Turbo whine!
The CVT is funny: when coming to a stop at low speeds with no other sound competition, you can sometimes hear a very faint "falling" whine from the trans -- similar, but even quieter than the sound some hybrids make under regen. It also hilariously sounds like a big Cummins turbo spooling down, at a fraction of the volume.
Smooth cruise
Tapping up or down to change speed is nicely programmed - probably the smoothest of any car I've driven.
Needs a center arm rest
Silly that the top spec car doesn't have one. Mitsu's PR rep says that's also "on their wish list".
ONE dimmer to rule them all!
It bugs me that in some cars with infotainment screens in the center stack, dimming the instrument cluster lights doesn't also dim the screen -- it's a separate setting.
Speaking of infotainment, I hate screens in cars
I hate how much attention it requires to change settings. Knobs and buttons are so much easier & safer.
Picky styling critique: headlights should not be bigger than wheels
The previous gen Chevy Spark was guilty of this too: a car's wheels should not look smaller than its headlight assembly! From some angles, the G4's wheel:headlight ratio is awful. And this car had the 15 inch wheels - 14's are standard, and this issue is even more pronounced.
Baby got back!(up camera)
This just reveals how old my personal fleet is: the G4 was the first car I've driven with a big, colour back-up camera. (I once drove one with a small, mono one, but it was nearly useless.)
I noticed how
absorbed I could get using the screen. Video-gamey? Hard to explain, but when I would look up afterward, it felt like snapping back to reality. The screen completely saps my wider awareness. Which I think means Nissan's 360-degree system is probably the best way to go.
The camera is fantastic for precision, tight quarters parking. Sucks getting used to it, then it becoming useless when the lens gets wet (rain) or if the lighting is bad.
Rear seat room
It really was startlingly roomy in the back seat, with room to actually stretch out (feet under the seat).
Final thoughts...
The changes made to the 2017 in steering, handling & NVH are a noticeable improvement over the 2014/15 car. But really the 2014 model should have started out this way.
It was interesting to spend time with the CVT -- the transmission that the vast majority of buyers will choose. But I was happy to go back to my stick shift; the automatic saps away too much driving engagement for my liking. Plus the manual is more efficient (if you want it to be) - never mind the EPA ratings.
Then again, the CVT makes for a surprisingly calm & quiet driving experience, if you're just toodling around. (It actually encourages toodling... if you push it, the engine does get loud and droney.)
Lastly, I think Mitsu should have priced the base model sedan to undercut the Versa sedan (the Nissan is America's perennial best-selling subcompact car, and has the least expensive MSRP.) I realize Mirages have almost permanent manufacturer rebates on the hood, but I think they're missing a marketing opportunity by not simply dropping the MSRP to an eye-popping number.
This top spec G4 was $19,498 CAD including delivery, but before taxes/registration. If there's no current factory cash on the hood, that becomes over $22k out the door after taxes. To me, top spec price makes no sense for this car -- the Mirage is all about value and low cost of ownership. Go for the base model.
Last of Mitsu's featherweight platform?
Now that Nissan has a controlling stake in Mitsu and will be looking for ways to share costs, I wonder if the superlight Mirage platform will see a next generation (2019?) evolution, or if the next Mirage will simply become a variant of the just-released 5th gen Micra/March platform.
