Author Topic: Test Drive: 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage ES (Read 86401 times)

tooscoops · « **Reply #360 on:** July 07, 2014, 10:41:02 am »

nice to hear a strong opinion one way or another from people who have had a chance to drive it...

so did you tell the son about your true feelings, or just stick to, "that's a really decent looking car for it's price"

johngenx · « **Reply #361 on:** July 07, 2014, 10:54:18 am »

"If you can't say anything nice..."

And it is the smartest car choice anyone in their family has made in all the years I've known them...

dkaz · « **Reply #362 on:** July 07, 2014, 11:20:18 am »

Maybe the only thing we can praise it for is the incredible real world fuel consumption numbers. People are in the 5s driving sensibly in the city, 6s driving a bit more spirited. And apparently this car begs to be driven more on the sensible side.

My 86 and 85 Civic wagons weighed 880kg and had 76hp motors, and I thought those were fun cars to drive.

tooscoops · « **Reply #363 on:** July 07, 2014, 12:24:32 pm »

begs to be driven sensible?... sounds more like cries and wails when driven anything beyond school zone speeds.

i was going to mention the, "if you can't say anything nice" line, but come on... i've seen the things people on here post!

sounds like this family is full of car enthusiasts....

dkaz · « **Reply #364 on:** July 07, 2014, 12:25:56 pm »

"2,200 RPM, upshift UPSHIFT for the love of God UPSHIFT, I BEG YOU!"

johngenx · « **Reply #365 on:** July 07, 2014, 01:04:05 pm »

This is the automotive moped. Should you find a downhill section and exceed 50km/h, HANG ON!

I've owned and loved low HP cars. There's something fun about being able to drive something at 9/10ths and not worry about tickets! This car does not offer that. Not even close. Those old Civics and many other cars with teeny engines and low HP at least offer(ed) engines that rev happily, or sound decent, or something. This engine is coarse, is happy neither at low or high revs, and the manual gearbox ratios were chosen for a completely different engine.

Oh, wait! Despite zero torque, the clutch take up is perfect, and stalling the car is difficult. Very linear with good feel.

Our 2009 Corolla, in theory, is worth about the same as this car retail to retail. Would I trade a 2009 Corolla with over 100K for the Mirage? Not on your life. Seriously, the Corolla feels like an S-Class after driving the Mirage. This is one car that screams "buy a five year old used car!!"

conwelpic · « **Reply #366 on:** July 07, 2014, 01:35:03 pm »

Quote from: johngenx on July 07, 2014, 01:04:05 pm

This is the automotive moped. Should you find a downhill section and exceed 50km/h, HANG ON!

I've owned and loved low HP cars. There's something fun about being able to drive something at 9/10ths and not worry about tickets! This car does not offer that. Not even close. Those old Civics and many other cars with teeny engines and low HP at least offer(ed) engines that rev happily, or sound decent, or something. This engine is coarse, is happy neither at low or high revs, and the manual gearbox ratios were chosen for a completely different engine.

Oh, wait! Despite zero torque, the clutch take up is perfect, and stalling the car is difficult. Very linear with good feel.

Our 2009 Corolla, in theory, is worth about the same as this car retail to retail. Would I trade a 2009 Corolla with over 100K for the Mirage? Not on your life. Seriously, the Corolla feels like an S-Class after driving the Mirage. This is one car that screams "buy a five year old used car!!"

maybe you could get a chance to drive the Micra for quick comparison

johngenx · « **Reply #367 on:** July 07, 2014, 01:48:27 pm »

I should go test drive one. Mitsubishi has lowered the bar! Is this the same company that builds the EVO and several other very interesting/nice vehicles?

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johngenx · « **Reply #368 on:** July 07, 2014, 01:50:25 pm »

There's a Nissan dealer about two blocks from where I'm going for lunch. Hhhmmmm

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mixmanmash · « **Reply #369 on:** July 07, 2014, 03:43:02 pm »

Quote from: johngenx on July 07, 2014, 01:48:27 pm

I should go test drive one. Mitsubishi has lowered the bar! Is this the same company that builds the EVO and several other very interesting/nice vehicles?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

No more Evo.

johngenx · « **Reply #370 on:** July 07, 2014, 04:28:16 pm »

Mica vs Mirage? Are these cars really the same price?

