MITSUBISHI made its name in the UK with small cars like the Colt and it now goes back to its roots with the Mirage.

This new generation supermini competes head on in the economy wars with cars like the Nissan Micra, Kia Picanto, Suzuki Splash and Chevrolet Spark.

The Mirage is a result of a complete review of the small car concept by Mitsubishi which aims to deliver a rational, no-nonsense little car with the quality and reliability for which Mitsubishi is so well-known.

It is claimed to be the lightest, most aerodynamic and most efficient petrol-powered five-door hatchback range on the market. Throughout the design and production process, the focus has very much been on weight reduction with the extensive use of high-tensile steel and exhaustive wind tunnel testing.

It is the only model in the UK today to offer 100g/km CO2 or less across the whole model range, resulting in zero Vehicle Excise Duty and no London congestion charge.

Economy is well up to standard with combined returns of between 65.7 and 68.9mpg

The Mirage is powered by a new generation of lightweight and compact petrol engines; a frugal, low-friction 1.0-litre on the Mirage 1 and a 1.2-litre three-cylinder unit on the rest of the range.

This car, a Mirage 3 complete with automatic stop and go for extra economy was powered by the 1.2 which has a lot of punch for its size, with power being delivered through a five-speed manual transmission.

Mitisubishi aims to sell a total of 4,500 Mirages in the UK in the next year and in addition to its light weight and economy characteristics I am sure this neat little five-door will win fans because of its very tight turning circle and generous boot space - 235 litres with the rear seats up and 600 litres with the rear seats folded.

It features a clean and simple interior design with the driver being allowed to see the front of the bonnet to help manoeuvrability.

The Mirage3 is the top of three trim levels offered and includes a seat height adjuster for the driver, rain-sensing wipers, privacy glass, autolights and bright interior door handles. Other features include air conditioning, a pollen filter, electrically-adjustable door mirrors and an outside temperature gauge.

There are also front fog lamps, a leather steering wheel and gear knob and a keyless entry system with push-button start and front and rear parking sensors.

It is constructed using Mitsubishi's RISE safety body design. RISE stands for Reinforced Impact Safety Evolution and involves the use of a massively strong monocoque structure made from ultra-high tensile steel.

The body is designed to ensure maximum crash protection from all angles and directs impact forces away from the occupants and the car's extremities.

Although certain parts of the car might be damaged in any impact, the passengers will remain within a steel safety cell. Impact testing showed the Mirage has the highest collision safety among its class in Japan.

In addition, all Mirage variants have as standard a driver's front airbag, a passenger's front airbag with cut-off switch, driver's and passenger's side and curtain airbags, ABS with EBD, active stability control with traction control, brake assist system, emergency stop system, child protection rear door locks, engine immobiliser and more.

Altogether it's a neat and smart little five-door which not only delivers on economy but gives a higher degree of driving pleasure than you might think.