THE Mirage has been a shimmering success for Mitsubishi in Britain and it's easy to see why.

The new five-door only version arrived this spring with a simple choice of 70bhp 1.0 or 79bhp 1.2-litre five-speeders and optional CVT on the higher output version.

We tried the manual 1.2 Mirage 3, expected to be a strong seller priced towards the top of the four-model range beginning at just under £9,000 and rising to almost £13,000.

The engine is a gutsy three-cylinder which is perfect for this city car role, delivering quick responses in town, pulling well in traffic and was surprisingly composed on country roads and motorways.

You have to make sure you are in the right gear to optimise the power underfoot, but a light clutch and slick gearchange make that easy and the powertrain is quiet and surprisingly economical.

We achieved between 40 and 64mpg without any particular effort to drive in a miserly manner and yet it was agile and covered the ground well.

The powered steering was light and the turning circle good while the brakes needed only modest pedal effort to rapidly slow the car and the handbrake held it firmly on a steep slope.

Secondary controls are close to hand, the instruments simple and clearly displayed, backed up by standard climate control with a straightforward set up and good performance.

Room is reasonable, not exceptional, and it's a tight fit in the back for taller people while the boot holds from 235 to 910 litres maximum. Oddments provision is limited in the cabin with a few small pockets, recesses and trays.

Visibility is very good with slim roof pillars, big windows, good wipers and quite bright headlights, although their beam was not particularly widespread.

The noise levels were generally low. Mechanical noise only rose when the engine went into its higher rev-range in the intermediate gears and the background road rumbles were modest.

Ride quality was fine for most of the time, but really severe road bumps and potholes would jarr the occupants. Handling was safe, predictable and unchallenging while the road holding was biased towards understeer.

Mitsubishi has done a lot to improve the internal appearance of the Mirage and its fit and finish inside was excellent but examination of the exterior revealed peeling paint around a parking sensor and a seeming mismatched pair of lights with odd screws locating them.