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View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES Plus 1.2 automatic: 37.9 mpg (US) ... 16.1 km/L ... 6.2 L/100 km ... 45.6 mpg (Imp)
inuvik (06-09-2016)
The local Chevy dealer near me in Pennsylvania, has a 20% off msrp deal going. They have a new 2016 Spark for $10,800. Manual transmission and rollup windows.
cyclopathic (07-23-2016),inuvik (07-23-2016)
When I got to Bob Fisher Chevrolet today the base Spark LS for $9,995 was already sold. So I drove a red LT1 manual transmission.
Here are my impressions: The manual has crisp shifts with good mechanical feel, the throws are mediaum not short not long. The clutch engages toward the end of the pedal travel. The engine seemed peppy, much more so than the Mirage, this was a 2016 1.4 liter 4 cyl weighing around 2246 lbs. The seats felt like burlap, rough but seemed durable. All Sparks (even the base model) come with android auto and apple car play built in! You can run your phones apps thru the large colorful screen in the car. The a/c worked well, it was 96 degrees here today. The steering had some slop in it on center, left and right for a few degrees then when you turned it felt better/more feel/less slop. The car handled well, somewhat of a firm ride/semi sporty, again better than the Mirage. The Spark comes with 2 years of scheduled maintenance free from Chevy. I guess I wasnt expecting to like the car as much as I did. It was fun to toss around and it had pep even with the a/c on. A huge improvement over the last generation Spark. The cargo area was nearly identical to my Mini, not too big but not too small. The sales lady kept telling me the Spark received the highest safety rating in its class. So Im not sure what to do, I liked the Versa and I liked the Spark. I want to drive a Versa S with the manual transmission.
Actually no, the base Spark is $13,500 and comes with back up camera, a/c and apply car play and android auto standard. And the thing was fun as hell to drive with the manual! Almost sporty. Chevy has a 20% discount on some of them which brings the price down to around $10,800! Base ES Mirage is 13,830 before discounts. No back up camera or infotainment, just a radio and cd player and a/c.
inuvik (07-24-2016)
I think the new revised Spark has made some improvements and at the base level is a pretty good value. What only time will tell though is powertrain reliability. The Spark historically has had a few issues with munching the timing belt with unfortunate results since the Spark is a interference engine. GM also downgraded the powertrain warranty for the 2016's to 60k. Be interesting to see how mileage is overall.
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View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 automatic: 40.5 mpg (US) ... 17.2 km/L ... 5.8 L/100 km ... 48.6 mpg (Imp)
How is the Spark on fuel consumption?
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View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 49.6 mpg (US) ... 21.1 km/L ... 4.7 L/100 km ... 59.5 mpg (Imp)
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View my fuel log 2015 Mirage DE 1.2 manual: 46.4 mpg (US) ... 19.7 km/L ... 5.1 L/100 km ... 55.7 mpg (Imp)
I see what you mean. Here is a link to fueleconomy.gov comparing the Mirage v. Spark with manual transmissions.
Vehicles 2015 Mitsubishi Mirage
1.2 L, 3 cyl, Manual 5-spd
MSRP: $12,995 - $15,3952017 Mitsubishi Mirage
1.2 L, 3 cyl, Manual 5-spd
MSRP: $12,995 - $16,4952015 Chevrolet Spark
1.2 L, 4 cyl, Manual 5-spd
MSRP: $12,270 - $16,5352016 Chevrolet Spark
1.4 L, 4 cyl, Manual 5-spd
MSRP: $12,660 - $17,285EPA Fuel Economy Regular Gasoline
37 mpg combined
34 mpg city
42 mph highwayRegular Gasoline
36 mpg combined
33 mpg city
41 mph highwayRegular Gasoline
34 mpg combined
31 mpg city
39 mph highwayRegular Gasoline
34 mpg combined
30 mpg city
41 mph highway
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View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 49.6 mpg (US) ... 21.1 km/L ... 4.7 L/100 km ... 59.5 mpg (Imp)
^^ keep in mind that 2015 and 2017 numbers are not apple to apple comparison due to revised EPA load calculation guidelines. 2016 could be tricky depending on when and under which guidelines it was reviewed.
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View my fuel log 2015 Mirage DE 1.2 manual: 46.4 mpg (US) ... 19.7 km/L ... 5.1 L/100 km ... 55.7 mpg (Imp)