Well, other than both cars starting with the letter "M" and having "modernistic" sub compact styling, there is little similarity between these two.

I didn't read any Micra specs before test driving it. Thankfully, the dealer had a manual Micra (most of their stock are the $13K-ish AT/AC models) outside and it took only two minutes before we were shifting gears.

Engine vs. engine. The Micra feels like it has TWICE the power. There is a meaty rev range in the Nissan and it's no chore to use the gearbox to keep it boiling. It feels like a rocket compared to the Mitsu. Getting on and off the freeway was breeze and the car could handily pass with care on two lane highways.

Gearbox vs. gearbox. Both cars shift well enough, both offer light clutches with easy engagement. The main difference is the ratios and how they match to to the engine. Mitsu missed this completely, and Nissan nailed it. The Nissan is easy to keep the engine on the power, the Mirage impossible.

Interior vs interior. Okay, the Nissan is spartan and hard plastics and mouse-fur abound, but the design is modern and the controls feel like 2014, not 1974. The HVAC controls are intuitive dials (my faves) and you could own this car without ever cracking the owners manual. There's no mistaking the Nissan's interior for a car made in the Eastern Bloc prior to the wall coming down. Not so for the Mirage.

Suspension and handling. The tire/wheel combo on the Nissan is larger and better, and you feel it. The Mirage was "okay" except for some po-go-stick behaviour, but the Nissan feels like some real effort went into the suspension. The ride is better and cornering is much better. One huge advantage the Nissan enjoys is that when you go to exit the bend, the engine actually responds. Wow! Both cars have a lot of body roll, but it feels more controlled in the Nissan. These cars are really the same price?

NVH. In the Mirage, NVH means "Noise, Vibration and Harshness, you GET ALL THREE!!" And lots of it. More than your money's worth, that's for sure. Nissan didn't take the time and effort to drill holes in the firewall to pump engine noise into the cabin. Nissan broke down and for sure installed at least some deadening material in the car. They "diluted your experience" by installing an engine that doesn't sound and feel like it's about to send the cylinder head through the hood. The Micra HANDS DOWN wins the NVH contest for having WAY MORE of ALL THREE. The poor Nissan finishes way back with what's actually a pretty decent car to drive at 110-120.

The Nissan is a far, far better car. It feels much more expensive. It handily beats the Mirage in every category save for NVH, which the Mitsubishi excels, offering tons of Noise, Vibration AND harshness.

Are these cars really the same price?

Bubba · « **Reply #371 on:** July 07, 2014, 04:36:58 pm »

Quote from: johngenx on July 07, 2014, 04:28:16 pm

Mica vs Mirage? Are these cars really the same price?

I think you have a future at autos.ca.

Great_Big_Abyss · « **Reply #372 on:** July 07, 2014, 04:43:22 pm »

I'm just curious, how will the Micra's fuel economy fare compared to the Mirage?

I know, I know, it's only a small part of a much bigger picture, and I wouldn't sacrifice the advantages of the Micra just to get better efficiency with the Mirage, but it would be nice to know... If the Micra can match the Mirage in economy, then it really is a SLAM DUNK!

And if you can find the Quebec Special, isn't it 3K cheaper, too?

johngenx · « **Reply #373 on:** July 07, 2014, 04:53:10 pm »

Getting out and pushing the Micra the distance required to match the Mirage's fuel economy if the Mirage does indeed have an advantage would be preferable to owning the Mirage.

dkaz · « **Reply #374 on:** July 07, 2014, 06:05:44 pm »

The Micra has a cheaper starting price but they're comparable at the upper ranges.

The upper (second) trim level of the Mirage has auto climate controls, that's the one I would get.

But the Micra is generally more pleasing to be in, I agree.

