US: First Test -- 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage (Motor Trend)

[MetroMPG]

"The Fun is a Mirage, But the Value Isn't"

Another one of the big guns weighs in on the Mirage, and struggles to find nice things to say. Most of the negatives focus on handling & performance.

An interesting thing about this review is they compare some performance stats to competitors, eg:

Skidpad: 0.71 G (vs. 0.75 for the Versa sedan & Spark, 0.82 G Mazda 2)
Acceleration to 60 mph: 12 seconds
Quarter mile: 18.8 seconds @ 73.6 mph

I'm sticking with my theory that Mitsu shoots itself in the foot when it loans out the top spec CVT for review.

Pros...

- fuel economy
- well equipped for the price, but... see Con below
- decent interior space for its size

Cons...

- the price of the top spec car makes alternatives attractive
- steering feel, grip & body roll
- road/wind noise
- bumpy ride (huh?)
- 3-cyl vibration at idle

Overall...

Is Mirage's slight pricing advantage enough to justify the car over its better-driving competition? Not for me, but I can see how some cash-strapped car shoppers without any enthusiast leanings might see otherwise. Whether it beats rolling in an older, used vehicle is debatable, but the 10-year, 100,000-mile powertrain warranty makes it an attractive used car alternative.

Tons of reader comments left under the review at: http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...ge_first_test/

And a bunch more comments with their "Ask the Editor" feature for the car: http://forums.motortrend.com/70/9542...age/index.html

[chris2004]

I don't see many of the cons in my Attrage.
1. The level of spec for the price was much better than the other competing cars.
2. I find the ride very quiet with no "bumps'. I think they only find the so called body roll around a test track. Who does that in normal day to day driving.
3. Not noticed any vibration from the engine. I like the sound it makes as you accelerate.

[Mikhail]

I don't really trust this kind of review because they are not even using their own pictures. Is it really difficult to take pictures of a car they are testing?
This review looks like they wrote it after reading some other reviews and added Mitsubishi's pictures.

[MetroMPG]

I thought that was odd too (pictures used).

Chris ... I like the sound of the triple as well. So much of these reviews is subjective.

[m4v3r1ck]

Am getting tired of reading reviews for I mostly don't agree with their point-of-whining. Me as an owner I can speak out of experience.