diff --git a/django/test/simple.py b/django/test/simple.py
index c9adfd22bb..1534011c17 100644
--- a/django/test/simple.py
+++ b/django/test/simple.py
@@ -304,6 +304,7 @@ class DjangoTestSuiteRunner(object):
         for alias, mirror_alias in mirrored_aliases.items():
             mirrors.append((alias, connections[alias].settings_dict['NAME']))
             connections[alias].settings_dict['NAME'] = connections[mirror_alias].settings_dict['NAME']
+            connections[alias].features = connections[mirror_alias].features
 
         return old_names, mirrors
 
diff --git a/tests/regressiontests/test_runner/tests.py b/tests/regressiontests/test_runner/tests.py
index d19df3c725..bd3e40c13b 100644
--- a/tests/regressiontests/test_runner/tests.py
+++ b/tests/regressiontests/test_runner/tests.py
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import warnings
 from django.core.exceptions import ImproperlyConfigured
 from django.core.management import call_command
 from django.test import simple
-from django.test.simple import get_tests
+from django.test.simple import DjangoTestSuiteRunner, get_tests
 from django.test.utils import get_warnings_state, restore_warnings_state
 from django.utils import unittest
 from django.utils.importlib import import_module
@@ -214,6 +214,29 @@ class CustomTestRunnerOptionsTests(AdminScriptTestCase):
         self.assertOutput(out, 'bar:foo:31337')
 
 
+class Ticket16885RegressionTests(unittest.TestCase):
+    def test_ticket_16885(self):
+        """Features are also confirmed on mirrored databases."""
+        from django import db
+        old_db_connections = db.connections
+        try:
+            db.connections = db.ConnectionHandler({
+                'default': {
+                    'ENGINE': 'django.db.backends.sqlite3',
+                },
+                'slave': {
+                    'ENGINE': 'django.db.backends.sqlite3',
+                    'TEST_MIRROR': 'default',
+                },
+            })
+            slave = db.connections['slave']
+            self.assertEqual(slave.features.supports_transactions, None)
+            DjangoTestSuiteRunner(verbosity=0).setup_databases()
+            self.assertNotEqual(slave.features.supports_transactions, None)
+        finally:
+            db.connections = old_db_connections
+
+
 class Ticket17477RegressionTests(AdminScriptTestCase):
     def setUp(self):
         self.write_settings('settings.py')