Mitsubishi Mirage is, er, meh...

[user removed]

Interesting how Mazda and Mitsubishi decide to try the technology to make light small very efficient cars AFTER they loose the support of the parent companies Ford and Chrysler, at least in the US.

One more to watch and maybe rent for a road trip.

regards
Mech

[Arragonis]

Originally Posted by Miller88

Are the figures on the scan gauge US gallons?

Imperial - I've entered fillups in Imp gallons and it has mostly been 0.2 gallons or less out tank to tank but the last 2 have been at the outside of that range - i.e. the worse matching. AVG when I got home this PM was 68.1 which is pretty normal for winter. I've lost my "Hypermiler" status due to crawling queues later in the journey due to roadworks.

Going TO work gets about 55-60 as it is uphill - 60 is a good day.

I have a few vids on my Youtube thing, I'll maybe do a few new ones now it is spring - note the snow on the hills behind...

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

That's too funny! (Video)

I couldn't believe it myself. I bet I either see hundreds of them now, or none at all ever again As I tapped it is smaller than I expected, will it survive the roads in North America ?

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

Two words explain this: jaded reviewers.

Maybe. More likely the extra competition.

[Arragonis]

Just to get a comparison I selected a cheap car on sale in the UK market - the Dacia Sandero from that well know engineering mecca of Romania.

As cars they don't compare well, the Mirage is small and the Sandero is about the same size as the original Mk1 Ford Focus and so is substantially bigger.

So what about costs - well the "Base" Mirage is headlined at £7,999 for the 1.0 3cyl 70hp model. I can't find that on the website though, the cheapest I can find is the 1.0 3cyl 70hp model for £8,999. The combined MPG is 67.3 (imp). Top speed 107, 0-60 in 13.6.

Sandero base model is a 1.2 petrol, does 48 MPG combined, 0-60 in 14.5 and 102 MPH for (gasp) £5,999.

Sandero Diesel does 70 MPG combined, 12.1 0-60 and 107 MPH for £8,395.

Sandero 1.2 Turbo (TCE) does 56.5 MPG combined, 11.1 0-60 and 109 MPH for £7,395.

The base £5,999 Sandero is £2K or £3K less than the Mirage, the other models are about the same (once you beat up the sales people a little) but they are bigger and have better performance and similar or better economy.

Guess why I think the Mirage will be rare here

[Miller88]

Originally Posted by Old Mechanic

Interesting how Mazda and Mitsubishi decide to try the technology to make light small very efficient cars AFTER they loose the support of the parent companies Ford and Chrysler, at least in the US.

One more to watch and maybe rent for a road trip.

regards
Mech

Ford and Chryco were negative influences - and they (Mazda, Mitsu) inherited bad habits from both.

[War_Wagon]

Any magazine reviewer is just some guy that drove it. He may call himself an "expert", but his only real claim to that is he has driven a lot of cars as part of what he does for a living. By that definition, I would be an "expert". But the first thing I would tell someone is that they have to drive one for themselves. I might think something rides like a bag of hammers, but if they like it, then it's the car for them. The only vehicle review information I find useful is based on actual scientific data - fuel mileage, and number of complaints/mechanical issues reported vs number of cars sold. If it gets good FE, and is reliable, then the reviews are about as useful as a screen door on a submarine, because you have to try it for yourself at that point to see if you'd want to buy one.

[Slimshade73]

[QUOTE=Fat Charlie;364643]Actually, the best thing you can say about it is that it seems to really hate burning gas.

"I like it a lot" - Dumb and Dumber......Good stuff dude....hope the rest of America wakes up....No chance!

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by Arragonis

So what about costs - well the "Base" Mirage is headlined at £7,999 for the 1.0 3cyl 70hp model. I can't find that on the website though

That may be because it's a limited time £1000 discount to goose initial sales. They did the same thing in Australia.

The most hilarious thing about the 1.0L version of the car in the UK: you can only get one in white! Like we needed a reason to compare it to the Ford Model T!

Of course I'm so happy about the specs of the 1.2L car coming here, I haven't gotten around to whining about Mitsu depriving us of the 1.0L version in North America. Only Europe and Japan get the 1.0 choice.

[user removed]

I stopped reading car mags a long time ago. Wasn't interested in spending 100k on some mega hyper sports car that did 0-100 in 2.5 seconds, or another 100k hyper luxus mobile that brushed my teeth and played videos, while dialing all of my millionaire clients phone numbers for me so I could get fat and have a heart attack.

I'd rather ride a bike.

regards
Mech

[niky]

I think it all depends on what you can get where you are. Dacia is more common in Europe. There are a lot of cheap small cars available there with excellent dynamics and refinement. The price for a Mirage over there is also affected by the fact that it's produced in Thailand and shipped all the way there.

In Asia, Thai production is a bonus for the price. The competition over here is mostly small Asian-market Nissans, the Honda Brio, the Koreans and the Indians. Thailand has the ability to undercut the Koreans in price, while offering similar quality.

This is likely why reviews from this side of the world are more favorable, like mine:
Review: Mitsubishi Mirage GLS MT - Drives | TopGear.com.ph

Make no mistake... it's still horribly soft. I've driven one at 100 mph (not km/h, mph) on an elevated highway and it was all over the place. But personally, for a city car, that's not a big deal, and at the extremes on the racetrack, this soft suspension did not lead to loss of adhesion at the rear axle, like it does with similarly soft cars from Hyundai and Toyota.

The only variable I find myself disagreeing with people on is the steering. Yes, it's electric and light, with all of the debits that comes with, but it's not much worse than the best of its competitors here and better than some others.

Of course, there, they're comparing it to the likes of the Suzuki Swift... which isn't a fair comparison at all, as the Swift is a class bigger and just plain awesome at everything. That's like saying the Chevy Sonic sucks because it doesn't drive like a Ford Focus.

[jakobnev]

I'd like to see the following idea implemented: All reviewers are forced to pay, for example, 100 times the cost of gas used during a review to a fund. The fund then pays out per review-mile driven, so that the fund ends up money-neutral.

Might result in better marks for the cars we like!