Upsizing the Mirage: The new Mitsubishi G4 is coming to town

MANILA, Philippines - They say that big things come in small packages. Sometimes though, people wish the package could be slightly bigger. Such is the case with the phenomenal Mitsubishi Mirage hatchback—everyone loved it, except perhaps people who wished it had a roomier alternative. Hence, Mitsubishi played genie and granted consumers that wish with the creation of the new Mitsubishi G4: the sedan version of the Mirage hatchback. In other countries, it is called the Attrage; in the Philippines, it’s dubbed the G4. The ‘G’ stands for global compact car and the ‘4’ indicates 4-door sedan.

With its central production hub being the Mitsubishi plant in the Laemchabang Industrial Estate in Chonburi province, Thailand, it made perfect sense for the Philippine media contingent to fly to Bangkok in order to test and behold the new G4. The Star thus joined Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. (MMPC) on a brief visit to Thailand, where we were transported to the Bonanza Speedway in Khao Yai, to test drive the three variants of the new Mitsubishi G4: the GLX, GLS and GLS Limited, alongside three Thai-market competitors in the same category (previous-gen Toyota Vios, Nissan Almera, and Honda Brio Amaze) for comparison.

The new Mitsubishi G4 struts a short, stubby nose (which actually helps in providing a better forward view for the driver) and redesigned tail lights to match the car’s headlamps. Along its sides run muscular lines for both aesthetic and aerodynamic purposes, and on its front fascia is a hexagonal grille slightly reminiscent of Superman’s logo, but with the triple diamond badge instead of the classic ‘S’.

Under the hood, the G4 carries the same power plant as its hatchback sibling: a 1.2-liter inline-3 MIVEC engine mated to either a CVT (continuously variable transmission) or a 5-speed manual, offering 78 ps at 6,000 rpm and 100 Nm of torque at 4,000 rpm. Fortunately, this petite sedan is only about 40kgs heavier than its hatchback sibling (it weighs a total of 930kg), making it the lightest car in its class. It has achieved this by exploiting a lightweight RISE (Reinforced Impact Safety Evolution) body through the use of high-tensile steel.

Meanwhile, transforming it into a sedan only added an extra 535mm to the overall length. But thanks to a wheelbase of 2550mm, there is significantly more rear legroom and generally greater cabin space, plus a generous boot.

Inside the G4 is a familiar story: the layout is very similar to that of the Mirage, with the steering wheel, instrument cluster and components of the dashboard all carried over. The seats are comfortable, hip points are high, and the door openings are large—making it easy for people to embark and disembark from the vehicle. Furthermore, the G4 showcases a tight, minimum turning radius of 4.8m.

As I drove the G4 briefly around the Bonanza racetrack, maneuverability appeared to be good, and suspension soft enough, for a car in this class. NVH could use some improvement though, as I could still feel the vibrations while at a full stop. Some engine noise could also be heard with more aggressive driving.

As for the equipment that comes with the different variants, the GLX includes ABS, EBD, a driver airbag and power windows, to name a few. The GLS adds the luxury of foglamps, an exterior chrome package, automatic climate control, a keyless entry system, a trunk release lever, and dual airbags. Finally, the GLS Limited throws in extra bells and whistles via leather seats, a navigation system integrated with a touchscreen display, a rear-view camera, exclusive wheels and the like.

Finally, to complete our immersive experience, Mitsubishi also took us on a tour of their Mirage-dedicated Laemchabang Plant #3 in Chonburi, where we got to witness the making of the Mirage and G4 units first hand. The entire plant has a production capacity of 150,000 units, and it was such a cool treat that they allowed us to take photos for the first time, inside.

The Mitsubishi G4 is truly a superb not-so-little car that offers a good alternative for individuals seeking exceptional fuel efficiency amid impressive specs, for a car in the B-segment, and for a very affordable price. It’s an earth-friendly small city car that promises a fun drive as it surprises with remarkable trunk and cabin space. The G4 will be launched in the Philippines in the last quarter of 2013, and pricing is expected to be slightly higher than that of the Mirage hatch.