Mitsubishi made its first inroads to the United States market as a captive import sold as a Dodge, Plymouth and occasionally as a Chrysler. They established a reputation for toughness and value long before the public knew they were Mitsubishis. The entry-level (since 1985 in North America) Mirage competed with the Toyota Tercel and Paseo, the Hyundai Excel/Accent, Scoupe and Elantra and with the Geo Metro.
Year-to-year changes[]
| 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | Discontinued |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VL 2DR Hatchback | S 2DR Coupe | DE 2DR Coupe | 2002 | ||||||
| Base 2DR Hatchback | ES 2DR Coupe | N/A | |||||||
| Base 4DR Sedan | S 4DR Sedan | DE 4DR Sedan | 2001 | ||||||
| ES 4DR Sedan | |||||||||
| N/A | LS 2DR Coupe | 2002 | |||||||
| LS 4DR Sedan | LS 4DR Sedan | N/A | LS 4DR Sedan | 2001 | |||||
| GS 4DR Sedan | N/A | 1994 | |||||||
1993[]
Introduced in 1993, the attractively styled and priced coupe was noisy, harsh and underpowered. Most of that was fixed for 1994, and there were no changes for 1995. The sedan was better right from the beginning and really needed less fine-tuning than the coupe. A very sporty version of the coupe was shown at introduction but has never made it to the showrooms.
The Mirage came in three trim/equipment levels: S, ES and LS. The items of equipment differed on coupe and sedan. S and ES coupes used a 1.5-liter 12-valve 4-cylinder engine and the LS was equipped with a 1.8-liter 16-valve unit. S and ES had an optional 3-speed automatic available, the LS an optional 4-speed automatic. All three had a 5-speed manual standard. The S sedan used the 1.5-liter engine, the ES and LS, the 1.8. The 4-speed automatic was standard on the LS sedan, optional on the ES. Anti-roll bars and power steering were fitted to all except the S and ES coupes, 14-in. wheels were standard on ES sedans and on LS sedans and coupes. LS coupes had aluminum wheels. Air conditioning was available across the line, as were the usual range of sound systems. Driver's-side airbags were standard but ABS was not available.
The Mirage remained Mitsubishi's entry-level until 2002.
Retail prices[]
As of March 9, 1994:
- $9,179 (1994 Mitsubishi Mirage S 2DR Coupe)
- $10,579 (1994 Mitsubishi Mirage ES 2DR Coupe)
- $11,479 (1994 Mitsubishi Mirage S 4DR Sedan)
- $12,049 (1994 Mitsubishi Mirage ES 4DR Sedan)
- $12,129 (1994 Mitsubishi Mirage LS 2DR Coupe)
- $14,529 (1994 Mitsubishi Mirage LS 4DR Sedan)
As of September 12, 1994:
- $9,894 (1995 Mitsubishi Mirage S 2DR Coupe)
- $12,721 (1995 Mitsubishi Mirage LS 2DR Coupe)
As of early 1995:
- $9,989 (1995 Mitsubishi Mirage S 2DR Coupe)
- $12,099 (1995 Mitsubishi Mirage S 4DR Sedan)
- $11,985 (1995 Mitsubishi Mirage ES 2DR Coupe)
- $13,019 (1995 Mitsubishi Mirage ES 4DR Sedan)
- $12,850 (1995 Mitsubishi Mirage LS 2DR Coupe)
As of October 1, 1995:
- $10,440 (1996 Mitsubishi Mirage S 2DR Coupe)
- $13,290 (1996 Mitsubishi Mirage LS 2DR Coupe)
Gallery[]
