Should I buy a 2019 Mitsubishi Mirage GT Hatchback

Hey everyone I am looking at possibly getting a GT but need some opinions. My reason for wanting one is the MPG I could get on long distance driving. Is interstate driving relatively comfortable in these cars?

I have driven a 2015 Honda Fit, 2005 Jeep Wrangler, 1998 Volkswagen Jetta, and a 1999 Jeep Cherokee. I would say the Jetta had the best highway ride quality with the fit an extremely close second.

I am also concerned about the AC not being strong enough in hot portions of the summer (a big problem the fit had as the AC was WAYYY over-taxed and could not cool the cabin efficiently). Is the AC / heat capable at the temperature extremes? My Jeeps definitely kicked*** when it came to AC and heat.

Lastly, how is the snow commute / traction control? During typical winter months I would have to commute to work in snowy / icy conditions. Hopefully this will change if I get stationed at a base in a warmer climate :smile-new:

Apologies in advance to any GT owners... :cower:

What is attracting you to the GT? It is the most expensive Mirage (MSRP $18,000 :numbness:)...and arguably the worst Mirage value. It's also only available with a CVT. Have you shopped and compared the other trim levels?

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Originally Posted by Top_Fuel

Apologies in advance to any GT owners... :cower:

What is attracting you to the GT? It is the most expensive Mirage (MSRP $18,000 :numbness:)...and arguably the worst Mirage value. It's also only available with a CVT. Have you shopped and compared the other trim levels?

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Dealers price for me on an orange 19 GT is about $12300. They have a huge military discount ($4000 off) + the incentives and rebates. Just the little additions such as heated seats and nicer alloy wheels.

I have the 2015 base model and the a/c is extremely strong. More than enough in my opinion. The heater also has been more than enough to handle the 50 degrees of winter in Florida (not very cold winters here)

Its such a small amount of interior space so the a/c is more than adequate. I imagine its even better on the newer models.

I just hit 15k miles total on my car. I barely drive it since I purchased a motorcycle

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Originally Posted by Criver12

Dealers price for me on an orange 19 GT is about $12300. They have a huge military discount ($4000 off) + the incentives and rebates. Just the little additions such as heated seats and nicer alloy wheels.

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The Mirage is somewhat slow and noisy. That is the trade-off for the high mpg and relatively low cost. I would take one for a nice, long test drive and see if it meets your needs. If ride quality is very important to you then the Mirage might disappoint. The heater and AC are both perfectly good, but AC use will make the car even slower. These cars are very, very reliable. They also come with the best warranty in the industry...which you won't need.

BTW, $12,300 for a 2019 GT in December of 2018 is a FANTASTIC deal. If I could get that sort of deal on a new GT I'd trade in my '15 ES with 107k in a heartbeat!

The Mirage will certainly work as a freeway commuter car, though that is not really what it is designed for. It is meant to be a 'city car' and it excels at this.

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Originally Posted by Criver12

Hey everyone I am looking at possibly getting a GT but need some opinions. My reason for wanting one is the MPG I could get on long distance driving. Is interstate driving relatively comfortable in these cars?

I have driven a 2015 Honda Fit, 2005 Jeep Wrangler, 1998 Volkswagen Jetta, and a 1999 Jeep Cherokee. I would say the Jetta had the best highway ride quality with the fit an extremely close second.

I am also concerned about the AC not being strong enough in hot portions of the summer (a big problem the fit had as the AC was WAYYY over-taxed and could not cool the cabin efficiently). Is the AC / heat capable at the temperature extremes? My Jeeps definitely kicked*** when it came to AC and heat.

Lastly, how is the snow commute / traction control? During typical winter months I would have to commute to work in snowy / icy conditions. Hopefully this will change if I get stationed at a base in a warmer climate :smile-new:

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Hello Criver12 and welcome to the forum.

If fuel economy is your primary objective, it's really hard to beat the Mirage. It's fuel economy rivals that of hybrids without the complication. One way to improve on the fuel economy of the Mirage is to get one with a manual transmission.

I have found the Mirage very comfortable, but this is subjective - everyone has their own opinion. A test drive should prove this out to you.

