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

Like Darin recently did, I'll also be driving a Mitsubishi Mirage for reviewing purposes. The process has just started, so I'll give updates as I get them.

I'm really looking forward to trying this car out.

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UPDATE, Aug 20th: I've got the car! Review notes start in post #24.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1408729159

Subscribed. Enjoy. Will you attempt to beat Darin's numbers?

But of course! :D

I really don't think he went all out except one or two trips. 3dplane is really rocking with his Mirage! Worst tank of 54 mpg haha.
http://ecomodder.com/forum/fe-graphs/graph7991.gif

You might also test it in situations they were not testing/driving in, such as an "all city" route with almost no mods, to see how much a person might beat the EPA with only moderate but smart hypermiling. Might help sell the cars, if the results are good. The hybrids rep for high city MPG must be vulnerable to a car like this one, driven smart.

Be interesting. Since owning a hybrid most other cars are a disappointment in regards to the mpg department.

Given our heavy traffic over here, most people only do about 30 mpg in the city (probably worse at the moment, since average travel speed inside the city is now under 10 mph!). I think you could probably hit over 45 mpg easy, though...

IN my defense... :D

I didn't do much more than basic eco-driving with the 5-speed manual I had in order to get a sense of what a "normal" driver could get with just a few habit changes.

Also: the mods were only on the car during the SMCC economy rally.

Any idea which transmission you'll be driving? I was lucky enough to be able to request the manual from Mitsu Canada, but normally with media vehicles you just get what they have. More often than not, it's the top spec automatic model.

Im not sure what I'm getting yet. Hopefully I'll know early next week.

And point for Darin. I just got word from Mitsubishi. I'll be getting a 2015 Mirage ES with CVT! I'm guessing it'll be hard to beat his numbers with the CVT, but we'll certainly see how well it can do.

I'm quite curious to see how Mitsubishi programmed the CVT with electronic throttle. The efficiency minded nerds here (thats me), would imagine that as the gas pedal is pressed further and further, first they would first open the throttle plate to near WOT before increasing engine rpm. After you're essentially at 100% load at ~1000 rpm, THEN you start increasing engine rpms when more power is required. The scangauge will definitely be getting a work out while I have the car. :)

Let me know if there is anything you guys would like me to check out on the car.

Q: does the CVT have different modes, such as Eco, Pwr, normal, etc., that the driver can select?

I don't think so, since the list of features on the Mitsu website is so inflated as to include "sunvisors" and three-point seat belts but no eco buttons. It does also list an "ECO status indicator light" ... that sounds like the cheaper form of a setting selector "eco" button. But how much can we really expect in such an amazingly inexpensive econobox. I kinda like the thing.

But I'd like to know what that eco status light does!

BTW, noticed your telecaster... I always thought that must be the answer... mine would be "Old Gibson" (as in Les Paul... black, 1983 make).

If I recall, there's "D" and "B", which is engine-braking mode, which keeps revs above 3k rpm at all times.

Do you know when you're getting it?

I don't think my numbers were anything special. You'll be able to do that if you want to.

When I test drove the CVT at a dealership in November, I was prepared to hate it. But I came away with an appreciation of the lengths the engineers went to to make the transmission work efficiently. It's darn near "aggressive" in how low it keeps engine RPM; the 2-speed sub gearbox is interesting; and it goes to neutral when you come to a stop (which can make for some less than "premium" feeling gear re-engagements when you get on the go pedal again).

Nope, I haven't heard back as to when I'm getting it yet.

I'm also not sure how the eco indicator light works. Perhaps I'll be able to shed some light on that once I get the car. Here is the info we have on it...

I'd like your detailed impressions of the CVT's idle neutral feature.

Such as: more info on the conditions of operation. Does it always do this, or only when the engine is warmed up? Can you clearly feel it going in and out of N?

Sounds like a good plan. It seems the mystery box that is the CVT will be the focus of this review. :)

Yes. And add to that whether you can beat the eco indicator light. I would bet that the light offers good guidance but that it compromises with the public's expectations for driving. I'm guessing you'll beat it quite handily.

Anecdotal reports are that the light stays on a lot -- you have to really push it to cause it to turn off.

Well, then it just MIGHT be worthwhile to actually *test* and see what the driving limits are that make the ECO light go out.

I'll put it on the to do list. :thumbup:

A cvt with eco mode? Kind of takes the fun out of eco driving. :eek:

I just got it all setup. They'll be delivering the car this Friday around noon.

LIKE.

:p

I just got back from picking the car up. I drove 6 miles back to work. First impressions:

- Ridiculous good gas mileage. The scangauge said 53.5 mpg and all I did was set the cruise control to the speed limit.
- CVT definitely likes to keep rpms low.
- A bit more road noise than I'm used to, nothing drastic at all.

Here are some pics. It is a very nice color.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1408729159

http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1408729159

Oh yeah! This is fun. How's that eco-indicator light working?

That has yet to be seen. I've only driven it 6 miles so far, mostly cruising at 45 mph. You really have to give it a lot of pedal before the light goes out. I had load up to 80-85 and it was still on. I'm wondering if it only goes out during open loop mode... I'll be keeping an eye on it.

I'm betting that ECO light doesn't go out for his entire week. :D

Road noise: I noticed the same thing. You can hear bits of gravel pinging inside the wheel wells/rockers that you probably wouldn't hear on other cars that weigh more than this one. (I forget what the CVT version weighs - just over 2k lbs, I think.)

Interestingly, the car has additional sound deadening/insulation for North America, more than what the Australian/N.Z. cars get... which is more than the south Asian cars get (where a base, manual Mirage with 2 air bags -- vs. 7 here -- weighs 1807 lbs/820 kg).

DOAX - you got a ScangaugeII™ connected to the OBDII connector and providing you other information?

Cant wait for more important info. Like how loud the radio goes, how it handles grades, hows cargo storage room, room for big and tall people plus their fat friends. :eek:

But of course. :thumbup:

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? :D

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.

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).

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?

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

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.

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.

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

ya know.... for science?!

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. :D

Still, this made me laugh, from Jalopnik:

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/...rn5yrhtvaf.jpg

BMW 318. (Spot the ecomod?)

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****."