There are cars that try to reel you in with a trunk full of branding gimmicks and esoteric techno-speak. And then there are cars that, like Liam Neeson’s character Bryan Mills in the “Taken” movie series, come with “a very particular set of skills”, and like Mills, let their performance and track record do the talking.
One such car with a truly useful “set of skills” is the subcompact sedan Mitsubishi Mirage G4. And when it comes to fuel efficiency, low ownership costs, and features-for-price, it figuratively kills the competition.
Just take it from three long-time owners of the Mirage G4 who swear by its utter practicality.
Baguio City-based Tomas Quinto III, along with wife Vanessa Quinto, both 40, owns a 2016 Mitsubishi Mirage G4 GLX manual transmission, with over 27,000 kms logged in.
Tomas, an online freelance virtual graphic designer and Vanessa, a virtual assistant, explain that they had been using their Mirage G4 “as school service for the kids, doing errands and visiting their parents in the lowlands of La Union once a month.”
Tomas said, “I routinely achieve 21 km/liter when we travel to La Union. I really like it when I maintain the eco mode and not be aggressive on the accelerator.”
He said his Mirage G4 isn’t just efficient with fuel. “So far, what I like most from my Mirage G4 is its affordability when it comes to parts and service and periodic maintenance, as well as its fuel efficiency.”
Meanwhile, down in Cebu City, Ezra Abellanosa Gamolo, a 37-year-old settlements analyst, said his 2018 Mirage G4 GLX (manual transmission) averages a remarkable 18 km/liter. Yes, that’s an average, not a single-trip high.
Ezra, who has travelled some 39,500 km with his Mirage G4, recalled that his best fuel consumption has been 22km/liter while on a road trip in Misamis Oriental and Bukidnon, leading him to conclude that the car, aside from being exceptionally fuel efficient, also offers “comfortable seating with ample leg room, and great storage (trunk) capacity.”
Tomas loves the fuel efficiency, Ezra the comfort and space. What’s more to like about the Mirage G4? Jon Joseph Apostol, a 41-year-old IT analyst based in Quezon City, chips in another: Power. He said that his 2014 Mirage G4 GLS displayed its pound-for-pound power during his most memorable drive with the car.
“I remember when our family first used the car to go to Nueva Vizcaya province. I thought our Mirage G4, with five of us inside, would have a hard time going over the mountains. On the contrary, the car had enough power,” Jon narrated.
Jon, who named his car “Mickey Mirage”, reveals his car’s average fuel consumption on city drives at between 10 and 12 km/liter. Mickey has logged nearly 105,000 km in the odometer.
Tomas and Jon are Mitsubishi brand loyalists. Tomas used to own a 1996 Lancer Glxi MT, while Jon’s family owned two Lancers, a 1979 EL and a 1997 “Pizza” type.
All three, however, considered other Japanese brands before making any final purchase decisions. Of course, after taking the Mirage G4 on a test spin and discovering the car’s “very particular set of skills”, they were, well, “taken” by its real-world charms.
