Quote:
Originally Posted by Daox
I would definitely like to hear how it handles. I know you said the 2014 suspension was way too soft for your liking. It'll be interesting to hear how their updates have affected the handling.
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I had a chance to do a direct comparison, and the 2017 is set up better than the 2014/2015:
- It's quieter -- less engine vibration gets into the cabin. They supposedly revised the engine mounts. The 2015's interior mirror actually vibrates slightly with the engine at idle. Nothing in the 2017 does that.
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It handles better. They say the spring rates were revised, and the front chassis was stiffened, and I believe it. I actually found myself taking curves in the G4 at speeds that no typical owner would ever do....
just for the fun of it! I chuckled when it occurred to me that more side bolstering in the driver's seat would have been nice. The 2014 never made me wish for that -- I would have been too busy worrying about scraping the side mirrors on the asphalt.
Let's not kid ourselves: the Mirage is no sports car. And the ride is still tuned more for comfort than corner carving. But it's not as remarkably squishy as it used to be.
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They fixed the steering. There was something a little odd about the 2014/2015's steering geometry that caused it to have weak "self-centering": you could dial in a 45 degree turn of the steering wheel, and it would just stay there when you released steering pressure. It's something you got used to, but it's unusual compared to almost every other car I've driven, which typically will self-center much closer to dead-ahead.
Steering test:
But the way they fixed it was a little unusual: while driving around in the 2017, I sometimes had the distinct impression that the electric power steering was actively "unwinding" the wheel at low speeds.
I confirmed it by unplugging the EPS motor.
Here's where the steering would unwind to at 25 km/h (about 45 degrees), no hands:
And now watch this short video with the EPS motor re-connected, at the same speed, with the same initial amount of steering. Watch for "active" unwinding of the wheel at around the 7 second mark, returning the wheel much closer to straight ahead:
The owner of the green 2015 also definitely noticed these improvements in the 2017.
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