2019 Mitsubishi Mirage G4 5-speed

[smallie]

So I picked up my new (to me) Sapphire Blue 2019 Mirage G4 ES 5MT last night, and figured I would start a thread to document my mods, maintenance, etc. I wanted a hatchback for the space and slightly increased fuel economy but this car became available and I do like the style of the sedan. It had 1,368 miles and now has 1,410 miles. It averaged 51.8mpg on the drive home according to the vehicle's display. I was able to drive quite conservatively due to the lack of traffic at that time by driving slowly, timing traffic signals, etc. My average MPG dropped when climbing a mountain (approx 2300' elevation) but I gained it back on the descent. To my delight, I was able to stay in 5th gear for the entire ascent. I hope to do a few minor mods to this car, including a scangauge, smooth wheel covers, and some LED bulbs. I may even do some ceramic window tint to use less A/C in the summer as well as protect my interior. I really love the way the car drives. The power is very adequate. I would compare the acceleration, to the best of my recollection, to a 1987 Nissan King Cab pickup I had a couple of years ago. Also the back seat is surprisingly roomy. One interesting detail about this car is since the radiator is only about 2/3 of the length of a typical one, the factory incorporated a small partial grill block into the grill design. I will attach a few pictures. I am pleased to finally have one of these little cars and to be a part of this forum!

[smallie]

The Mirage got an oil change today. It is currently at 1,422 miles but the service reminder was on. Since it was overdue due to time and not mileage, It is quite possible that it had never had an oil change.

I also replaced the license plate lights with some Sylvania Zevo 194 LED bulbs that I happened to already have. They use 1 watt together vs 10 watts from the stock bulbs. Obviously I do not expect any fuel economy gains from this but I already had the bulbs. They are exponentially brighter than the stock bulbs too. You can really see them lighting up the ground behind the car whereas the stock ones you could barely see at all. The Sylvania LEDs are the way to go. I have had too many issues with cheapo LED bulbs either not working or being dimmer than the OEM bulbs. Some of the cheap ones even burn out if you put them in the wrong way at first. The Sylvania ones don't do that. I plan to get the Sylvania brake, reverse and side marker lights as my budget allows.

Today I also went ahead and ordered the ScanGauge E through the site store here as well as the mount for it. Other than the tach, speedo and fuel level, this car only has dummy lights so the ScanGauge was needed to monitor instant MPG and coolant temp.

[Vman455]

Good call on the name-brand LED bulbs. I have Philips on my car after the cheapo ones all burned out in a year or two. They're a better color temperature, too--white instead of the blue tint.

[smallie]

The Phillips LEDs look nice. I have always stuck with Sylvania ZEVOs because I have had nothing but good experiences with them, but I may have to give Phillips a try if I can find a good deal on some. I usually look for an Individual selling a brand new set on eBay that they purchased and didn't need. That sure beats AutoZone prices anyway!

[2016 Versa]

I wouldn't trust the factory mileage readout. The one in my Versa is always about 4-6 MPG optimistic. I have an Ultra Gauge in my Versa that is usually within 1 MPG after getting it calibrated but I always do the actual math to find exact MPG.

[smallie]

I assumed it would be. I plan to calculate with future fill-ups, but I typically drive my own vehicles very little so that will be infrequent. I'm also interested to see how it compares to the ScanGauge.

[Ecky]

Subscribed! The Mirage is such an unloved vehicle by the masses, but I see them as an incredible value.

[smallie]

I agree. The car's relative simplicity is what makes it unique and beautiful to me. I am glad something like the thrifty little Mirage is still offered in a market that seems to be inching towards in a post-compact, post-base model era.

[smallie]

1686 miles

First fill-up today, so I will be able to calculate my fuel economy that way on the next one.

Also put my Scangauge in the car. It arrived yesterday. I ended up getting the SG-II rather than the SG-E. For now it is mounted below the instrument cluster. This is temporary, as I am going to have to figure out how to route the cable and use a windshield mount. It works for now though. The only thing it blocks that is important is the fuel level gauge. Here is a picture of the location. That 57.5mpg average fuel economy number was from a 17 mile trip to my dads house. Looking forward to comparing the computer's numbers to manual calculations at my next fill-up.

[MetroMPG]

Belated welcome from another Mirage owner, smallie!

And congrats on your new Mirage. I suspect finding a 5-speed Mirage sedan is a rare thing.



FYI: Mitsu discontinued the sedan option in Canada after just a couple of years -- sedan sales were only in the hundreds(!). It seems that Canadians generally won't buy a small sedan if there's an equivalent hatchback offered.

Out of curiosity, why did you go for the 5-speed?

Sadly, I suspect most Mirage shoppers interested in fuel economy are mistakenly lured into getting the CVT by its slightly better EPA ratings compared to the manual transmission.

You'd have to be a genuine MPG nerd to know that, despite the ratings, a motivated eco-driver can beat the CVT's MPG by a significantly higher margin with the stick.

Originally Posted by smallie

To my delight, I was able to stay in 5th gear for the entire ascent.

^ You know you're a Mirage owner when.

Originally Posted by smallie

Also the back seat is surprisingly roomy.

Yes, it's surprisingly roomy! There's literally more usable rear leg room in the back of a Mirage sedan than in my folks' 2006 Camry. Partly that's because the Mirage front seats are mounted higher off the floor, so you can make use of the under-seat space to stretch out.

One interesting detail about this car is since the radiator is only about 2/3 of the length of a typical one, the factory incorporated a small partial grill block into the grill design.

Even more interesting: the size of that factory grille block is different depending on whether the car comes with the CVT or manual transmission (more area is blocked in the manual trans version).