Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 13

Thread: Rental Kia Rio vs. Mitsubishi Mirage ES

  1. #1
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Central Illinois
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    252
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 36 Times in 28 Posts

    Rental Kia Rio vs. Mitsubishi Mirage ES

    I own a '14 Mirage ES with navigation. On a recent trip to California I rented a '14 Kia Rio for 2 weeks.

    Here is my comparison of the 2 vehicles:

    Features

    The Kia had far fewer features than my Mirage. No keyless entry or push button start. Boy do you get used to these features quickly when you have them. I felt like I spent most of the two weeks getting the keys in and out of my pocket.

    The A/C on the Rio did a great job of keeping the interior cool, but it was manual. I never realized how adjusting the fan speed becomes a pain, but it does. The automatic A/C on the Mirage is more appreciated now.

    No back-up camera or nav on the Rio I had. I know these are available at the top trim levels, but the price of these options puts the Rio at much more than the Mirage.

    Power windows and locks were just like the Mirage and worked the same. Both cars have an auto down feature for the driver's side window.

    Driving

    The Rio had a 4 cylinder and did have more pick-up. Engine was quieter when getting up to speed. Gas mileage wasn't so good. In combination driving (1/2 freeway, 1/2 city streets) the computer's MPG readout never got above 25 MPG.

    Rear visibility on the Rio was what I would consider poor. The rear window has wide pillars at the corners and the window itself angles in towards the top. This makes for a fairly small view out the back. Really missed my back-up camera from the Mirage. I noticed when I got home that the rear window of the Mirage is more of a rectangle which gives you a much better view out the back of the vehicle.

    The Kia's tires were broader than the Mirage's. I didn't find any difference in handling or braking. Both cars seem to handle fine.

    One area I did find a big difference was in the turning radius. The Mirage turns on a dime and will fit into any available parking space - even those oriented the opposite way. The Kia is not very good in this respect. More room needed for turns.

    Comfort

    The front seating positions in the Rio were comfortable. There was plenty of room for both driver and passenger. Pretty comparable to the Mirage.

    Materials were plain but the fit of the panels was good and the controls were organized in a logical way. I personally think the Mirage has a better looking interior, but both cars seem pretty evenly matched in this area.

    Cargo

    The Rio and the Mirage are about the same cargo wise. We had no trouble fitting suitcases and normal shopping items in the Rio. Same for our Mirage when we have needed to carry something in the back.

    One thing the Mirage has been criticized for in various reviews is the one string connection between the cargo cover and the rear hatch. Reviewers seem to point this out a a sign of the Mirage's cheapness. Well, the Rio had the same one string connection and it worked just fine! The cover's weight is in the ounces and the one string seems to do the job on both cars. Just funny that I have never noticed this being mentioned on Rio reviews.

    Styling

    The front end of both cars differs, but the rest of the car is about the same. Personally, I prefer the front end styling of the Mirage. The Rio has the same grill design as the Optima and the other Kia cars. It looks fine but it is very familiar.

    Bottom line is that I wouldn't trade my Mirage for a Rio if the cost and feature set was the same. Driving the Rio made me feel that I had good solid basic transportation. The Mirage, to me, is a fun driving experience.

    I'll take the lower price, extra features, and better MPG any day.



  2. The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to aydu For This Useful Post:

    Daox (08-28-2014),jamiec (08-30-2014),MetroMPG (08-28-2014),Ranny (09-30-2017)

  3. #2
    Good comparison - thanks for posting!

    I liked the fact you noticed the 'one string' thing. Tells me how much you pay attention to the details.

    (Hope you don't mind I formatted your post a little bit to pretty it up.)

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 63.2 mpg (US) ... 26.9 km/L ... 3.7 L/100 km ... 75.9 mpg (Imp)


  4. #3
    Administrator Daox's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Germantown, WI
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    4,999
    Thanks
    2,892
    Thanked 1,804 Times in 1,017 Posts
    Thanks for the comparison!
    Custom Mirage products: Cruise control kit, Glove box light, MAF sensor housing, Rear sway bar, Upper grill block

    Current project: DIY Nitrous oxide setup for ~$100

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage DE 1.2 manual: 47.2 mpg (US) ... 20.1 km/L ... 5.0 L/100 km ... 56.7 mpg (Imp)


  5. #4
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
    Location
    Portland, OR
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    151
    Garage empty: add car
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 12 Times in 11 Posts
    This is interesting. I found the Rio pretty Sporting, almost like a budget GTI, or at least a Mazda 3. It was pretty quick. It had very direct steering with good feel. The materials seemed a pretty big cut above inside, particularly the dash and the dials for climate control and toggle switches felt very nice.

    I drove the 6 speed manual, it was pretty fun with decent shifting qualities, pretty big cut above the Mirage in this area.

    I did not care for the lack of vision in the back. Yes, the Mirage has a tighter turning circle. But I questioned less equipment, for better driving dynamics?

    Interesting to note; I got 50.9 MPG in a Mirage 5 speed SE model at 60 MPH. I got 45 MPG with the Rio 6 speed manual. 40-42 MPG for the Mirage in town, and 34-37 mpg That is pretty good! 78 hp Vs. 138hp. Kia also was rated #1 by J.D. Power in Reliability last year.
    Oddly, I found rear seat headroom better in the Kia sedan? In the Mirage the side of the roofline curved touching my hair, just enough to annoy me.


