2018 Mitsubishi Mirage G4

If you have a taste for Thai on a budget, have a look at the Mirage G4, Mitsubishi's sedan offering in the subcompact class and a companion to the Mirage hatchback.

Built in Mitsu's Thailand factory, the G4 looks and feels exactly like the kind of car you'd expect to find plying the roads of a busy south Asian city, and that's part of the reason it seems out of place here in North America.

It's not that subcompact cars aren't common, at least in Canada; it's that the Mirage G4, like its hatchback linemate, lacks refinement next to competitors from Honda, Ford, Chevrolet and Nissan.

Introduced here last year, the Mirage G4 returns unchanged for 2018. That means power comes from a 1.2L three-cylinder that thrums its 78 hp and 74 lb-ft of torque through a five-speed manual transmission in the basic ES model or a continuously variable automatic (CVT) that's optional in the ES and standard in GT trim.

The Mirage's performance is nothing special, but it boasts fuel consumption estimates of 7.2/5.9 L/100 km (city/highway) with the stickshift and 6.9/5.7 in automatic form.

Under a bulbous body, standard 14-inch wheels look tiny and optional 15s don't look much more substantial. The Mirage's entry-level status is also reflected in the fact that the top-end GT is the only version to get most of this car's comfort and convenience features, like heated seats, height-adjustable driver's seat with armrest, leather-trimmed steering wheel and shifter, automatic climate control and cruise control.

However, the base model does include air conditioning, keyless entry and power windows.

All the Mirage G4's performance-related shortcomings aside, if you're looking for a car to be used primarily in a city setting, this one is a strong value in base form.