It was easy to diss the Mitsubishi Mirage when it first came to Canada two years ago. Built in Thailand primarily for emerging-market customers, the three-cylinder sub-subcompact launched here with a $12,498 MSRP that still wasn't low enough. The point was driven home months later when Nissan reintroduced its Mexico-built Micra to Canada: $9,998 for the base S model. Mitsubishi price-matched, though rather than cut the MSRP, it applied an ongoing $2,500 incentive to the base Mirage ES. For all their penny-pinching appeal, neither Nissan nor Mitsubishi sells many of the $10,000 versions. Even in this basement of the car market, few would relish driving one in mid-summer afternoon rush-hour traffic. Jeremy Sinek compares the two
In photos: Canada's least expensive car overhauled to race
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