While driving along Jupiter Street in Makati back in 2015, Mitsubishi Mirage owners and real-life partners, Chira dela Cruz and Ehly Garcia, were deciding on what to call their then newly purchased car.
After throwing in various girly names, nothing seemed to click for the two co-owners of the Amethyst Purple Mirage GLS CVT hatchback. Then after a moment of silence, while they were imagining the exterior looks of their new ride, they suddenly spurted out in unison, “What a Diva!” Right then and there, Diva became the new love of their lives.
Both Chira and Ehly are entrepreneurs so choosing a car that was right for the budget while being dependable and easy to own were key considerations. “We based our purchase on fuel efficiency since we will be using this car everyday for work,” shares Chira. “According to our research, the Mirage was the most fuel efficient car among our choices.” That fact, combined with easy-on-the-pocket offers at that time, led to the Mirage as the couple’s car of choice.
Chira, a passionate car aficionado and 13-year avid driver herself, also chose the Mirage because of the way it feels on the road. “It’s like driving a go kart, she claims. “Really easy to maneuver even in tight areas.”
As on-the-go creatives, Chira and Ehly’s Mirage has served them well over the years. Diva has been with the couple through work and play. “Before the pandemic, she was our daily driver,” shares Chira. “Fuel economy is great! I average 13 to 15 kilometers per liter in city driving.” Chira adds, “She’s been really easy to maintain too, as long as we follow the PMS schedule for Diva. After almost 6 yrs of driving her everyday, we never had any problem with her.”
As the couple’s all-around vehicle, the Mirage has proven itself to be a reliable companion as well on road trips, which the two are quite fond of. Fully loaded with friends and gear, the Mirage is a small car that over-delivers on Mitsubishi’s corporate promise of creating cars that work for its owners.
Equipped with a 1.2-liter 3-cylinder engine that is mated to a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT), the Mirage can easily drive up on a quick run to Tagaytay even with four people onboard. “If a small car like the Mirage can take 4 full grown adults up to People’s park in the sky in Tagaytay without any problem, what more with the other Mitsubishi cars with bigger engines?” She adds, “I don’t think other people who haven’t driven a Mirage on a daily basis and on certain conditions can understand or believe this.”
Aside from the benefits of having a fuel efficient and easy to maintain ride, Chira and Ehly likewise benefitted from Mitsubishi’s responsive after-sales service. “There was a time when Diva got hit by a 16-wheeler truck while parked at the Batangas port,” recalls Chira.
“I was really worried because every time I heard people who had to go to the casa to have their car repaired, they would say it usually took a really long time to have it done. But since Mirages are assembled here in the Philippines, parts were never a problem.” Chira adds, “I took Diva the next day to the casa and they immediately worked on her. It only took 3 weeks to have her repaired, which is actually really fast for the damage that she sustained.”
This experience further reinforced the tightly-knit bond both Chira and Ehly have with their ride. “We can say that with Diva, there’s no need to worry as we can rely on her any time, any day, to take us wherever we need or want to be,” asserts Chira.
Today’s Mitsubishi Mirage has evolved into a more mature rendition of the original. Despite the new looks and upgraded features such as touchscreen infotainment and Bi-Xenon headlights and LED taillights, it is still built on the same foundations as the 2013 Car of the Year Philippines-winning Mirage GLS CVT was based on – a fun, practical, feature-laden, value for money and easy to own proposition.
Continuing to make a bold statement 8 years on, the Mitsubishi Mirage is a car that remains easy to fall in love with. Just ask Chira and Ehly. “We love her so much! We wouldn’t trade her for any other car. We’ll probably get a new car but we have decided we will keep her forever with us.” To know more about the Mitsubishi Motors and its products, visit https://www.mitsubishi-motors.com.ph/or contact your nearest Mitsubishi Motors dealership.