I wonder if all these microcompacts will prompt Toyota to release their Aygo here?

dirtyjeffer · « **Reply #375 on:** July 07, 2014, 08:55:34 pm »

Quote from: DKaz on July 07, 2014, 06:05:44 pm

The Micra has a cheaper starting price but they're comparable at the upper ranges.

The upper (second) trim level of the Mirage has auto climate controls, that's the one I would get.

But the Micra is generally more pleasing to be in, I agree.

I wonder if all these microcompacts will prompt Toyota to release their Aygo here?

while auto climate control is nice, it's one feature that doesn't really improve everything else about the car, which is terrible...i'd much rather have the Micra with dials to control the temps than the auto climate control in the ~~Mistake~~ Mirage.

2JDM · « **Reply #376 on:** July 07, 2014, 09:03:48 pm »

Ok here is a question. What drives better? The Smart or Mirage?

The Smart is the worst car I have ever driven.

Firm · « **Reply #377 on:** July 08, 2014, 09:05:37 am »

I'd prefer a Mirage over a smart, I lived with a Mirage for 3 weeks and it really wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. The biggest problem with the Smart is that I find it extremely awkward to be in, everything is strangely positioned making it a rather uncomfortable experience. The Mirage, although cheap and spartan inside, is well laid out and doesn't feel awkward at all.
I've said this before, but while the Mirage isn't something I would purchase for myself, for a young person just looking to get from point a to b with minimal costs and hassles I'd recommend it. There's plenty of people like that out there. For example, an old co-worker of mine, with zero interest in cars needed to buy a cheap car to get to work...She asked me for help, so I found a used Yaris in her budget and it's been great for her. That said, if she didn't have me to help her find something (privately) in the used market, something like this would have been her best option; she would be able to walk into a dealer, pick her color etc and walk out with the car she *needed* within her budget and with minimal hassle.
I won't speak to the Micra comparison since I have yet to spend any time behind the wheel of one - it is a pretty good looking little car though.

Great_Big_Abyss · « **Reply #378 on:** July 08, 2014, 09:22:42 am »

Quote from: Firm on July 08, 2014, 09:05:37 am

I'd prefer a Mirage over a smart, I lived with a Mirage for 3 weeks and it really wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. The biggest problem with the Smart is that I find it extremely awkward to be in, everything is strangely positioned making it a rather uncomfortable experience. The Mirage, although cheap and spartan inside, is well laid out and doesn't feel awkward at all.
I've said this before, but while the Mirage isn't something I would purchase for myself, for a young person just looking to get from point a to b with minimal costs and hassles I'd recommend it. There's plenty of people like that out there. For example, an old co-worker of mine, with zero interest in cars needed to buy a cheap car to get to work...She asked me for help, so I found a used Yaris in her budget and it's been great for her. That said, if she didn't have me to help her find something (privately) in the used market, something like this would have been her best option; she would be able to walk into a dealer, pick her color etc and walk out with the car she *needed* within her budget and with minimal hassle.
I won't speak to the Micra comparison since I have yet to spend any time behind the wheel of one - it is a pretty good looking little car though.

But the argument here is the Micra, for the same price, is an even better option of basic transportation for those who don't care. It has significantly more power, so I would even consider it safer, especially in a highway-merge situation. I think what people are saying is that there is no argument whatsoever to be made for the Mirage, unless, possibly, you're a hyper-miler who wants to wring the absolute most (or least) out of that little engine. But, a hyper-miler is no ordinary person, and will put up with a lot more discomfort than your average buyer.

Yeah, I think that's the mark. If you're a hypermiler, buy a mirage. If you're just a young person looking to buy your first car to deliver pizzas, and it has to be a NEW car, get a Micra.

Fobroader · « **Reply #379 on:** July 08, 2014, 10:05:30 am »

Micra>>>Mirage>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>infinity>>>>>>Smart Car. In the el cheapo, low range, the new Micra is such a cool little car for the price. Manual box, air con, power locks and I'm good to go......maybe some Nismo dampers, spring and sway bars when they come out