I realized yesterday that this is the very same Micra I drove briefly in May in Montreal when I had a chance to compare the
fuel economy of the 5-speed vs. the automatic over the same route.
Handling...
When I posted the Montreal thread, someone asked me about the car's handling, but I hadn't really had a chance to play with it.
I have now!
It's nicely buttoned down. Standard front & rear stabilizer bars (Canada is the only country to get both) have body roll under control, and the steering is relatively responsive.
These are two areas of criticism of the Mitsubishi Mirage, and having spent time with the Mitsu recently, I have to agree (the Mirage has a "slower" steering ratio for the same turning radius, much higher steering assist, significantly softer springs/dampers, and only a front stabilizer bar). The Mirage arguably offers a plusher ride, but if you appreciate a little spirited driving now and again, you would definitely pick the Micra, regardless of the cars' drivetrain differences.
The drive home from Ottawa on Sunday evening turned into a real life game of Frogger. There were hundreds of them hopping across the back roads, and the steering got a workout -- lots of flicking the car left & right.
It's no go-kart, but highway on/offramps and twisties can be fun. (Though some owners are already looking to lower their Micras a little and firm them up more.)
Fuel economy so far
After about 250 km of a mix city/small town/back roads & freeway driving, the fuel economy display is showing 5.1 L/100 km (
46 mpg US / 55 mpg Imp). That's using just basic ecodriving techniques only, and sticking to the speed limit on the open road (mostly secondary highways, 80 km/h / 50 mph limit). I haven't used A/C yet.
The car's combined rating is 7.8 LHK / 30.2 mpg US.
However that's an uncalibrated number -- owners are reporting the gauge to be 5-10% optimistic. I'll correct the numbers in this thread when I fill up.
UPDATE: the onboard MPG display read ~4.5% optimistic, vs. calculations at the pump.
I will admit the 4-speed auto is driving me a little nuts!