Mitsubishi Mirage Dingo

**utakabo** · July 13th, 2008 02:51 PM

just visited a japan surplus dealer and saw the dingo. i found it quite interesting. it is being marketed as a gas-buster (the dealer's term) as it allegedly can get 22 km to a liter. that's impressive, if true. but even if it can only manage 15 at city driving. that would still be great.

can anyone (especially those who own one) enlighten me about a few concerns:
1. is safety still an issue now that importers are using conversion kits?
2. is the actual fc of the dingo anywhere near the quoted fc?
3. how about the availability of spare parts? the agent told me that spare parts are readily available at banaue.

TIA

**iho250** · July 14th, 2008 01:47 AM

went to ali mall yesterday and i saw one...aesthetically...maganda...

**utakabo** · July 14th, 2008 09:12 AM

i also found it attractive. but better still is the interior, it has plenty of space for a small car, leg room and headroom is superb and storage space at the back is much bigger than that of the locally offered hatches here.

kaya nga kahit bias ako ako sa manual transmission i am still willing to give it a try as long as satisfied ako sa tatlong issues i posted above.

i tried googling for reviews from other countries pero they aren't much of a help.

**utakabo** · July 14th, 2008 09:28 AM

Mitsubishi Dingo
It’s Scenic era. Everyone rushes to build mini MPVs out of the so-called C-segment cars (i.e., Golf, Focus, Corolla, Civic ...) Although Mitsubishi still claims itself as the pioneer of MPV because of that Space Wagon appear in 1983, its Mirage Dingo is clearly inspired by Renault’s trend-setting Scenic. While the Scenic is derived from Megane, the Dingo is based on a shortened Mirage platform. And you know, sharing so many components with the Mirage / Colt / Lancer, the Dingo is far more cost effective than Space Wagon (Grandis) and Space Runner (RVR).

The comment for its styling is quite polarised. The large and angular headlamps look sophisticated, so is the front bumper, but the basic profile of the whole car is quite odd. It’s simply too boxy, without the sleekness of Scenic or the futuristic character of Fiat Multipla. Japanese stylists still have a long way to go.

Like Scenic, accommodation is limited to two rows and 5 seats. The rear row is 50-50 split and can be slided forward and backward individually, or can be detached, or can be folded to the back of front seats to enable a large and flat storage area rivalling an estate. Alternatively, the rear seats can be flipped downward and form a pair of beds together with front seats. Because of the column shifter, there is no transmission tunnel thus enable walk-through between front and rear seats.

Still, the Dingo is too small for a MPV. Apart from the lack of individual rear seats, the rear passengers might feel short of shoulder room. Legroom is also compromised with the boot space, although headroom is plenty of. It feels more like a city car than a weekend people carrier.

Because of the Mirage-sourced platform, Dingo is not deemed to be a competent driver’s car. The biggest engine is just a GDI 1.5-litre, some 300 to 500 c.c. less than its competitors. Although the car is compact and light, performance is hampered by the use of 4-speed automatic.

In short, Dingo is a demonstration of lifestyle rather than actually delivering lifestyle. It’s not the most versatile mini MPV on offer. It’s far from the most comfortable and accommodative. It has the least driver appeal. The pioneer of MPV seems fail to follow the latest trend.

The above report was last updated on 31 Mar 2000. All Rights Reserved.
Specifications
Model

Dingo 1.5 GDI
Layout

Front-engined, Fwd.
Dimensions

L / W / H / WB : 3885 / 1695 / 1635 / 2440 mm
Engine

Inline-4, dohc, 4v/cyl, direct-injection
Capacity

1468 c.c.
Power

105 hp
Torque

103 lbft
Transmission

4A
Suspensions

F: strut / R: multi-link
Tyres

185/65 R14
Weight

1180 kg
Top speed

N/A
0-60 mph

N/A
0-100 mph

N/A

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