2014 Mirage gas mileage: best MPG in its class in U.S./Canada
-----------------
UPDATE, March 28, 2013 - Our estimates were close, and now the guessing game is over: Mitsubishi has annouced a class-leading combined rating of...
- 40 mpg (US) combined
- 37 mpg (US) city
- 44 mpg (US) highway
That's for the CVT/automatic, and it makes it the best fuel economy for any non-hybrid.
The Mirage 5-speed manual EPA ratings are:
- 37 mpg (US) combined
- 34 mpg (US) city
- 42 mpg (US) highway
See also: 2013/2014 Mitsubishi Mirage mpg / fuel economy ratings by country (Space Star also)
-----------------
Let's speculate... We do know that at the recent Canadian debut of the Car, Mitsu said:
Quote:
"... will rank as one of Canada's most ... fuel efficient new cars"
"... expects the new car's fuel economy to be among the best for gasoline-powered cars in Canada."
(See also: 2013/2014 Mirage mpg / fuel economy ratings by country (Space Star also) )
For instance, these are the "combined" fuel economy numbers for numerous similar vehicles in Australia (all numbers converted from l/100km from GreenVehicleGuide):
Car |
Engine |
US MPG |
L/100km |
km/L |
Toyota Prius C |
1.5L |
60 |
3.9 |
25.6 |
Smart ForTwo (with auto Start/Stop) |
1.0L |
53 |
4.4 |
22.7 |
Mitsubishi Mirage (no Start/Stop)
|
1.2L |
51 - 48 |
4.6 - 4.9 |
21.7 - 20.4 |
Chevrolet Spark / Holden Barina Spark |
1.2L |
45 - 41 |
5.2 - 5.8 |
19.2 - 17.2 |
Kia Rio |
1.6L |
42 - 39 |
5.6 - 6.1 |
17.9 - 16.4 |
Toyota Yaris |
1.5L |
41 - 35 |
5.7 - 6.7 |
17.5 - 14.9 |
Ford Fiesta |
1.6L |
39 |
6.1 |
16.4 |
Hyundai Accent |
1.6L |
39 - 37 |
6.0 - 6.4 |
16.7 - 15.6 |
Honda Fit |
1.5L |
37 - 35 |
6.4 - 6.7 |
15.6 - 14.9 |
According to the Australian mileage testing, only the Smart ForTwo (with start/stop) and Prius C (a hybrid) beat the Mirage out in fuel economy. That is a heck of a good start.
Sadly, the Australians don't get the Scion/Toyota iQ which currently holds the Canadian and U.S. title for having the best combined fuel economy rating for a non-hybrid (EPA: 37 mpg US combined). So we don't know yet for sure if Mirage will wear the MPG crown in the North America.
But we're going to keep digging.
Update Feb 25, 2013:
http://mirageforum.com/imgs/graph-speed-mpg-mirage2.jpg
from: Speed vs. mileage/fuel economy chart - Mirage 1.2L 5-spd
Another comparison: 13% better than a Chevy Spark / Holden Barina Spark
The closest comparison we really have in Australia is the Chevy (Holden Barina) Spark. To get some ballpark we can compare the ratings of the Australian Mirage and Spark to the Canadian and US Spark ratings and take a good stab at the what the Mirage's fuel economy might be.
To simplify things we'll just take the highest ratings.
Australian combined ratings:
- Spark 1.2L, 4-cyl, 5-spd: 45 mpg / 5.2 L/100km / 19.2 km/L
- Mirage 1.2L, 3-cyl, 5-spd: 51 mpg / 4.6 L/100km / 21.7 km/L
This shows that the Mirage is rated as having 13% better fuel economy than the Spark.
So we can apply this to estimate US EPA ratings:
- Spark 5-spd: 34 mpg US, combined
- Mirage 5-spd estimate: 38 mpg, combined (Spark rating + 13%)
We can do the same with the NRCAN ratings for the Spark. We see that it is rated at:
- Spark 5-spd: 6.3 / 5.1 L/100km (city / highway)
- Mirage 5-spd estimate: 5.5 / 4.6 L/100km (city / highway) (Spark rating + 13%)
So, if this holds true (and remember, this is a best guess), the Mitsubishi Mirage could dethrone the Scion iQ for highest mileage car that is a non-hybrid! The Canadian iQ is rated at 6.5 L/100km city, 4.7 L/100km highway. In the US, the iQ is rated at 37 mpg combined, so 38 mpg would beat it.
Mirage beats the Scion/Toyota iQ's MPG in the UK as well
Here's another comparison for the pile that suggests the Mirage will go straight to the head of the MPG class in Canada/US (for a non-hybrid).
Again, using the Toyota iQ as the benchmark (currently the highest rated MPG for a non-hybrid in both Canada and the US):
There's a U.K. review of the Mirage that notes a 68.9 mpg (Imperial) combined rating for the 1.2L, 5-speed. The 1.3L CVT iQ (same drivetrain as in Can/US) is rated by Toyota UK at 54.32 mpg (Imperial) The Mirage apparently even beats the 1.0L manual transmission version of the iQ:
U.K. Vehicle |
Fuel economy (combined)
|
Urban |
Extra Urban |
Source
|
Mitsubishi Mirage
1.2L, 5-speed
(with start/stop) |
68.9 mpg (Imperial gal.)
57.4 mpg (US gal.)
4.1 L/100 km
24.4 km/L |
58.9 mpg (Imp.) |
76.3 mpg (Imp.) |
Autocar - First drive review:
Mitsubishi Mirage 3 1.2
Mitsu UK Mirage site
|
Toyota iQ
1.0L, manual
(most efficient iQ version,
not available in Can/US) |
64.2 mpg (Imperial gal.)
53.5 mpg (US gal.)
4.4 L/100 km
22.7 km/L |
55.4 mpg (Imp.) |
70.6 mpg (Imp.) |
Toyota iQ |iQ2 | iQ3 | Specification |Toyota UK |
Toyota iQ
1.33L, CVT
(Can/US drivetrain specs.) |
54.3 mpg (Imperial gal.)
45.2 mpg (US gal.)
5.2 L/100 km
19.2 km/L |
44.1 mpg (Imp.) |
62.8 mpg (Imp.) |
(same as above) |
It's going to be very interesting to see how this all plays out.