Personally I find no problems with the air conditioning, with one exception. In my 2015 Mirage with automatic AC, the compressor ran whenever the engine was running, by default. I turned this off to save my compressor and fuel economy. Other than that, I am impressed with the automatic climate controls - the defrost function clears the windshield faster than any other car I've driven.

I am also impressed with the ASC traction control. It too is on by default, and in snowy road conditions I can hear it operate but not really feel it kicking in. Sliding around is much easier with the ASC off. :)

I have two questions for you, as this is not clear in your posts:
1. Have you taken one for a test drive?
2. Does your dealer's offer include any trade-in?

I'm not sure the extra cost of the GT trim would convince me to buy one, but that price is a good one. If you can get that discount on a lower trim level Mirage, that would be a good option to have. Personally, I'm not too hung up on what wheels are on the car.


As a young man in the military, I put a Lot of miles on small fuel-efficient cars and saved my money for things that mattered more.

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Originally Posted by Cobrajet

...$12,300 for a 2019 GT in December of 2018 is a FANTASTIC deal.

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Yeah...that price is crazy! :eek: As long as you aren't paying anywhere near $18,000, then you're OK. :D

edit - For me the biggest consideration would be the transmission choice. So if you have never driven a car with a CVT before, look into possibly renting a Mirage and driving it around for a couple of days.

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Originally Posted by Criver12

Hey everyone I am looking at possibly getting a GT but need some opinions. My reason for wanting one is the MPG I could get on long distance driving. Is interstate driving relatively comfortable in these cars?

I have driven a 2015 Honda Fit, 2005 Jeep Wrangler, 1998 Volkswagen Jetta, and a 1999 Jeep Cherokee. I would say the Jetta had the best highway ride quality with the fit an extremely close second.

I am also concerned about the AC not being strong enough in hot portions of the summer (a big problem the fit had as the AC was WAYYY over-taxed and could not cool the cabin efficiently). Is the AC / heat capable at the temperature extremes? My Jeeps definitely kicked*** when it came to AC and heat.

Lastly, how is the snow commute / traction control? During typical winter months I would have to commute to work in snowy / icy conditions. Hopefully this will change if I get stationed at a base in a warmer climate :smile-new:

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I commute over freeways with a 2018 Mirage (SE).

The biggest comfort issue I personally have is road noise. The glass does not seem to block sound as much as in other vehicles.

I've had no real complaints with cabin temperature in very temperate Michigan.

As far a fuel economy, moving at posted speed limits on freeways will lead to worse fuel economy, which can easily translate to ~35 MPG in adverse weather.

I haven't yet seen enough snow to have a real feeling for its capabilities. I'm also running snow tires, so I may not be able to give you a good reference.

I have 2015. My AC is still strong, still blasting cold air. Super nice during those hot days.

As for snow, overall, its not bad. I would highly suggest getting snow tires all around. It does effect gas mileage a bit though but it just depends on your commute. It's really hard to make the Mirage's rear-end spin out. You really have to be driving really fast on a curved road to really spin out, and when you are already spinning out, it's already too late by that point. Overall, my winter experiences with it for the past 2 years have been great. Drove 1 year without snow tires, on the stock tires, and it still handled well. Had Snow tires all around and I got through knee-high snow (15-18 inches of snow).
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Originally Posted by 2of9

I have 2015. My AC is still strong, still blasting cold air. Super nice during those hot days.

As for snow, overall, its not bad. I would highly suggest getting snow tires all around. It does effect gas mileage a bit though but it just depends on your commute. It's really hard to make the Mirage's rear-end spin out. You really have to be driving really fast on a curved road to really spin out, and when you are already spinning out, it's already too late by that point. Overall, my winter experiences with it for the past 2 years have been great. Drove 1 year without snow tires, on the stock tires, and it still handled well. Had Snow tires all around and I got through knee-high snow (15-18 inches of snow).
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No you didnt drive though 15-18" of snow in a Mirage. Not a chance.

That would be very hard if not impossible even in a 4wd full size truck. No vehicle is going to go through much more than their ground clearance. You can push a bit but the mirage has about 4" of clearance lol.


On point. The mirage does well in winter within reason. I've never had an issue with heat or AC.
Long trips on the road can get tiring vs a quieter smoother and larger vehicle though.
You could drive it cross country no problem. Would it be my car of choice for that duty? No.