Whats everyone's opinion???

[Aqutj001]

Hay Guys.

I took a MY14 Mirage Sport Manual for a Test drive today here in Adelaide, Australia and was quite impressed. You get a lot of car for $13K. For a little car there is a fair amount of room. One thing that is disappointing is no cruise control.

Can i please pick everyone's brain on their thoughts and opinions on the following comments.... I know i am skimming across a lot of topics that have been touched on before but if people can share some thoughts it would be much appreciated.

1. I will be doing about 800KM per week mostly on roads that are 110km roads and are Australia's terrible bumpy roads. I also have to climb some considerable hills on my journey. Will the little 1.2 motor struggle in these conditions? Does anyone who does a lot of highway km in a Mirage able to share some thoughts? Is there enough power to overtake at those speeds?

2. Can anyone share what RPM the manual sits on in 5th doing 110km/h - will i be able to reach 4.5l/100km in those road conditions or are the RPM to high and consume too much fuel with the Mirage being more suitable in a urban environment?

3. Has anyone installed a cruse control system in Adelaide that they are happy with?

4. What aftermarket options are people looking at to gain extra performance while maintaining reliability and economy?

[Yttrium]

I do 1000 km a week on a highway that has a 104 KPH speed limit (65 MPH). I usually drive the speed limit and the Mirage has no problems at those speeds. If you're planning on zipping along at 135+ KPH the car might struggle a bit. You should do a test drive on the highway and see for yourself.

At 104 KPH, in 5th gear my Mirage is between 3000 and 3200 RPM. Assuming there's not a strong headwind (or crazy low temperatures) I get around 4.7 L/100km.

On the bumpy roads, the Mirage's soft suspension handles the potholes with ease. The only problem I'm running into is that I keep bending the rims on the potholes.

[MetroMPG]

Hi Aqutj001...

I also have to climb some considerable hills on my journey.

You can potentially get better mileage in hills than on the flats, provided there are good, safe opportunities to coast in N on the downhill portions. Cruise control will get worse mileage in hills than using a "power up & coast down" technique.

2. Can anyone share what RPM the manual sits on in 5th doing 110km/h

Thread: Gear ratios: 2014 Mirage transmissions, 5-spd manual & CVT (speed vs. RPM chart

As Yttrium points out, I don't think you'll quite achieve 4.5 @ 110:

Thread: Speed vs. mpg/mileage/fuel economy chart - Mirage 1.2L 5-spd and CVT

[Aqutj001]

I do 1000 km a week on a highway that has a 104 KPH speed limit (65 MPH). I usually drive the speed limit and the Mirage has no problems at those speeds. If you're planning on zipping along at 135+ KPH the car might struggle a bit. You should do a test drive on the highway and see for yourself.

At 104 KPH, in 5th gear my Mirage is between 3000 and 3200 RPM. Assuming there's not a strong headwind (or crazy low temperatures) I get around 4.7 L/100km.


On the bumpy roads, the Mirage's soft suspension handles the potholes with ease. The only problem I'm running into is that I keep bending the rims on the potholes.

Thanks Yttrium.

I asked the dealer if I could take it out to some quicker roads with hills to get a better feel for the Mirages handling but he refused. I will go to another dealer with the desired roads nearby and just take it there to see what its like.

Are the bends in the rims requiring you buy new rims or can still be driven on?

[Aqutj001]

Hi Aqutj001...



You can potentially get better mileage in hills than on the flats, provided there are good, safe opportunities to coast in N on the downhill portions. Cruise control will get worse mileage in hills than using a "power up & coast down" technique.



Thread: Gear ratios: 2014 Mirage transmissions, 5-spd manual & CVT (speed vs. RPM chart

As Yttrium points out, I don't think you'll quite achieve 4.5 @ 110:

Thread: Speed vs. mpg/mileage/fuel economy chart - Mirage 1.2L 5-spd and CVT

Thanks Metro MPG for sharing that fantastic data

Its a shame we do not get the slightly taller rations that the UK market get as an option. As you said "If I didn't want to shift, I'd buy the automatic!" We want a 6 speed!!!

[Canoehead]

I am sure the 110km/h will be no problem. There's a video somewhere on the forum of a Mirage going nearly 180km/h I believe. To put it in perspective, remember that this car has more than double the power of the old VW Bug, and the 660cc mini trucks can hit 100km/h despite being half the displacement and not nearly as aerodynamic. As for overtaking - yes, it will take longer, but if you cannot do it safely, then you are probably already going fast enough and don't need to pass!

[Yttrium]

Are the bends in the rims requiring you buy new rims or can still be driven on?

I replaced one rim at a cost of US$104 for the rim...and then realized I could have just kept driving on it was holding air just fine and not influencing the alignment. Since then, I've bent two more rims enough that the hub caps came off. The bent rims are holding air just fine, and there's no noticeable vibration, but I moved them to from the front to the rear just to be safe. Supposedly 4 x 100 by 14 inch wheels are pretty common on other car models so I'm keeping an eye out for replacements, but am in no hurry.

[MetroMPG]

Its a shame we do not get the slightly taller rations that the UK market get as an option. As you said "If I didn't want to shift, I'd buy the automatic!" We want a 6 speed!!!

Yup. Preaching to the choir!

[Mistah JT]

Hay Guys.

I took a MY14 Mirage Sport Manual for a Test drive today here in Adelaide, Australia and was quite impressed. You get a lot of car for $13K. For a little car there is a fair amount of room. One thing that is disappointing is no cruise control.

Can i please pick everyone's brain on their thoughts and opinions on the following comments.... I know i am skimming across a lot of topics that have been touched on before but if people can share some thoughts it would be much appreciated.

1. I will be doing about 800KM per week mostly on roads that are 110km roads and are Australia's terrible bumpy roads. I also have to climb some considerable hills on my journey. Will the little 1.2 motor struggle in these conditions? Does anyone who does a lot of highway km in a Mirage able to share some thoughts? Is there enough power to overtake at those speeds?

2. Can anyone share what RPM the manual sits on in 5th doing 110km/h - will i be able to reach 4.5l/100km in those road conditions or are the RPM to high and consume too much fuel with the Mirage being more suitable in a urban environment?

3. Has anyone installed a cruse control system in Adelaide that they are happy with?

4. What aftermarket options are people looking at to gain extra performance while maintaining reliability and economy?

Hello
1. The mirage is like a truck, misjudge a hill and you pretty much struggle. I have to go down to 3rd or 2nd for big hills. 2nd is usually the best. Overtaking is very easy since it is sitting in it's powerband on the highway.
2. 100km/h is around 3000, 110 is around 3200 approximately.
Still pretty fuel efficient.
3. I heard you can retrofit the cruise, I sometimes wish I had it too.
4. Speedlab have the only dyno prooven hp gains. They sell exhaust headers, an intake and a piggyback ecu chip. Will give an overall gain of around 15hp over stock.

[Mitsuman]

As for overtaking - yes, it will take longer, but if you cannot do it safely, then you are probably already going fast enough and don't need to pass!

Canoehead - good point. There's a lot of 'Mericans that need ta study your quote and try and learn from it!