Mitsubishi Motors Philippines sprung a surprise at the Manila International Auto Show by showing off the 2016 Mirage. Everyone knew that the star of the stand would have been the all-new Montero Sport, but MMPC also made it a point to show off an update to its best-selling small car.

Showing off an entirely new front clip, the 2016 Mirage now shares more design cues with its sedan sibling, the Mirage G4. The headlights (now with HID beams and DRLs), hood, bumpers, and grille are all new and make the jellybean-looking hatchback sportier. At the back, it now gets LED tail lights. Inside, the cabin has been slightly refreshed with the use of better materials.


Underneath, the Mirage remains unchanged, powered by the same 1.2-liter 3-cylinder engine mated to a choice between a 5-speed manual and CVT transmission. The 2016 models do feature improved NVH tuning and sound insulation from before and all CVT models get a tweak to its tuning to improve response and fuel economy.

Mitsubishi will officially launch the revamped Mirage and Mirage G4 by the end of this month, but they have already announced the pricing. The Mirage has four variants starting the GLX in both M/T (P 553,000) and CVT guise (P 603,000). The more luxury-oriented trim, the GLS goes for P 663,000 for the M/T and P 713,000 for the CVT.