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  1. #1
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    Mirage vs Kia Picanto

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    Greetings,

    I am caught between purchasing Mirage (Space Star) or Kia Picanto. I would assume that some here gave both cars a fair hearing before they opted for the one over the either.

    As far as I can see, they are both reliable cars manufactured by two companies that stand behind their products.

    I have two questions:

    1. If both cars cost exactly the same, which would you choose?
    2. Are there any compelling reasons for choosing the Mirage over the Picanto?

    Thanks.
    Last edited by MetroMPG; 10-06-2015 at 01:52 PM. Reason: (add pic)

  2. #2
    Welcome, philby.

    We don't get the Picanto in North America, unfortunately. (I'd like to see more competition in this segment.)

    So I'll be watching to see what others have to say.

    Did you happen to search for this comparison elsewhere?

    ---

    EDIT ... see related thread...
    Thread: Mirage getting more competition in Australia: Kia Picanto

        __________________________________________

        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)


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    Thanks for your quick feedback:

    I have seen a few direct comparisons on youtube, but they are too general to be of any real value. I also asked a car dealer who was adamant that the Kia was better, but I soon realised that he knew almost nothing about the Mirage. Kia Picanto generally has better expert reviews than the Mirage, whereas the actual owners of both cars are equally pleased as far as I can judge. I am hoping for some all-decisive arguments in favour of the one or the other.

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    We have a lot of Picantos in the UK. I haven't driven the current (2011-onwards) generation Picanto, but it is based upon the Mk1 Hyundai i10 chassis, albeit with tweaks and improvements. I owned a Mk1 i10 for four years and I would sum up as follows:

    The i10 was more involving and 'sportier' to drive - better feedback through the steering wheel and much easier to 'feel' through a corner; As the Picanto is a Kia (and Hyundai position Kia as their young/sporty marque), I would expect this to be the same with the Picanto.

    It was well put together in terms of fit and finish - on a par with the Mirage, but the Mirage seems better engineered to my eye (things were always harder to get at and more easily broken on the i10 than they should have been - and the floating front strut design was bloody awful from a servicing and repair point of view.

    The Mirage is considerably quieter and significantly more comfortable. It's also more spacious and practical. The downside of the comfort is that I describe the Mirage as a car that 'flobbles' around a corner. The i10 was easier to set up into a bend and hung on just as well, despite a shorter wheelbase and narrower track. What's most frustrating is that you can feel that, beneath the jelly suspension, the Mirage has a nice stiff bodyshell.

    The flip side to that, of course, is that whilst the Mirage doesn't communicate its intentions very clearly (if indeed at all!), the i10 would never shut up - and that was much more tiring. It's a personal taste thing, but the Mirage is a much more soothing car to drive.

    Despite being bigger and newer, the Mirage is cheaper to tax (lower CO2 emissions) and insurance is cheaper.

    The BIG thing though is fuel economy... I gather that Hyundai/Kia have had their bottoms smacked in the US for overstating their fuel economy claims. They're just as bad in the UK. The i10 claimed 56mpg all in. I never once saw that. Ever. If you look here, it seems that the Picanto similarly dissappoints in the real world:

    http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/realmpg/kia/picanto-2011

    The Mirage runs rings around my old i10 and on the basis of the above, the current Picanto. Nearly all my fill ups are between 60~63mpg (Imperial).

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage 3 CVT 1.2 automatic: 47.9 mpg (US) ... 20.4 km/L ... 4.9 L/100 km ... 57.5 mpg (Imp)


  5. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to Teasmade For This Useful Post:

    laceygirl (09-17-2015),MetroMPG (09-17-2015),philby (09-17-2015)

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    Thanks, you confirmed many of my impressions. How would you say the Mirage fares against the more expensive small cars such as Mazda 2, Honda Jazz, and Toyota Yaris? Does the difference between the Mirage and the three menitioned models equal a quantum leap so to speak?

