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View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 62.4 mpg (US) ... 26.5 km/L ... 3.8 L/100 km ... 74.9 mpg (Imp)
That list of features reminds me of when Hyundai advertised the Excel has having "carpeting" and "reclining front seats". Grasping at straws much?
Muffler! Electric starter!
I wonder how long it took companies to stop mentioning "passenger side view mirror!"
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View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 62.4 mpg (US) ... 26.5 km/L ... 3.8 L/100 km ... 74.9 mpg (Imp)
You're right - I should have been more selective than simply copy & pasting the list.
But I'll stand by my statement that this little, economy car has a lot of features.
I think, anyway. I know a lot of folks here wish it were priced lower (and who doesn't) but are there a lot of other new cars for sale at this price with this set of goodies? Not many.
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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)
No argument -- good value for the money with lots of features.
Mitsu has to be careful of over-selling it or it just looks silly.
Usually they have been careful of overselling it. In more than one review, I've seen reporters start out by saying "The company made the unusual effort to point out that this is not a sports car or a luxury car."
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View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 62.4 mpg (US) ... 26.5 km/L ... 3.8 L/100 km ... 74.9 mpg (Imp)
I think it's priced appripriately at the discounted prices I've been seeing. $8K for the base ES, $12k for the GT. Sounds great to me.
efi!!!!
In 89 my dad bought a brand new Toyota pickup. Small 5spd 2wd. Stipper model! No side view mirror, no A.C., no rear bumper even, no radio, carpet power nothing. But it gave him 210k trouble free miles til he sold it for a 03 Tacoma which he still drives. 2 vehicles since 89 lol.
For an economy car, the Mirage is loaded with features. If I was in the market for a new Mirage, I would be interested in a more basic model rather than one that has more features. If Mitsubishi went with a $8,000 to 12,000 suggested retail price for these cars, they wouldn't have much (any) competition in the U.S. market.
Huge discounts & rebates are putting the Mirage at realistic price levels. I paid less than 66% suggested retail for my Mirage ($14,220 window sticker price) last October. Sadly, most professional auto reviewers compare vehicles at their suggested retail values. They don't stress the great deal that can be had with a Mirage. Instead, they stress how a $17,000 Mirage doesn't match up with other cars in that price range.
If Mitsubishi wants to compete with the Sonic, Fit, Yaris, Rio, Accent, etc..., they should create a new model for that instead, but that market is already flooded. Why bother? Make a truly basic car! Offer it at an unbelievable price. In the meantime, we'll all observe the critics just rip on the car. Meanwhile, Mitsubishi will find a market niche no one else is really addressing & sell more cars!
Adding more and more features to the Mirage (increasing it's price) doesn't make sense to me, nor will it make the Mirage more competitive with more expensive brands/models already out there. I would like to see the Mirage evolve into a better value rather trying to compete with cars that are way more expensive.
In support of Engman's statement, I will share what my 1990 Ford Festiva didn't have.
1990 Ford Festiva LX (designed by Mazda, built by KIA, sold by Ford). Sold 1988-93. 1990 model was the first year they added fuel injection to this model. (1.3 L, 64 hp, 5 speed manual) Paid $5300 brand new after $1000 Ford rebate. This car came with -
No radio.
No power steering.
No A/C.
No passenger mirror.
No air bags. Anyone remember automatic belts attacking you when you started your car?
No traction control.
No cruise control.
No anti-lock or power brakes.
No 14" or 15" tires. It did come with tires! 145SR12 were the standard size.
No tinted windows.
No power locks.
No power windows. (rear windows only popped open slightly for ventilation).
No back up camera.
No center armrest.
No vanity mirrors.
No plastic or cloth door trim.
No rear doors. 2-door hatchback.
The insides of the front doors were the same color metal as the outside of the car with a some vinyl padding in the middle of them. The back was fairly unfinished. If you added rear speakers, the bottom of the speakers along with their wiring were exposed.
I am missing a number of items, because I haven't kept up with all the other safety features that are offered on today's cars.
The 1990 Ford Festiva LX was a truly basic economy car. I never had a tank of gas get under 40 mpg. It probably averaged around 42-44 most of the time. It never needed warranty work and never had a recall that I can remember. It did go through mufflers. I bought one lifetime muffler from Midas, & they gave me 7 free ones after that. The mufflers rusted out every 1.5 to 2 years. Timing belts needed replacement @ 60,000 mile intervals. It needed brake work at times. Always changed my own oil. Never had to add oil between changes. I blame the muffler issue on short trips and water not evaporating out. I lived close to school for most of its life, but also used this car to earn two different masters degrees (that required long trips back & forth to school). My first daughter was born in 1990. My wife wanted to be an at home mom. We needed a cheap second car, and the Festiva served us well. In all the years, that I owned it, I only wished it had 4 doors & A/C. Never missed anything else. By the way - I did add a radio/cassette player. I'm not that lame/cheap!
In my opinion, the old Festiva handled better than the Mirage. The Mirage has a nicer ride. In my opinion, small cars this weight don't need power steering. The Festiva held the road way better without power steering. Once the wheels start rolling at all, power steering should just turn off. The Festiva also sat nicer, because it seemed taller with more head room. The Mirage has nicer seats, but I liked the seating posture of the Festiva a little better. The rear seats on the Festiva also folded up nicer giving your a flat bottom in the rear. Mirage rear seats just flop down.
I don't expect to see a truly basic economy car in the U.S. market any more. In my mind, the Mirage is loaded. The only thing I wish my ES model had was cruise. I've been sort of following the progress of Daox addressing that issue in an affordable way.
Cars have evolved. Then again so have other things. You should see the look of my students when I try to tell what a party line phone was. Or when I tell them about a time when you actually had to get up to turn the channel on the TV. Or how exciting it was to even get your first color TV. How did my generation survive without child car seats? By the way - I am not knocking those! Our children deserve safe transport! Just saying .... times have changed.
The festiva was a rattle trap. I remember driving one on the freeway in Los Angeles once and it is in no way comparable the the Mirage. In no way.