.” Sometimes, when the car took damage, it just seemed to fix itself.
The 2023 Mitsubishi Mirage Review: Missing My Great Expectations
On the market for a used car, I took a look at the 2023 Mitsubishi Mirage after skipping the 6th Gen Mirages entirely – apparently, the 6th Gen failed its IIHS Crash Tests because it *damn near decapitates* tall drivers. Well, folks, I’m a tall driver, so I gave that a hard pass (at my partner’s very wise suggestion).
When they released a refresh that didn’t crack the driver’s head like an egg, I was the first in line! My excitement levels were high, I am maybe the only American driver to be EXCITED to be saddling up in a Mitsubishi Mirage.
I have got to tell you, test driving this car was a chore. Some of the worst drive quality I’ve ever experienced in a vehicle. Noisy to the point of distraction. Loose steering, like the wheel was floating with no relationship to the tires. The engineers took a look at the (wheezy and anemic) 4 cylinder, and said to themselves: “What if we made the engine even smaller?”
Made in Thailand
As a Mitsubishi fan and perhaps the only Mirage stan in the United States, I was just baffled by the build quality issue. Then, I did some digging. The 2001 Mirage that I loved and that took such good care of me, built in Japan on one of the most reliable automotive lines on Earth. The other Mitsubishi plant back then was just down the street from me, in Normal IL. That plant now manufacturers Rivians, which look super sharp and are taking home gold at off-roading rallies!
Point is, the factory matters. The new model Mirage is the last model mirage, they’re discontinuing the line. I can’t say I blame them, their last run from the new factory in Thailand was abysmal.
My 2023 Mirage test drive looked like this, but even smaller and MUCH noisier in person:
2023 Mitsubishi Mirage 4-Dr Hatchback (Black Edition)
by inMitsubishiMirage
