Another Look At Mitsubishi’s New Subcompact - is "70 hp" enough? (Canada/US)

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UPDATE ... Read what actual owners say: is 74 hp "enough" power?
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Mitsubishi's "unnamed" new subcompact is currently on display at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto.

There's little meat on this blog piece from The Truth About Cars. It's a fishing expedition for reactions from readers, with the following bait:

Quote:

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With only 70 horsepower on tap, this one might be a bit too wimpy even for small car friendly Canada.

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Ignoring the fact that the writer got the power spec wrong (the 3A92 1.2L should be closer to 80 hp, not 70), the most interesting thing about this piece is the number of people who have commented saying essentially, "that much power is fine in a car this light."

Several commenters remind the writer about the Chevy/Geo Metro, which had 55 hp and was only about 100 lbs lighter than the Mirage. Together, GM and Suzuki sold hundreds of thousdands of 3-cylinder Metros, Sprints, Fireflies & Swifts in North America.

Full article: Another Look At Mitsubishi’s New Subcompact

Not to mention gas was a lot cheaper in the Metro's day. I'd think it would be even more popular now. I wonder if car writers who get to drive high end loaners get a somewhat skewed perspective.

I often wonder the same thing.

Being someone who never drives anything with more than 100BHP under the hood on a regular basis, I find that question funny in a "he doesn't know any better" sort of way.

These are the cars I regularly drive

Make/Model	Displacement (L)	BHP	Curb weight (kg)	Transmission
2013 Mitsubishi Mirage	1.2	77	825	5-speed manual
1992 Daihatsu Charade	1.0	50	735	5-speed manual
2002 Toyota Revo	1.8	95	1400	5-speed manual
2004 Honda Jazz	1.3	84	1000	CVT
1997 Toyota Corolla (sold a few years ago)	1.3	72	1052	5-speed manual

The Mirage actually has the best power to weight ratio of all of the above. Compared to everything else I'm used to, it feels like a darned Porsche!

Typical car reviewer concerns for low-powered cars are overtaking with full loads, and at steep inclines at high altitude. I've never had a problem with any of the above vehicles. Hint: They all (except the Jazz) have a third gear and I use it! Bringing the engine past 4000RPM has uses beyond illegal stoplight races for crying out loud.

Haha, good post Alpha One. It gave me a chuckle. :)

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The Mirage actually has the best power to weight ratio of all of the above

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Yes, that's the key issue isn't it? Yet so many people look only at the horsepower number and form their opinion on that alone.

The Mirage -- if it doesn't gain too much more weight for North America -- will have a power:weight ratio very close to the current best-selling subcompact in the United States, the ~109 hp, 1068 kg / 2354 lb Nissan Versa sedan. Not coincidentally, the Versa is also the least expensive new car in the U.S.

Hopefully Mitsu drives home the power:weight point when they present the car to the media. They seem to have been doing just that so far, but Americans are generally a spoiled bunch :D so who knows if the message will sink in.

Just out of curiosity, I set my scangauge to show how much of my car's horsepower I actually used in regular driving. I got up to 45 mph (slower than most, but not at a crawl) without even hitting 40 on the gauge. On paper my car develops 130@6,000 rpm and weighs 2,716 lbs empty.