2017 Mirage sedan vs. 2009 Civic hybrid MPG showdown!

Attachment 7327

[Admin note -- this post copied from: Darin's test drive review notes: 2017 Mitsubishi Mirage G4 sedan CVT ]

My parents have a 2009 Honda Civic hybrid. (I actually recommended against it - they're notorious for battery failures, unlike Toyota hybrids. And the battery failed last year for the 2nd time, fortunately under Honda warranty.)

The Civic hybrid (CVT only) is EPA rated at:
- 40 city - 45 hwy - 42 combined

The Mirage sedan (CVT) is EPA rated at:
- 35 city - 42 hwy - 37 combined


CITY LOOP

My dad and I did a quick (20 minute), non-scientific city driving comparison using the two cars:

The test:

- Both cars were driven at the same rates of acceleration (I followed in the G4). A/C was off.
- The Mirage was not close enough to benefit from the Civic's draft
- To level the playing field with the Civic engine "auto-stop" feature, I turned off the Mirage's engine when I'd be stopped for more than ~5 seconds.

Results:

Attachment 7328Civic hybrid: 35.7 mpg US
Mirage sedan: 39.3 mpg US

Those are uncalibrated gauges. So take it with a grain of salt! (The last Mirage I had, its gauge was ~5% optimistic. I've never checked the accuracy of this Civic's MPG gauge.) So, effectively a tie?

Attachment 7329

Highway loop

This time, a short highway (mostly) loop, done a couple of days after the city loop.

- 23 km / 14 mi. total round trip.
- cold start
- cruise control set at 65 mph / 105 kph on the freeway, 55 mph / 90 kph secondary highway

Route mix:

- 15% city
- 50% freeway
- 35% secondary highway


Results:

Attachment 7330

Civic hybrid: 38.5 mpg US = 6.1 L/100 km
Mirage sedan: 43.9 mpg US = 5.7 L/100 km

Again, remember this is completely unscientific.

Yet again, the Mirage is beating its EPA ratings, and the Civic hybrid is falling short of its.

I'm of the opinion that Mitsu played it conservative with the numbers it submitted to the EPA & NRCAN for the Mirage -- both the hatchback's and the sedan's. It's downright easy to beat the official numbers.

Flipside: Honda was taken to court in the U.S. by disgruntled Civic hybrid owners who were having trouble getting close to its rated numbers.

IRONY ALERT: it was Mitsubishi's fuel economy cheating in Japan that decimated the company's value, setting the stage for Nissan to swoop in and buy a controlling stake in the company at fire-sale prices.