Already on sale in Asia and soon to arrive in North America as the Mirage sedan, the Mitsubishi Attrage officially debuted in Europe yesterday at the Brussels Motor Show.
The Attrage is based on the Space Star hatchback (sold as the Mirage on other markets), from which it sources the more powerful engine. That’s obviously an overstatement, as we’re talking about a 1.2-liter three-cylinder petrol engine producing 80PS (79hp) at 6,000 rpm and a meager 106Nm (78lb-ft) of torque at 4,000 rpm. The engine is mated to a standard five-speed manual gearbox, but is also offered with an optional CVT.
Although it’s not a heavy car (it tips the scales at 930 kg or 2,050 lbs), the Attrage weighs 85 kg (187 lbs) more than the Space Star. I don’t even want to imagine how an Attrage with five passengers on board and their luggage (450-liter boot) will perform on the highway, for example. Maybe the fact that Mitsubishi hasn’t released performance specs says something about that.
While it is true that B-segment sedans are not that popular in Western Europe, the Attrage would have a chance if it were aggressively priced. Well, it isn’t. It starts from €13,390 (about $15,560) in Belgium, and the CVT adds another €1,000. For comparison, a fully specced Dacia Logan with the 90PS (89hp) 0.9-liter turbocharged petrol engine costs about €1,000 less than the standard Attrage in Belgium.
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