2020 Mitsubishi Attrage Review: The S$70k Question [with Video]
Derryn Wong
28/08/2020
Interior and Features
The Attrage’s interior looks very much the same as before. It’s obviously built to a cost, with lots of hard plastics, switchgear you don’t see in newer cars, but it doesn’t veer into the sort of utter ergonomic/material disaster we’ve seen in the very worst of bottom-scraping, built-to-entirely-cost-compromised cars, like budget Chinese cars of a decade earlier – looking at you Geely MK.
There are some clicky-clacky parts, like the signal stalk and the central armrest cover, but overall it feels well-put together and hard-wearing – you won’t shed a tear if junior decides he is now in fact John Bonham and the Attrage is his new drumset. There is a difference between being budget-built and outright badly made – and the Attrage certainly isn’t the latter.
We also expected a ‘pay bottom dollar = do everything yourself’ type deal, but that’s not the whole story here either. While the seats, lights, mirrors, and wipers are manual, and you can only adjust the steering wheel position up or down, there are some notable additions to convenience and comfort: Keyless entry/start, a boot release button on the outside, and LED lights, even a USB port.
The biggest difference in the new model is that the central radio section, filled with buttons last time round, is now replaced by a 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system, what Mitsubishi calls Smartphone Link Display Audio.
That was honestly not something we expected to find on a budget car. While the system is neither particularly sharp nor bright, it works well – you have radio and Bluetooth, you don’t need to press it with extreme pressure like some cheaper infotainment units, and its vertical orientation means visibility is not overly affected by reflections.
More impressively, it packs smartphone connectivity with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which means music, navigation, and more. Android Auto worked perfectly via USB cable. Linking up your phone also means you can press the Voice button on the steering wheel controls and use Google Assistant while driving. With the presence of this sort of tech in the Attrage, all other cars will have to up their game too.
Continue to 4. Driving Experience / Space and Practicality
About the Author
Derryn Wong
CarBuyer's former chief editor was previously the editor for Top Gear Singapore and a presenter for CNA's Cruise Control motoring segment.
Related Models
Related Cars
Latest Stories
Most Popular
on the go
