Review notes: 2015 Mitsubishi Mirage CVT on loan for a week

[Xist]

Yes! How many bags of golf clubs fit in the trunk? How many martini holders are there? Does driving it make you look "ironic?" How many high-schoolers can you take to lunch in it?

How do we get one of you to borrow a Tesla?

[Daox]

After the first weekend with the Mirage, I'm really liking it. I have about 70 miles on it as of this morning. Here are some thoughts:

The gas mileage is almost ridiculously good. So far, the scangauge says I'm averaging 46 mpg. I take a lot of shorter trips (~5 miles or less), and keeping the mileage up on those short trips is difficult, but the Mirage makes it fairly easy. I'm also really not pushing the car to get crazy good mileage either.

The CVT isn't my favorite transmission, but I really like how its programmed. Its very efficiently minded. When accelerating it will rev up, but as soon as it sees that you aren't pushing it for more power (about 2 seconds maybe), it will settle the rpms down and increase engine load. This increases engine efficiency and thus mpg. I definitely am liking it more than a traditional automatic transmission.

Its quite comfortable. I haven't taken it on any long trips, but I'm very comfortable in the car.

The suspension isn't that bad (its known to be very soft and rolly). Yeah, it rolls in corners, but honestly this car is a daily driver and it soaks up the bumps very well for a car its size. I think I'd put a rear sway bar on the car if I had one, but I really am enjoying how it handles otherwise. That would eliminate a decent amount of roll, but still give you the nice smooth ride.

[MetroMPG]

Have you driven a triple before? What do you think of the engine character?

I'm used to them, so my opinion may not mean much to someone who's only driven 4's and up, but I really like the sound & feel of the 1.2L 3 banger. It's smoother than my Firefly/Metro, but has a nice little growl when you push it.

I understand the CVT takes away from the driving experience somewhat since RPM will just "hang" at a steady high RPM under high load, so that 3-pot thrum might bother some on a really long climb.

I just wish we could order the 1.0L that they can get in the Mirage in Europe & Japan. ~7.5% better fuel economy for about 9% less hp. (~67 hp vs. 74 with the 1.2).

[Cobb]

Sounds like the Nissan ultima I drove that had a cvt. The insight is like a tractor, you can set the rpm with your foot and hold it while the cvt does all the work to get you up to speed. Its actually fun to watch the expression on a new passengers face when you hold the engine at 3 grand and accelerate to highway speeds and you never hear it shift like a traditional automatic.

A v6 with dual exhaust or a 3 does sound better than a 4, but they usually have a higher power band. I ended up getting a ten degree cam gear to lower it in my geo. Droning is the down side of a loud exhaust on a eco car as most push 4 grand at highway speeds.

So, wheres the power band at? Whats the max rpm you can go before acceleration drops off? Hows reverse gear? Any power or do you need to floor it?

[dirtydave]

I saw one on the road today in a dark blue I like the car a lot it looks nice!

[Daox]

I don't think I have ever driven a 3 cylinder. Mitsubishi did a great job with it though. There isn't any bad NVH issues. The exhaust is a bit louder than most cars these days, but there isn't really much for engine noise.

[Daox]

46 mpg home from work yesterday. 51.5 in to work today. I'm still not trying to P&G it. I am gliding where I can. Shifting to neutral is a breeze with this car and it goes back into drive just fine.

B mode can be used for engine braking and dfco, but it does slow you down quite fast. I don't see it being very useful to increase mileage. I have seen dfco in D mode (normal drive), but it seems like it only engages at higher speeds. In town, it will not engage. But, when it does, it holds it down to near idle, then it shifts to neutral.

[dirtydave]

Can we get a 0-60 time at WOT and a 60-0 time standing on the brakes?

ya know.... for science?!

[MetroMPG]

For the CVT Mirage, Car and Driver says: "zero-to-60 time of 10.9 seconds and a quarter-mile time of 18.3 seconds at 75 mph."

I have no idea what launch method they use. I've never tested the 0-60 of my Firefly, either.

Still, this made me laugh, from Jalopnik:



BMW 318. (Spot the ecomod?)

[California98Civic]

Great, true statement about the psychology of the US car buyer: "There's a certain pervasive belief that, somehow, no matter what the car costs, we all deserve the finest-feeling plastics and the best acceleration and that certain aspirational look that tells everyone we're mere weeks away from being able to buy some islands. This is bull****."