Test Driven the Mirage's competition.... Chevy Spark
I already own the Mirage but i was wondering about its very close competition, Chevrolet spark.
From the sticker, it didnt provide the 40 mpg rating like the Mirage and it's a 4 cylinder engine, but the price is very close with the 2LT and MIrage ES w/ bells and whistles except the reverse camera.
The drive:
The car is sturdy. Suspension was stiff and able to handle corners at a higher rate of speed than the mirage ( whole lot of body roll). The Spark also has a CVT but it's not as intuitive as the Mirage's CVT where you'd probably get your coffee from Starbucks a lot faster than getting up to speed with the Spark, 0-40mph felt like i just turned one year older.
The interior:
The dash looks and feels welcoming. Their touch screen looks good but if you dont have a smart phone, you're probably limited to what you can access. All i can say is that comparing the MIrage ES system vs Spark 2LT system, the only difference are the voice command, more intuitive navigation ( for spark you need a smart phone), Thats all. The gauges on the Spark , i admit, looks really cool. It looks like a sport motorcycle's gauge slapped in the tiny box with wheels.
http://www.moibibiki.com/files/image...et-spark-8.jpg
2LT comes with leatherette seats which are ok sitting on the front but feels like a solid bench sitting on the rear seats. Trunk space is just like the mirage.
Overall Review:
This is no doubt a city car, or should i say a village car. If you want to have a little bit more of a tiny box-mini-van-feel, Chevrolet Spark is the way to go. The styling is more modern than the mirage but you're better off having a better acceleration in a golf cart than with the Spark. The only thing that i do admire about the Spark is the Suspension. Only if the Mirage came with a stiffer and less of boat-feel suspension, it would have been a perfect city car. On the other hand, I still like the performance that the mirage offers.