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    Quote Originally Posted by philby View Post
    Thanks, you confirmed many of my impressions. How would you say the Mirage fares against the more expensive small cars such as Mazda 2, Honda Jazz, and Toyota Yaris? Does the difference between the Mirage and the three menitioned models equal a quantum leap so to speak?
    The mazda 2 came off as a real cheap effort. In America the cars already cancelled. Its visual styling wasn't considered appealing at all. I think that was the biggest issue against it. Most people just absolutely hated how it looked. The engine was also kinda noisy and should of offered more hp for it larger 1.5 displacement.

  8. #7
    Teasmade: well put, and entertaining to boot!

    Picanto generally has better expert reviews than the Mirage
    This always seems to come down to a question of handling/responsiveness. And the Mirage has been roundly criticized in the enthusiast press for dull steering & its soft suspension... which on the other hand is surprisingly comfortable, able to soak up rough roads (its design goal, after all).

        __________________________________________

        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)


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    Quote Originally Posted by MetroMPG View Post
    This always seems to come down to a question of handling/responsiveness. And the Mirage has been roundly criticized in the enthusiast press for dull steering & its soft suspension... which on the other hand is surprisingly comfortable, able to soak up rough roads (its design goal, after all).
    Mirage's handling issues are centered around 3 shortcomings: bad tires, bad alignment and soft suspension set up to navigate dirt roads at low speed.

    The strength of the Mirage is clever packaging, MPG, tons of interior space and simplicity. If 2017 fixes handling most pro reviewers will shut up and pretend that this car and what they said about it never happened.

    For me maybe with exception of the Mazdas most of the cars at this price point will have handling issues and will need some level of corrective action.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log 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)


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    Quote Originally Posted by cyclopathic View Post
    Mirage's handling issues are centered around 3 shortcomings: bad tires, bad alignment and soft suspension set up to navigate dirt roads at low speed.
    Bad tires and alignment? How severe are these faults? Will they cause the car to come apart if I regularly transport heavy loads?
    Last edited by philby; 09-19-2015 at 12:12 AM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by philby View Post
    Bad tires and alignment? How severe are these faults? Will they cause the car to come apart if I regularly transport heavy loads?

    And do you know that max towing weight is? According to the official specs the max allowed total weight is 1290 KG. I assume that that includes the weight of the car itself which is 845, which amounts to saying that the max allowed weight is 445 KG? Am I doing it right?
    read a these threads:
    http://mirageforum.com/forum/showthr...Prius-C-review
    http://mirageforum.com/forum/showthr...replacement%29
    http://mirageforum.com/forum/showthr...way-bar-review

    with rear alignment some of them do have issue and others do not, it is just a luck of draw. The suspension is very soft and isn't suitable for heavy loads, but supposedly 2017 model due in March will address this. Our did have front slightly out of spec, but that was adjusted by dealer (covered by Mitsubishi) for free. Car should not fall apart but may bottom out if you overload it. It is ok with 4 people and some luggage.

    The suspension was designed for 3rd world countries, so it feels great on potholes, gravel roads and frozen tarmac, but produces excessive body roll at higher speeds. If most of your driving is in the city or country side with speeds well below 90-100km/h, you will never have issues, and if the roads in Finland as bad in winter as they are in our snowbelt, you will actually appreciate it. If you are technically inclined replacing rear springs is not difficult. Would not stop me from buying, as next cheapest car in US would cost many thousands more.

    They probably use different tires in Europe, so it may or may not be an issue. In US they use Dunlop Enasaves which are good for economy, but do not provide best of the grip, esp if you have minor issues with alignment. I think some of the tires are more forgiving to alignment than others, and Enasaves definitely on more sensitive side. They were ok after we had alignment done.

    The biggest issue that there are virtually no tires in US in 165/65R14 size, and in general it is increasingly difficult to buy anything less than 15 inch. It could be different in Finland. As much as I'd love to get Nokian tires, they do not sell anything in 14 inch size in US.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log 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)


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

    MetroMPG (09-19-2015),philby (09-19-2015)

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