    It is end of the year, and both manufactures are offering BIG discounts.

  6. #5
    Senior Member bolo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2017
    Location
    Ohio
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    144
    Thanks
    63
    Thanked 43 Times in 25 Posts
    Thank you for this comparison. Quite a few years ago when I had my wonderful Geo Metro, my wife needed a car and we settled on the Kia Rio since they were no longer making Metros. So we were a 1 Metro and 1 Kia Rio couple. The Kia Rio was ok, but I would not have traded in my Metro for the Rio.

    The 3 cylinder Mirage is very similar to an updated Metro except with better technology. I love these 3 cylinder cars.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2017 Mirage SE 1.2 manual: 45.4 mpg (US) ... 19.3 km/L ... 5.2 L/100 km ... 54.5 mpg (Imp)


  7. #6
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
    Location
    Portland, OR
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    151
    Garage empty: add car
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 12 Times in 11 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by bolo View Post
    Thank you for this comparison. Quite a few years ago when I had my wonderful Geo Metro, my wife needed a car and we settled on the Kia Rio since they were no longer making Metros. So we were a 1 Metro and 1 Kia Rio couple. The Kia Rio was ok, but I would not have traded in my Metro for the Rio.

    The 3 cylinder Mirage is very similar to an updated Metro except with better technology. I love these 3 cylinder cars.

    No doubt, I like them too I understand the affection. I had a turbo 1987 Chevy Sprint from 1993-2010. Boy, that thing was a Rocket. I sold it for more than I paid in 93 because of it's rarity and good shape.

    So she still has the Rio? I was just driving one a couple days ago and it is on my short list. It really impressed me with it's road manners and quality for the $. PLUS, I just like manual windows. Oddly enough.

    It was more like a Mazda 3 than a new Spark, like a class above subcompact and nearly compact.

    I only had issues with a lack of Blue Tooth, no Power Locks, and the outward vision could have been a little better. The turning circle was not as tight as the Mirage, of course, too.

  8. #7
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    portland, or
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    154
    Thanks
    27
    Thanked 49 Times in 38 Posts
    +1 for keyless entry, push button start and tight turning radius of the Mirage. The climate control is not important to me. It seems easy enough to be comfortable without it.

    I drove a 3 cylinder Metro the other day. First time I had driven one in a long time. Yeah, I get the appeal of the 3 cylinders. The Metro had that nice, connected feeling (no power steering) and the growl of the engine was pleasing. Sometimes, the super smooth, quiet new cars are a bit bland and appliance-like (boring).

    Kia does do a nice job with dash layout. The right number of buttons and knobs in the expected places and it all looks good.

  9. #8
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
    Location
    Portland, OR
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    151
    Garage empty: add car
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 12 Times in 11 Posts
    What I liked about the Rio is it reminds me of a time when you could buy a nicer car, discontented, less features, for about he cost of a more loaded lesser class of car.

    Like back when you could buy something like a Honda Accord DX with AC, for about the price of a Honda Civic LX with power windows, mirrors, and locks.

    But it has all the air bags and a nice stereo. I found out a steering wheel with added blue tooth and cruise control can be bought on line from S Korea for $200. Plug in, done. That is pretty cool.

    The lack of rear vision was my only issue. It pretty much needs a back up camera to be reasonable to park in the city. That annoyed me. Many new cars just have terrible sightlines. I guess there is aftermarket head units you could put in, that also a camera might be able to be put in the back? Sounds a little more complicated..

  10. #9
    Senior Member bolo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2017
    Location
    Ohio
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    144
    Thanks
    63
    Thanked 43 Times in 25 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by djkenny View Post
    I guess there is aftermarket head units you could put in, that also a camera might be able to be put in the back? Sounds a little more complicated..
    You can go into any auto parts store and buy a backup camera kit that includes the camera and the screen for around $200. Some of them are even WiFi so you don't even need to run cables between the camera and the screen. The only complicated part is attaching the camera to the rear backup lights so that the camera turns when in reverse.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2017 Mirage SE 1.2 manual: 45.4 mpg (US) ... 19.3 km/L ... 5.2 L/100 km ... 54.5 mpg (Imp)


  11. #10
    Senior Member Wallythacker's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    Niagara region
    Country
    Canada
    Posts
    2,450
    Thanks
    52
    Thanked 540 Times in 432 Posts
    Interesting comparison.

    I just drove a Kia 700 kilometers to pick up my 2017 Mirage from a dealer. The Kia did the job getting me there just fine, BUT,

    I was so sore and fatigued. The thought of driving back 700 kilometers was daunting, but the moment I sat in the Mirage seat it felt comfortable and refreshing.

    The trip back in the Mirage was not tiring, nor sore, or did it fatigue me. The Mirage got me home safely and feeling fine.

    Did i miss anything feature wise the Kia had and the Mirage didn't? Nope. Matter of fact the simplicity of the Mirage is just wonderful.


        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2017 Mirage ES PLus 1.2 manual: 39.0 mpg (US) ... 16.6 km/L ... 6.0 L/100 km ... 46.8 mpg (Imp)


  12. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Wallythacker For This Useful Post:

    Daox (11-30-2017),Eggman (11-30-2017)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •