Hello from New Jersey USA! - would like your opinion

[Lovingoursixties]

Hello Mirage fans!

We are thrilled to find this forum. We've been away from the Mirage for years, but in our past owned six 1990s era Dodge/Plymouth Colts / Mitsubishi Mirage 3 door hatchbacks - kind of the grandfather to the vehicle you all love. Obviously we LOVED them. Plenty of room for us (and small kids in the back), great reliability and fuel economy. The kids grew and we could no longer seat the 4 of us comfortably along with weekend gear (plus no one knew how to service them after a time), so we moved on to other vehicles.

Here's a pic of an old Colt/Mirage (I'm getting nostalgic looking at it):



Today, it's just us 2. The kids have moved on and we are looking to see the country in retirement. My first question is: how is today's Mirage (comfort, reliability) on extended road trips? Would you be OK driving your Mirage, say, down I95 from New Jersey to Florida? Would you get out of the car in FL feeling like you were twisted into a pretzel? (We put the rear seats down for cargo, moved our seats back for leg room, and had no problem taking that drive in our Colt in the mid 90s.) Then onto I10 across the Gulf Coast into south Texas, out to the Grand Canyon, etc. We're talking serious (mostly highway) miles.

If comfort and reliability on extended trips aren't an issue, today's Mirage would jump to the front of the line,

Any advice or recommendations you might have would be welcome. Thanks!
Jim.

[Mark]

Welcome to the forum!

As far as reliable goes, you can check this out -

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a3...irage-414-000/

I would sit in one & test drive it for comfort. I would compare the Mirage to the G4 for comfort, too.

I see the Mirage as reliable & economical. A 1989 Plymouth Colt DL Wagon was our primary family vehicle when my daughters were young.

[BillAce]

Greetings. In in NJ also and regularly do 8hr trips without any issue and have driven down to Fl straight through with 3 an the car for a long weekend. No complaints, it isn't the most luxurious ride but plenty good enough for me with the bonus of being extremely economical

[Eggman]

Hello Mirage fans!

We are thrilled to find this forum. We've been away from the Mirage for years, but in our past owned six 1990s era Dodge/Plymouth Colts / Mitsubishi Mirage 3 door hatchbacks - kind of the grandfather to the vehicle you all love. Obviously we LOVED them. Plenty of room for us (and small kids in the back), great reliability and fuel economy. The kids grew and we could no longer seat the 4 of us comfortably along with weekend gear (plus no one knew how to service them after a time), so we moved on to other vehicles.

Here's a pic of an old Colt/Mirage (I'm getting nostalgic looking at it):



Today, it's just us 2. The kids have moved on and we are looking to see the country in retirement. My first question is: how is today's Mirage (comfort, reliability) on extended road trips? Would you be OK driving your Mirage, say, down I95 from New Jersey to Florida? Would you get out of the car in FL feeling like you were twisted into a pretzel? (We put the rear seats down for cargo, moved our seats back for leg room, and had no problem taking that drive in our Colt in the mid 90s.) Then onto I10 across the Gulf Coast into south Texas, out to the Grand Canyon, etc. We're talking serious (mostly highway) miles.

If comfort and reliability on extended trips aren't an issue, today's Mirage would jump to the front of the line,

Any advice or recommendations you might have would be welcome. Thanks!
Jim.

Hello Jim and welcome to the forum.

This iteration of the Mirage is good for economy & affordability. It is cheap to purchase, cheap to maintain, cheap to operate. Don't expect it to be a smooth luxury ride as it is one of (if not the) lightest cars on the road. While it can go fast & keep up with traffic on the highways, it gets better fuel economy at or under 60mph. I found my 2015 comfortable enough and sized nicely for how I used it.

Remember, you're talking to the Peanut Gallery here - we're going to be biased. Be sure to take one for a test drive and see for yourself. Considering your past experience with Mitsubishi products, I think you'll be pleased. My introduction to Mitsubishi was a 1976 Dodge Colt station wagon, a captive import.

[7milesout]

Hello Jim - Welcome to the forum. The car in your picture looks fantastic.

My only real advice would be to go on Turo and see if you can find a Mirage to rent for a few days and drive it around. Comfort is subjective.

Along with having a 2020 Mirage hatch I have a 2010 Lexus LS 460L. And yes, it is more comfortable to take on a long trip versus the Mirage. But if going by myself or even with 1 person, I choose the Mirage. But that's mainly because I'm cheap. I'm perfectly comfortable in the Mirage. I'm 6'2" and built like Shrek.

The Mirage does become less fuel efficient over 60 mph to 65 mph or so, however it remains VERY efficient, in comparison to most other ICE vehicles one could select. I try not to let it bother me if I'm in a great hurry, to put it on 80 mph cruise, let it growl along at 80 mph. It may drop as low as 37 mpg maybe, but that's far better than my Lexus will do at 80 mph. The Lexus at 80 mph is probably going to be 21 mpg to 25 mpg somewhere in that zone I suspect ... and burning premium to boot.

[geejoguy1]

I like my Mirage for everyday driving,long distance not so much. Long distance I rent what I like, end of term done, no depression bomb no ownership no used up space in my yard/garage.

[Fummins]

I drove 4hrs from home and got mine stuck in a river over the seats. Then drove it home 2 days later after getting most of the water out of the wiring, fuel tank and engine. Good times!

[Mark]

Along with having a 2020 Mirage hatch I have a 2010 Lexus LS 460L. And yes, it is more comfortable to take on a long trip versus the Mirage. But if going by myself or even with 1 person, I choose the Mirage. But that's mainly because I'm cheap. I'm perfectly comfortable in the Mirage. I'm 6'2" and built like Shrek.

I'm a bit like 7milesout both in body size & how I use my Mirage. I'm 6' 1", and no one calls me skinny.

My longest day trip was from Utica, New York to back home (approximately 950 miles/14.5 hours not including the stops). That trip involved going through the Chicago area, too. I go from my home (SW WI) to Devils Lake, North Dakota once a year (approximately 650 miles/9.5 hours one way). My parents live 225 miles/approximately 4 hours away, & I do that trip multiple times each year.

My 2011 Subaru Forester is more comfortable, but I use my Mirage for these trips. In the past 6+ years, I took my Forester to my parents' home once. That was driven by everything I needed to haul there that one time. If I am tugging my small trailer, the Forester comes out of the garage. Since I bought it, 90% of my yearly mileage has been my 2017 Mirage, which is extending the life of my more expensive Forester.

I don't feel uncomfortable driving my Mirage anywhere. Cruise control became standard for all Mirages in 2019. I might add that I do these long trips without cruise control. Any discomfort I might feel goes away when I am at the gas pump.

Test driving or better yet renting one is a good suggestion. I would seriously consider the G4, too. I sense it may feel more comfortable overall, but I have never been in one.

My last fill up was 310.1 miles/6.7 gallons of gas = 46.3 mpg (5-speed manual) last week. That's very typical for my local rural Wisconsin driving. I still have snow tires up front, too. Summer months are usually better than winter months, but it's been a very mild winter in Wisconsin this year.