Head to Head

As cars get bigger and bigger, a new segment has opened up that slots just beneath the subcompact sedan. Called the A-segment, this class has to balance the fine line between value and generous equipment levels without driving up the price.

The Mitsubishi Mirage has been a top-seller for Mitsubishi since its launch back in 2013 and was revised this year. Honda has since stepped up to the challenge with the Brio in late 2014 and has since added variants and equipment levels since. Both promise to offer high value and content at low prices and the focus of this week's head to head.

This week's head to head turns its focus on two A-segments hatchbacks, the Honda Brio and Mitsubishi Mirage as well as their sedan counterparts, the Brio Amaze and Mirage G4. With similar proportions and features, we will look at the differences between the two.

The Mitsubishi Mirage is powered by a 1.2 liter, three-cylinder engine with an output of 78 PS and 100 Nm of torque. Under the hood of the Honda Brio is a 1.3-liter, four cylinder engine that produces 100 PS and 128 Nm of torque.

For their transmissions, Honda installed a five-speed automatic in the top of the line Brio. The top-spec Mirage on the other hand shifts its power through a continuously variable transmission. Both are available with five-speed manuals in the lower trim models and both are front wheel drive. To maximize space, both ride on struts in front and a torsion beam at the back.

Inside, the Mitsubishi Mirage comes with a predominantly black interior with gray and piano black trim in the cabin. The 's cabin theme is a mix of round and rectangular themes plus extra storage space to maximize versatility. Its instrument panel is comprised of three large dials housing the tachometer, fuel level and speedometer. A multi-information display is also included in the Mirage. On to the Brio, its interior is also mostly black and gray colored. Circles dominate the front section of the Brio 's interior from the aircon vents, aircon controls and center console. In the Brio Amaze, its interior is mostly beige from its seats to the headlining. Only the floormats, dashboard and center console are colored gray.

Even with their modest price tags, both the Brio and Mirage offer big car features. In GLS trim, the Mirage comes with steering wheel mounted audio controls standard. Also standard is a touchscreen infotainment system with navigation plus a reverse camera available as a dealer option. The Honda Brio also comes with features seen in more expensive cars. Like the Mirage, it too comes with a touchscreen infotainment system with navigation and steering wheel mounted audio controls. Both these cars channel sound though their respective four speaker audio systems. Their lower level models get a non-touchscreen audio head unit but still offers auxiliary input. These particular models also get fewer speakers with two at the front and none at the rear.

We now move on to their exteriors. Up front, the Honda Brio features a pair of large, bubble-shaped headlights, a two bar grille and wide lower front air intake plus foglights. Towards the rear section of the car, the rear windshield also serves at the car's tailgate. For the Mitsubishi Mirage, the recently revised exterior gains a new grill and various styling touches to keep the car up to date. The Mitsubishi rides on 15 inch alloy wheels while the Honda has a smaller set of wheels measuring at 14 inches.

For their sedan counterparts the cars are similar to the hatchbacks until the middle section. Up front, the Honda Brio Amaze is unchanged from its hatchback. From the middle to the back, it gets different rear doors and a short deck trunk that houses a big cargo capacity for its size. For the Mitsubishi Mirage G4, it gets a different grille from its hatchback sibling plus a different front bumper treatment. The middle to rear section of the car is also significantly different with almost no sheet metal shared from the hatch.

In the safety check, both cars have dual airbags, anti-lock brakes with electronic brake force distribution and immobilizers.

The top of the line Honda Brio V Navi Automatic starts at Php 729,000 while the range topping Mitsubishi Mirage GLS CVT is priced at Php 713,000. For the sedan models, the top-spec Mitsubishi Mirage G4 GLS CVT starts at Php 788,000 and the Honda Brio Amaze V Navi Automatic starts at Php 769,000.