DAB radio/CD with MP3 compatibility, Four speakers, USB port, Climate control air conditioning, Keyless entry, Electrically operated door mirrors and windows all round, Optional leather heated seats, ABS with EBD, Mitsubishi Active Stability, Traction Control, Auto Stop & Go, Hill Start Assist, 15″ alloy wheels, Rear spoiler, Bi-Xenon HID headlamps, Front fog lamps, Daytime running lights, Privacy glass, Engine start/stop button, Rear parking sensors, Auto-light control, Rain sensor, Cruise control, Leather gearshift knob, Bluetooth® hands-free telephone connection and music streaming, Steering wheel audio controls, Heated front seats, Cargo area under-floor storage compartment. And this is all Standard equipment.
So come on then, what car are we talking about? You’re thinking perhaps Jaguar, BMW, Mercedes, Ford Titanium X? Given up yet?
Anyone…?
Let me put you out of your misery and tell you that MotorMartin has been spending time with the rather incredible Mitsubishi Mirage Juro 1.2 manual recently and what a delight it has been. The Mitsubishi turned up at MotorMartin Towers looking rather superb in its smart, Pearlescent Purple Berry paintwork and chrome detailing. What’s great about the Mirage, in MotorMartin’s opinion, is the obvious care and attention to detail that was clearly lavished on the Juro at every stage of its development. The chrome highlights around the front grill, above the front splitter and around the fog lights add personality to the front end of this handsome city car.
Moving around this small Mitsubishi it’s the detailing that catches and keeps your attention, the wheels may not compete with 22″ customs but they’re well designed 15″ alloys that fit the wheel arches perfectly and compliment the relatively high waistline of the Juro. MotorMartin particularly liked the privacy glass fitted to the rear and boot of the Juro as it almost creates the illusion of a coupe body-style which, when accompanied by the body coloured boot spoiler, gives the Mirage quite a silhouette. If only every City car had this much attention to detail paid to them.
One of the ‘real life’ features that was incredibly useful was the keyless entry and start, keeping the car key in your pocket it was simply a case of locating the small, black rubber button next to the body coloured door handle where, in the days of old, you’d expect to find the key hole and pressing it. This will unlock and open the Mitsubishi whilst pressing again will lock the car once more. Anyone else attempting entry in the same way will find themselves disapointed as you need the key upon your person for this method to work. It’s amazing how quickly this method of entry becomes second nature and makes you wonder why other manufacturers don’t offer it on their own city cars. Inside the Juro and it really is more of the same. This particular model was fitted with the optional leather heated seats which was an unexpected yet very welcome surprise for a car of this segment. And that’s become a bit of a theme with the Mirage over its time at MotorMartin Towers
But back to business, a quick look at Mitsubishi’s own literature regarding the 2016 Mirage Juro 1.2 manual reminds us as that Mitsubishi are known for finding clever ways to maximise space and that they were the first manufacturer to introduce the layout now universally known as an MPV; we introduced the concept of tall cars with a small footprint; With external dimensions of 3795mm x 1665mm x 1505mm, this innovative way at looking at, creating and using internal space, allows the Mirage to seat five people when necessary and deliver them ache free to their destination. The back of the Juro is certainly spacious and offers excellent legroom when compared to its rivals which allowed the MotorMartin brood to travel in some style and comfort throughout the week whilst offering plenty of room for the accumulated junk that they insist on travelling with.
Sitting at the business end of the cabin, there’s enough adjustment available to get comfortable and then it’s time to take in the surroundings. One press of the start button and the dials in front of you come to life accompanied by the orange luminescence of the controls, air conditioning and radio. There’s a feel to the interior that creates the impression that you’re in a completely different class of car, it’s well put together with neat touches that continue to raise a smile once found.
Would you really be expecting to find heated front seats, climate control, cruise control and a Bluetooth® hands-free telephone DAB stereo that also includes music streaming in a city car that starts at £11,499? That is fantastic value for money and creates a generous feeling of goodwill towards the little Mirage before you’ve even set off. Well done then to Mitsubishi. What I especially like about the Juro is these little touches, after all, why shouldn’t the consumer have access to these types of features and let’s not forget, it’s not that long ago that you’d only have access to this kind of technology if you were in a Jaguar, BMW, Mercedes of Ford Titanium X. How times have changed for the better.
The leather bound steering wheel and gearstick, combined with the variety of plastics used in the cabin all seek to create a space that you’d be happy to spend time in and they succeed. This is a car that is designed to spend the vast majority of its time in the cities, towns and villages of our green and pleasant land with its compact dimensions allowing it to exploit the blocked up roads and ever tightening parking restrictions that add up to driving in 2016 but to be a car that truly fits in with MotorMartin’s ‘real life’ motoring philosophy it needs to be more than capable of journeying further afield as well. Which is something that MotorMartin aims to find out with a 500+ mile round trip to see the ever friendly Nathaniel Cars, a renounced Mitsubishi dealership in Bridgend, South Wales. All of this will see if the Mirage Juro is a fine place to spend your time.
So far we know that the Mitsubishi is comfortable, extremely well specified and pretty to look at. It would certainly appear to offer ‘real life’ motoring in abundance and in Part 2 it is what MotorMartin will find out.
Where will you go?