US: maybe the most entertaining Mirage video review I've seen

[MetroMPG]

This is a one-of-a-kind Mirage review. Don't be put off when you realize the producer is maybe 12 years old, and reviewing cars is apparently his hobby.

He reveals he has a better grasp on the Mirage's mission than a lot of the so-called "professional" car reviewers.

He does not sugar coat the car's budget details, like the hard plastic interior panels, or the undamped glove box door, or the hilarious tin drum "bang!" the sun visor makes when you flip it up against the roof, or the unpainted engine compartment, or the flat rear seat...

In the end he puts it all in blunt context:

"You're not going to buy this car for sportiness. You're not going to buy it for handling. You're not going to buy it for comfort. You're not going to buy it for luxury!

This car's purpose is fuel economy and cheap transportation to get you from point A to point B. And that is OK.

It's a quirky little car and I really like it."

This kid knows his stuff. He even points out a small detail about the car that I never noticed, and nobody else has mentioned.

And he REALLY seems to like the purple check pattern in the seat upholstery!

[Alpha_One]

Hmmm, how come the rear inside door handles are flat plastic? Mine are all chromed.

[festiboi]

Great review! It's a reminder of how we, as adults, can become jaded and so picky when it comes to cars. This young man appreciates the car for what it is and aspires to own one. He's very insightful, knowledgeable, and passionate when it comes to small cars; notice he's not reviewing an EVO, and has looked all over the Versa Note.

He makes a great point about the tinny sound from the roof when the sunvisors retract to their positions. I've noticed that as well when sitting in a Mirage; it does sound like a hollow tin can. I'm curious to hear what a Mirage sounds like through an automated car wash with high powered jet and blowers pushing down on the roof.

The kid totally reminds me of myself at that age; I used to frequent the dealerships looking at Geo Metros, Hyundai Excels, and especially stalked the Ford dealer to look at the Aspires. Absolutely adored that car and hoped to own one once I started driving

Hmmm, how come the rear inside door handles are flat plastic? Mine are all chromed.

The upscale ES trim in the US only gets chrome on the front doors. The rear door handles aren't even offered with chrome as an option; it's a bit of a silly and cheap touch. Do all of the Mirages in the Philippines get chrome on all four doors?

[Alpha_One]

The entry-level GLX trim doesn't get any, mine's the upscale GLS trim and they get chrome handles on all four doors.

[RedDE5Spd]

Great review! It's a reminder of how we, as adults, can become jaded and so picky when it comes to cars. This young man appreciates the car for what it is and aspires to own one. He's very insightful, knowledgeable, and passionate when it comes to small cars; notice he's not reviewing an EVO, and has looked all over the Versa Note.

He makes a great point about the tinny sound from the roof when the sunvisors retract to their positions. I've noticed that as well when sitting in a Mirage; it does sound like a hollow tin can. I'm curious to hear what a Mirage sounds like through an automated car wash with high powered jet and blowers pushing down on the roof.

The kid totally reminds me of myself at that age; I used to frequent the dealerships looking at Geo Metros, Hyundai Excels, and especially stalked the Ford dealer to look at the Aspires. Absolutely adored that car and hoped to own one once I started driving



The upscale ES trim in the US only gets chrome on the front doors. The rear door handles aren't even offered with chrome as an option; it's a bit of a silly and cheap touch. Do all of the Mirages in the Philippines get chrome on all four doors?

The automatic car washes aren't as brutal as you might think. The only noise the blowers made on my roof was making the antenna smack the ish out of the roof, I recommend removing the antenna before going into a car wash with blowers.

[MetroMPG]

He's very insightful, knowledgeable, and passionate when it comes to small cars; notice he's not reviewing an EVO, and has looked all over the Versa Note.

No kidding. Check out his video channel: tons of reviews of all kinds of cars. http://www.youtube.com/user/hggf25

I was a little like that when I was a kid - a bit too much automotive knowledge sloshing around in my head, and I loved visiting dealerships.

And yes, the door handle detail is what I hadn't noticed before. Odd! (And observant on the reviewer's part.)

As for the car wash: one of the big U.S. magazine writers said the Mirage's roof actually deflected and smacked him on top of the head when he took it through an automatic car wash!

[socal6g]

if you think that tin sound is funny due to the sun visor. You guys will love when it rains lol

[MetroMPG]

I just LOL'd.

Then the definition of hilarious must be 'inside a Mirage in a light hail storm'.

[RedDE5Spd]

Oh no! That had to be one over powered blower, mine didn't dent in (at least not visible through the headliner, but no sound of it either).

[Alpha_One]

As for the car wash: one of the big U.S. magazine writers said the Mirage's roof actually deflected and smacked him on top of the head when he took it through an automatic car wash!

Did he have pics? Otherwise, I call BS on this one. The Mirage's roofline is relatively high. He'd have to be a really tall guy to have been smacked in the head by the roof.

The roof is very strong. Don't be fooled by the tin-can sound; I've seen pics of Mirages that were resting upside-down after a crash without the roof caving in. Some really strong blower won't be enough to dent it.