Mirage getting a new competitor in Canada: 2015 Nissan Micra

[kerc]

One thing you won't get in any other usable car (unless you go vintage) is the lightness of the Mirage. That's one of the things that really got me into buying it.

[Ares]

We've already established that the mirage is definitely a gas saver.

kerc's pointing out, weight has a huge impact on fuel economy. HOWEVER, it (weight) is also a big deal for racing/performance applications. Thus, a few tweaks here and there, overnight parts from wherever, and the mirage would be able to outcorner almost any fwd car out there.

[kerc]

We've already established that the mirage is definitely a gas saver.

kerc's pointing out, weight has a huge impact on fuel economy. HOWEVER, it (weight) is also a big deal for racing/performance applications. Thus, a few tweaks here and there, overnight parts from wherever, and the mirage would be able to outcorner almost any fwd car out there.

Amen.

[cookiemonster]

I'm not disagreeing with you guys ... I am merely saying that "performance" can be defined in different ways, such as high-speed/racing performance, cornering performance, gas mileage performance, safety performance, etc.

[MetroMPG]

Well, the pressure's on!

The early reviews of the Micra are overwhelmingly positive. Canadian reviewers tended to say nicer things about the Mirage than many of their US counterparts, but nowhere near as upbeat as I'm seeing for the Micra.

The journalists who drove the car harder have praised its suspension setup & steering.

Styling is subjective, but nearly everyone has said good things there too, several specifically saying "better than Mirage".

Only a couple have mentioned Micra's worse fuel economy ratings.

Several have criticized it for "harsh" engine noise above 4k RPM and also for rev-happy highway gearing, ~3500 RPM @ 115 km/h (71 mph)

One specifically said she was glad it had a 4AT, that a CVT would have "ruined" the car. (Car reviewers seem to hate CVT's.)

Most praised its composure on the highway, with the exception of cross-wind stability. It was unusually windy at the end of this week when the 2nd batch of journalists was testing in Montreal.

Mitsu USA (and other entry-level competitors) are probably going to be relieved that the "$10k" Micra isn't available in the U.S. Though there are still unsubstantiated comments being made that it might happen if it's successful in Canada.

The ball is in Mitsu Canada's court now!

[cookiemonster]

Thanks for the summary of the reviews. Interestingly (to me), most of those points they deem positive in the Micra's favor are negatives to me.