US: 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage: The Jalopnik Review (jalopnik.com)

[MetroMPG]

In this long, thorough review, Jalopnik Writer Jason Torchinsky gets the Mirage.

He clearly doesn't love the car, but he takes pains to explain why he does not hate it, either. He understands its entry level, efficient purpose. He even respects it, and reviews it from that perspective.

(See also: Jalopnik takes another swing at it...)

The comments at Jalopnik are, as always, interesting. And as usual we get responses from one end of the spectrum (kill it with fire!) to the other (want to buy one!).

I'm going to skip my usual likes/dislikes summary. Go read the review. He gives it 50/100 in the end, but that number does not paint the whole picture (also it's pretty arbitrary).

Overall...

I didn't hate it. It's cheap, sure, it's loud, low-powered, plasticky, and gripless, but it's also incredibly light, nimble, fantastic on gas, useful, and almost, in its own way, fun.

Read the full review: http://jalopnik.com/2014-mitsubishi-...iew-1472224538

[Daox]

I'd also recommend reading the article. Its fairly entertaining.

[MetroMPG]

Here's something I've noticed in reviews where the writer expresses "respect" for the car, even if he doesn't exactly love it:

They seem to like mentioning the fact that they drove a little, underpowered car in their past. (This guy mentions his VW Beetle.)

So they understand that when talking about how much power is "enough", it's pretty relative.

[Alpha_One]

Here's a followup article to that review:

Jalopnik: Why Good Cheap Cars Are More Vital Than Carmakers Think

Overall the article is surprisingly well-balanced for... well, Jalopnik. As usual, the comments are a mixed bag of people who get it and don't get it. I'd like to highlight two comments in particular, because although the people who posted it don't "get it" their arguments are rather close to my heart.

From Unquantified:

$15k can get you a great condition Mercedes-Benz 300TD W123 that'll last forever.

Gee, I really, really, really admire the W123. Good running examples of W123s will set you back anywhere from $4-6k around here. I want a diesel one so so bad and I almost considered buying a 240D or 300D a couple of years ago, before the Mirage came out. However, there were a few challenges that are common to most surviving examples:

• Air-conditioning repairs
• Rust repairs
• Rotting interior
• Faulty vacuum locks
• Diesel calibration

Yeah, the venerable OM617 series engines are nearly immortal, and the diesel economy isn't too shabby but I think most enthusiasts overstate exactly how durable this car is, beginning with that rust-prone body. Three decades will take its toll on any car, no matter how well-built.

And oh, did I mention that diesel W123's are really, really slow? A 300D has either 79 or 87HP... not much more than the Mirage, but at 1500-1600kg weighs nearly twice as much!

Labor is cheap here, parts availability is no problem and I can probably get one as an acceptable daily driver, but I haven't got the time to fix up a project car; a project car is what any W123 is gonna be at this point in time.

It's a great, great car. I still want one, but it's very, very far from a substitute for a new Mirage unlike what's being implied here.

Also, a W123 is much longer and way harder to park than a Mirage, which is a big deal for big-city dwellers like myself.

From TwoSpeedFordomatic:

Good cheap cars are important, yes, but things like the Mirage definitely do not fall under that category.

The crucial thing about that car is that it's designed to be a low-cost model for "developing" markets, and as such are built to a decidedly lower standard than cheap cars for European and Japanese markets - in Europe you can get cars like the Renault Twingo praised for its design and handling ability, and in Japan a variety of kei cars that have very high levels of equipment and fit and finish - both for the equivalent of US$15,000.

The only advantage that cars like the Mirage have is being slightly larger and mechanically simpler, but in most cases that isn't a worthwhile tradeoff for a level of refinement comparable to more expensive cars.
*pictures of Renault Twingo and Honda N-One*

Well, unlike him, I've actually shopped around for similar small cars. And yes, "larger and mechanically simpler" utterly trumps "refinement comparable to more expensive cars"! I've considered the Hyundai i10 and Kia Picanto. The interiors and styling are very, very nice. But no, I'd rather have the unpainted hood undersides, sardine-can levels of sound insulation, and plasticky interior over such "refinement."

Why? Because the Mirage is *drumroll* bigger and mechanically simpler! It's also safer and more economical. We actually use our small cars... y'know, as actual cars, and don't imagine them as toys the way Jalopnik readers do. Meaning, the office run, school run, grocery run, the occasional airport run... lots of space in a small car is important. Also, mechanically simple = lower running costs. I have 21-year old Daihatsu, I should know.

Screw refinement if it gets away of the car's purpose. I didn't buy a frickin' S-Class and I don't expect it to be like one. All this "aspirational" bullcrap adds to the cost of a car and reduces its fuel economy, which defeats the purpose of having a small car in the first place. As Jason Torchinsky put it, the Mirage is cheap and unapologetically so, and that enables its designers to make less compromises.

But the Honda N-One... oh oh! I've seen one in person, they're really so adorable. I'd get one if it weren't Japan only! There's a reason why they're Japan-only though. Outside of Japan's quirky car market, where there are no "kei-car" regulations, they'd be uncompetitive. But really, really cute. In bright yellow pleeeeeeeeease!!! At the end of the day, how well-refined and hi-tech kei cars are is... irrelevant! And I'm saying that as a huge kei-car fan. Daihatsu Hijet, please... *drools*!!!!