Mitsubishi Mirage - How you can customise this fuel efficient hatch?

Fuel efficiency and hatchbacks are synonymous. More and more customers around the world, especially first time buyers, prefer hatchbacks. This is because they are compact, one can usually see clearly from all the corners and the aforementioned fuel efficiency point. There is also the point of them taking up less space whilst parking and while on the road. Mitsubishi is a manufacturer which doesn’t have too many small cars up its alley. However, the only one it has, the Mirage, is one lauded product. While being called staid earlier was just a pin in the Japanese company’s arm, the barb was well taken. Mitsubishi has now got an updated Mirage and while it has all the aforementioned qualities a hatchback should have, it has got a major attraction point - looks.

So, can you customise this hatchback given that it will be a family runner and will most likely go from point A to point B? We list out a few permutations and combinations.

Spoilers

The usually demure of cars look racy with a spoiler tacked on. Spoilers are available for all types of vehicles online as well as at customisation stores. Buy one but get it done by a professional. The last thing you want to see is your spoiler dangling on one screw while you’re tearing down the expressway. Also, see to it that the spoiler isn’t too big for the car. Manufacturers think aerodynamics while they design a vehicle and more often than not, half of the testing phase is done in wind tunnels. If your Mirage is an orange one, get a spoiler with blue tinges on it. This will make it stand out and at the same time, not look gaudy too.

Chrome trims

Chrome usually brings out the bling factor in cars. You can definitely try it on your beloved Mitsubishi Mirage too. Use chrome bezels around the headlights. These catch attention from far off and tend to not lose sheen as well. Around the grille as well, one can add extra chrome elements to stand out in the crowd. If your car came with wheel caps, then replace the wheel caps with chromed ones. Try spinners too. They look very nice and become bragging points as well. Similarly, the tail lamps too can receive the chrome benevolence and be made to stand out.

Graphics

More often than not, graphics tend to make a vehicle like the Mirage which is very common on the Philippines streets, look a tad different. One can go for the screaming orange ones like fire flames or go for the dragon symbols. Of course, if you managed to scratch your car while travelling, putting in graphics saves you the cost of repair as well. If you already scratched your car, covering it with a graphic makes sense too.

Lights

The Mitsubishi Mirage comes with projector headlights. One can go ahead and upgrade the wattage of the system. Be sure to plug in a relay too. LED headlights make for a great companion at the night. Else, one can also opt for throw lights on the roof. These look cool and require less modifications too. LED DRLs near the fog lights, will not be a bad choice as well. The cabin can have ambient lighting and you can do the one with multi-coloured lights, a show off point. Get the tail lamps smoked, as it does look cool.

Side skirts

Well, side skirts scream racy right from the time one sees the car. They though are notorious for grounding over speed breakers. So, before installing anything of this sort, make sure that your daily commute doesn’t have mountains in the name of speed breakers. Else, you will be leaving a portion of your car behind on these breakers.

Wheels

There is no dearth in choosing the right wheels for your car. Go for a slightly fatter rubber and more fashionable alloys. The machine cut ones do look nice and are durable as well. Also get a tyre pressure monitoring gauge fitted inside the car. It will help to know which wheel is flat, wouldn’t it? In addition to this, buy a nice wheel polish that will maintain the look of the alloys and at the same time also ensure that they aren’t damaged in the long run.

Bucket seats

Bucket seats make an impression that this is a sporty car one is seated in. They are also very comfortable, especially on the sides. Try to avoid the leathers ones and go for more breathable materials. Get the ones which are stitched in red colour. Red is the colour for sporty and this will look very good with black upholstery.

Music system

How can you forget the music system of a car? The Mirage’s unit needs an update as well as this could be a very good reason to chuck it out and get new ones. Try the ones from Harman Kardon as they are really good. ARKAMYS too tunes music systems very nicely. However, make sure that the audio quality suits the small Mirage. Get a woofer and 8-speaker audio system.

All said and done, the limitation with your exploits is, how far do you want to go with these modifications, and how much money are you willing to put. Remember, the modifications don’t usually fetch you a good price for the car when you want to sell it. More often than not, buyers shy away from modified cars thinking they might have been used roughly or the buyer doesn’t want attention to himself.

The Mirage is a very good city car and can seat five comfortably. It uses a 1.2-litre inline 3-cylinder petrol engine that is good for 78 PS of power and 100 Nm of torque. One can order the Mirage with a 5-speed manual or CVT. The claimed mileage is 21 kmpl. Prices start from Php 630,000 and go all the way to Php 763,000.