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Mirrow Provocator Is an Odd Car That Makes a Few Very Good Points

It’s been so long since the car-making industry had a real revolution, something to dramatically change the way we see cars and the way the manufacturing companies build them. We’re not saying there should be change just for the sake of it, but is there really nothing we could do better?
Mirrow Provocator 11 photos
Photo: Mirrow
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Let’s talk doors, for example. There was the Hyundai Veloster with its odd number of doors, there’s the Tesla Model X with the falcon doors, the Rolls-Royce with its suicide doors and a supercar or two with scissor doors, but apart from that, the other 99 percent of cars use the classic recipe: front hinged, one or two on each side.

We’ve done alright with this setup, but the Mirrow Provocator thinks it’s got a better solution. And when we say better, we actually mean more efficient. This car takes some inspiration from the layout of commercial aircraft and makes the most of it in the available space. The Provocator is about the same length as a smart Fortwo, but it’s immensely more imposing due to its height of 205 cm (80.7”) and considerable width. It can also seat four, which is a great advantage over Daimler’s car.

The biggest innovation regarding space repartition is the access, which can be made from the rear of the car through a regular-sized door (170x60 cm or 67”x23.6”). The driver and passengers are presented with a short aisle that has seats on either side, while also having a higher roofline for increased headroom.

This isn’t just some gimmick devised to make the Mirrow Provocator different at all costs, having several other beneficial implications, such as the very safe and stiff structure of the vehicle’s frame. It’s virtually built like a roll cage since it doesn’t have to deal with the huge weakness points presented by conventional doors - the Mirrow Provocator does have smaller side doors, but those are meant only for emergency situations.

We’re used to having these weird prototypes come with alternative propulsion systems, but the Mirrow Provocator was developed to use traditional internal combustion engines. It can receive 1.5-liter turbo units that run on both gasoline and diesel, but the ample space under the seats is ideal for large capacity batteries, so an electric version could be built at any time. The engine and transmission are located in the center of the car, so in case of a head-on collision, it will be pushed in the area between the driver and passenger, reducing the risks of injuries.

If you feel like the Provocator is mainly an urban vehicle, you’re mostly right. According to the manufacturer, the vehicle’s top speed will be limited to 140 km/h (86 mph), while the 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) time is estimated at 8.7 seconds. The top speed, in particular, doesn’t make the Mirrow Provocator a very useful car on the freeway, and judging by its shape, we’d guess it’s not very quiet either, but if its owner desires, it is perfectly capable of venturing outside the city.

There’s a basic Provocator version that does away with the glass and some side panels, which is intended for use in warm climate. The retail price for this version is of around €3,500-4,500 ($4,000-5,000), which is surprisingly low. That means a top model shouldn’t go very far over the €10,000 mark, which is still miles away from the smart Fortwo used for comparison here. All that remains now is for Mirrow to build successfully a decent interior and find a way to make its product known to the world. It says that all the final details, as well as a launch date, will be finalized this year, so stay tuned for more. Hopefully, they will also change its name, as that can be a great turnoff.
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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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