Darin's test drive review notes: 2017 Mitsubishi Mirage G4 sedan CVT

[MetroMPG]

Sure thing. Here it is:







I was hoping it would be the 2-tone interior that some of the sedans get. I think it brightens it up nicely.

EG:

[El Kapitan]

thanks. appreciated.

[MetroMPG]

My parents have a 2009 Honda Civic hybrid. (I actually recommended against it - they're notorious for battery failures, unlike Toyota hybrids. And the battery failed last year for the 2nd time, fortunately under Honda warranty.)

The Civic hybrid (CVT only) is EPA rated at:
- 40 city - 45 hwy - 42 combined

The Mirage sedan (CVT) is EPA rated at:
- 35 city - 42 hwy - 37 combined


CITY LOOP

My dad and I did a quick (20 minute), non-scientific city driving comparison using the two cars:

The test:

- Both cars were driven at the same rates of acceleration (I followed in the G4). A/C was off.
- The Mirage was not close enough to benefit from the Civic's draft
- To level the playing field with the Civic engine "auto-stop" feature, I turned off the Mirage's engine when I'd be stopped for more than ~5 seconds.

Results:



Civic hybrid: 35.7 mpg US
Mirage sedan: 39.3 mpg US

Those are uncalibrated gauges. So take it with a grain of salt! (The last Mirage I had, its gauge was ~5% optimistic. I've never checked the accuracy of this Civic's MPG gauge.) So, effectively a tie?

[MetroMPG]

Highway loop

This time, a short highway (mostly) loop, done a couple of days after the city loop.

- 23 km / 14 mi. total round trip.
- cold start
- cruise control set at 65 mph / 105 kph on the freeway, 55 mph / 90 kph secondary highway

Route mix:

- 15% city
- 50% freeway
- 35% secondary highway


Results:



Civic hybrid: 38.5 mpg US = 6.1 L/100 km
Mirage sedan: 43.9 mpg US = 5.7 L/100 km

Again, remember this is completely unscientific.

Yet again, the Mirage is beating its EPA ratings, and the Civic hybrid is falling short of its.

I'm of the opinion that Mitsu played it conservative with the numbers it submitted to the EPA & NRCAN for the Mirage -- both the hatchback's and the sedan's. It's downright easy to beat the official numbers.

Flipside: Honda was taken to court in the U.S. by disgruntled Civic hybrid owners who were having trouble getting close to its rated numbers.

IRONY ALERT: it was Mitsubishi's fuel economy cheating in Japan that decimated the company's value, setting the stage for Nissan to swoop in and buy a controlling stake in the company at fire-sale prices.

[Cobrajet]

Those floor mats look great. Much better coverage on the 'dead pedal' than the Weathertechs. Who makes them?

[MetroMPG]

I figure they're OEM mats, but sorry, I didn't look closely at them (and I turned in the car last Friday).

They did say Mitsubishi on them.

[Alex1a1f]

Those floor mats look great. Much better coverage on the 'dead pedal' than the Weathertechs. Who makes them?

I wondered the same. If you go to Mitsubishi Canada and search the G4s accessories, I think those are it. They look different than USA all weather OEM.

[El Kapitan]

"snowback" edition floor mats

I used to own a couple Honda Fits. great cars, but never got their EPA mileage, except on long highway drives. my mirage, now badly damaged, still gets Prius or just sub-Prius mileage in almost all situations. I love my stinky, noisy, beaten up little car!

[MetroMPG]

I'm not a fan of automatic transmissions. I've owned roughly 30 cars, and only two of them have had automatics (and only because there was no manual option).

I just find a manual gearbox more enjoyable to operate. I like the involvement in the task of driving. Manual shifting is both more fun, and more efficient when you want it to be.

Then again, none of my driving has ever been in soul-sucking, urban stop & go commuting, which seems to be the main reason people give for picking an automatic. (Although the Mirage's clutch is SO light, even that excuse demands reconsideration.)

That said, if I HAD TO HAVE an automatic transmission, it would be one like the Mirage's CVT, because it succeeds in its laser-focused mission of delivering the best possible fuel economy. In that goal, it outdoes both conventional automatic slushboxes and automated manuals.

How? By always seeking the lowest engine RPM when the driver isn't demanding power:



Numbers are from bi-directional runs on a dry, level road in mostly calm (light wind) conditions, ~70F / 21C ambient, A/C off.



On level roads with a light foot, you can drive around all day at sub/urban speeds under 1500 RPM (after the initial torque converter lock-up), including during light acceleration.

Bonus: that low RPM has a side benefit of making the car surprisingly quiet to drive once you've reached cruising speeds.

Under moderate or hard acceleration, it's a different story though. I didn't floor the car's gas pedal often, but I will admit that it gets loud in a sustained way when you do.

Of course, the CVT's fuel-saving programming is one reason why many typical auto journos don't like the Mirage with the automatic. They want SPORT CAR NAOW! I suggested to Mitsu's PR person that they should only loan out 5-speed Mirages to the media. He thought I was joking.

[MiMi]

Thanks for the review, Metro. Your comments on the CVT are right on. The CVT characteristics might be unique to the Mirage. A few people I know have driven other cars with CVT and hated the CVT because it was always revving the engine quite high. I guess it is all in the programming. There is another circumstance when I appreciate the CVT. Near where I live, I need to merge onto a highway, starting at about 30 km/hr and merging into traffic going 90+ km/hr. There is a merge lane of about 200 m. If the traffic is heavy, I just floor the Mirage and move into traffic when my speed matches. There is no need to shift gears while accelerating hard and changing lanes to merge.