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Thread: Is the Mirage the best winter car?

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    Is the Mirage the best winter car?

    Executive summary: No, it isn't, but it is adequate.

    Background: Winnipeg, Manitoba - one of the world's coldest cities and snow that lasts all winter. I've driven the Mirage through last winter (pretty mild, actually) and now much of this one (lots of snow, lots of cold), so am ready to make a judgement. Currently I am running 155/80r13 studded winter tires - can't recall the name, maybe goodyear nordic. I bought them because they were cheap - got them used. Next set will likely be the same size non-studded Hakkepelittas.

    Getting stuck: In deep snow (we got 25cm of fairly dense/heavy snow recently) it just pulls along fine without complaint. I didn't get stuck at all driving all over the city with a mix of residential, major routes, parking lots and going through drifts. Very good at that. When alone in the car, it is great. With 4 regular-sized adults and some luggage (airport run), the car settles down a fair bit, and the bottom drags along in the snow. Still not close to getting stuck, just an irritating noise. One issue I have identified is that the combination of a reasonably "fast" first gear and very little low-rpm torque makes getting started in deep heavy snow a bit more difficult. Ideally, I would like to slowly put on the power so as not to spin the wheels. However, using this tactic, the car lugs and feels like it wants to stall. Up at 3000rpm where the engine is happy the wheels want to spin (though maybe the traction control is helping). In any case, that is only a problem when starting off in deep snow. Once underway there are no issues. I did find I had to be mindful of the limited power, though, and when going through snow I keep it in a much lower gear/higher RPM than usual.

    HVAC: At -30C after skiing (lots of perspiration/respiration), the Mirage has a tough time keeping the windows frost-free. The windshield clears pretty fast, but the back passenger windows take a very long time, if at all. I suspect this isn't about the design as much as the limited heat off the engine and limited air-space in the cabin. This is a pretty extreme situation, though.

    All in all, the Mirage is better than most cars for driving around in the snow and ice. It handles predictably, doesn't get stuck easily, starts/runs well (though I baby mine and always plug in the block heater and put a battery tender on the battery quite often), and is able to keep me warm and comfy inside. I'm sure a Subaru Outback or Volvo XC90 would be better, but not for the price!

    If you have questions, I can try to answer them. I'm no expert, but have some experience with winter driving.


        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage SE 1.2 manual: 45.0 mpg (US) ... 19.1 km/L ... 5.2 L/100 km ... 54.1 mpg (Imp)


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    2of9 (01-09-2017),Cobrajet (01-09-2017),Eggman (01-09-2017),MightyMirageMpg (01-09-2017)

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    Senior Member Cobrajet's Avatar
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    Great post. In the snow/ice I start my Mirage off from a stop in second gear. Lugs a little, but no wheelspin. Only on flat terrain, of course.

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    No mention of traction control..

    Do you guys leave it on? I usually turn mine off in snow. It still allows ABS function when off which i think is great.

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    Quote Originally Posted by MightyMirageMpg View Post
    No mention of traction control..

    Do you guys leave it on? I usually turn mine off in snow. It still allows ABS function when off which i think is great.
    I do leave the traction control on, and the light blinks from time to time on very slick/polished ice and when plowing through deep snow. I would only turn it off if I found myself stuck spinning a wheel on a thin layer of ice (then I'd want to work the tire down to the road surface below). So far, though, that hasn't happened.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage SE 1.2 manual: 45.0 mpg (US) ... 19.1 km/L ... 5.2 L/100 km ... 54.1 mpg (Imp)


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    Quote Originally Posted by Canoehead View Post
    ...At -30C after skiing...
    Ummm...you go skiing when it's -30C? That's really, really cold for 90% of us in the US.

    edit - On a side note, your fuel mileage is impressive for the seriously cold temps you have to deal with for a significant portion of the year.
    Last edited by Top_Fuel; 01-09-2017 at 03:14 PM.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 52.2 mpg (US) ... 22.2 km/L ... 4.5 L/100 km ... 62.6 mpg (Imp)


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    Quote Originally Posted by Top_Fuel View Post
    Ummm...you go skiing when it's -30C? That's really, really cold for 90% of us in the US.

    edit - On a side note, your fuel mileage is impressive for the seriously cold temps you have to deal with for a significant portion of the year.
    It was only -24C when I was skiing yesterday, but dropped when the sun went down, and I was dressed for it so warm enough - not ideal weather, of course. I've biked in -38 ("feels like" -47 wind chill factor). Clothing is important.

    I haven't added the last few fill ups yet (lost a receipt, too), but my mileage is way down lately - I actually was cruising at over 10L/100km for a while when I had a large Christmas tree on the roof bucking a wind at -25C with the winter tires. I'd say typical winter I get around 6.5 L/100, though in summer I usually keep under 5, and I travel many more miles in summer which likely skews it (summer = more trips to the lake and vacation highway travel while winter is shorter trips to the grocery store).
    Last edited by Canoehead; 01-09-2017 at 03:33 PM.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage SE 1.2 manual: 45.0 mpg (US) ... 19.1 km/L ... 5.2 L/100 km ... 54.1 mpg (Imp)


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    Just wondering, when the car is fully warmed up during a drive, and you switch the climate control to thisimage, circled in red)
    Name:  climatecontrol.jpg
Views: 312
Size:  21.9 KB

    Do your windows begin to slowly fog up as well?

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage DE 1.2 manual: 43.4 mpg (US) ... 18.5 km/L ... 5.4 L/100 km ... 52.2 mpg (Imp)


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    Quote Originally Posted by 2of9 View Post
    Just wondering, when the car is fully warmed up during a drive, and you switch the climate control to thisimage, circled in red)
    Name:  climatecontrol.jpg
Views: 312
Size:  21.9 KB

    Do your windows begin to slowly fog up as well?
    Or even quickly fog up! It really doesn't like that recirculating thing - only fresh dry air from the outside. I think the difference in humidity is so great between warm air with people and cold outside air that it is really a challenge to stay fog/frost free. I cannot even use any setting besides windshield/feet or defrost when it is very cold. Put on vent for a few minutes and the frost line starts creeping down from the top of the window frame. This isn't Mirage specific, though, as most cars suffer from this to some extent. A larger vehicle, though, both has more heat from combustion and the occupants are farther from the windows so less breath condenses on the windows.

    I use the recirculating function in summer when the A/C is on, though.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage SE 1.2 manual: 45.0 mpg (US) ... 19.1 km/L ... 5.2 L/100 km ... 54.1 mpg (Imp)


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    I for the life of me cannot figure out how to, if there even is a way, combat the foggy windows. Most of the time I just open each window a tiny crack and it balances out the heat and clears it out but recently when its been -25C it doesn't work as well because the foggy window turns to a frosty window -___-



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