The Mitsubishi Mirage is the WORST CAR you can buy!

[Xist]

Sorry Metro. Look what I started.

[Fat Charlie]

Cupholders. What else is there?

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by hydrive

I don't expect it to get the exact specs, but 7.1? For one of the smallest sub-compacts on the market? Yea, I expected better fuel economy.

Wait a minute....

7.1 (33 MPG US) is EXACTLY the combined rating for the 1.4L Spark with CVT. The city rating is 7.8 (29 MPG US). Per NRCAN (EPA will be the same).

If you're beating the city rating in stop & go circumstances, you're already doing dramatically better than can be expected.

Dumb question, but did you research the car's ratings & real world (ie. Fuelly) results before buying?

[hydrive]

I did look into those figures last year when I bought it, I thought I could do better just by driving well.

People are reporting remarkably higher fuel economy in the Mirage vs Spark.

[cr45]

Originally Posted by hydrive

I did look into those figures last year when I bought it, I thought I could do better just by driving well.

People are reporting remarkably higher fuel economy in the Mirage vs Spark.

There are several factors resulting in Mirage having better fuel economy.

Engine

1.2 lit 3 cyl vs 1.4 lit 4 cyl.

The mirage has 3 75mm bore cylinders and the Spark has 4 74mm bore cylinders.

This means that the surface area for the combustion chambers of the Spark engine is some 30% greater than the Mitsubishi engine resulting in greater heat loss. This would be very pronounced when starting from cold.

Aero

The Euro 1.2 Spark has almost identical power output to the 1.2 Mirage yet there is a 10mph difference in claimed top speed ( 102 mph vs 112 mph ). That represents a very significant difference in CDA.

Weight

The Spark is over 120 kg heavier than the Mirage.

PS I drive the Euro Mirage and never drop below 60 mpg US now that spring is here.

[MetroMPG]

cr45 - good summary. I was just going to post something similar.

Want to make a garage page for your car? It's useful for context -- and checking your vehicle's specs/options for those who might not be familiar with it.

Your Garage: Add new vehicle

[MetroMPG]

Interestingly -- I don't know if you know this, hydrive -- the Mirage and Spark use the same CVT, produced by JATCO. Nissan uses it in the Versa Note/sedan as well (and the Euro market Micra, probably -- the Canadian Micra has a conventional 4-spd slushbox), and a bunch of other JDM vehicles.

Mechanically identical, though the programming is probably different.

[hydrive]

I'm aware that different parts like the CVT are often sold to different companies, I didn't know it was 100% identical however.

The bottom line for me is reliability. I am not anti-CVT, I actually think the smooth performance it delivers is fine for an automatic. What I am concerned with is reliability. As long as this thing doesn't crap out at 100 or 150k on the odometer I'm fine.

I hear mixed reviews about the CVT, but I didn't mind buying because I've had plenty traditional automatics that failed me. I had a Honda Accord many years ago, a 1998 model, and the transmission started to have problems under 150km and was gone by 200km. I know, at those numbers you can expect problems in any car, but it goes to show you traditional automatics aren't necessarily more reliable.

[MetroMPG]

True. Nissan stuck with an old design 4-speed slushbox for the Micra in Canada, and you'd think that would bode well for reliability vs. a CVT.

But there have actually been more reports of auto trans problems with the Micra than with the Mirage (going solely by forum reports).

FYI, the CVT7 model used in the Mirage/Spark/Versa Note has been in production globally for 6+ years. If there were design flaws/longevity problems, I think we'd know about it by now.

Information about the Mirage CVT (Jatco CVT7 JF015E) operation, video, diagrams - MirageForum.com

One Mirage forum member maintains a fleet of 25+ Mirage delivery vehicles in Alberta. He's seen a CVT failure there. But he praises the durability of the Mirage much more than the previous generation Spark which they used to run.

[hydrive]

I probably will end up trading in a perfectly good car later this year. The back seat problem is enough that I am considering a G4. But I've only had this Spark since last summer... and it has zero problems at 36k on the odometer.. I am torn, because its a fine two seater even if i can't get the mileage im wanting.