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Thread: US: About.com doing a long-term Mirage test - top spec CVT

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    US: About.com doing a long-term Mirage test - top spec CVT

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    This may be interesting... it's the first U.S. long term test I'm aware of (aside from Consumer Reports, which buys all its cars outright... and we haven't heard a peep from them since they trashed the Mirage in their early report)

    About.com writer Aaron Gold sees himself as a bit of an expert on "cheap" cars. (His article about the least expensive cars in the U.S. market is the site's most popular.)

    He was also wondering if the Mirage's mileage numbers would stand up to a longer term test (he saw 38-45 mpg on multiple cars when he attended the "first drive" press event). Mitsu is confident in the Mirage's fuel economy abilities, so it gladly agreed to lend him a long-term car.

    UNFORTUNATELY... it's the top-spec CVT model (SE in the USA). This is the one that gets the most negative press (about the CVT driving experience plus the value-for-money argument).

    We'll see what happens. When he first tested the Mirage, he gave it a fair review.

    You can read his long-term intro here: http://cars.about.com/od/2014-Mitsub...troduction.htm


        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 63.2 mpg (US) ... 26.9 km/L ... 3.7 L/100 km ... 75.9 mpg (Imp)


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    Canoehead (04-30-2014)

  3. #2
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    US: About.com doing a long-term Mirage test - top spec CVT


  4. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to cinder For This Useful Post:

    Canoehead (04-30-2014),MetroMPG (04-30-2014)

  5. #3
    Thanks, cinder! Copied your post over to add to this one about Part 1 of his series.

    I'm surprised he got the wheel size wrong when talking about rotating the tires:

    I don't love driving on those little 13" alloys, but they sure are easy to lift!
    Odd. I may leave a comment....

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 63.2 mpg (US) ... 26.9 km/L ... 3.7 L/100 km ... 75.9 mpg (Imp)


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    Remove my thread it you want . Seems to enjoy the car .

  7. #5
    Yes he does. He's the resident "cheap car" expert on that site, so at least we know he's keeping things in perspective when talking about it.

    ---

    Blah - I can't leave a comment about the incorrect 13" wheels. There's no comment form.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 63.2 mpg (US) ... 26.9 km/L ... 3.7 L/100 km ... 75.9 mpg (Imp)


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    Hope this isn't too off-topic, but what does the reviewer mean by "I praised it's cheap-car creds (low price, long warranty, and a front end designed for easy repairs)" - specifically "designed for easy repairs. That seems like an excellent advantage - does anyone know what it means?

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage SE 1.2 manual: 45.0 mpg (US) ... 19.1 km/L ... 5.2 L/100 km ... 54.1 mpg (Imp)


  9. #7
    "The front-end structure is bolted on, not welded". I'm not sure how much of the structure that means.

    http://www.autoguide.com/manufacture...view-3502.html

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 63.2 mpg (US) ... 26.9 km/L ... 3.7 L/100 km ... 75.9 mpg (Imp)


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    Canoehead (04-30-2014)

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    Thanks Metro. I was hoping it meant I wouldn't have to replace ball joints, cv boots, shocks/struts, and that sort of thing as often, but couldn't figure out how that would be achieved. I'd also like a bumper that could both take a good hit without shattering, and easily be replaced. Oh how I long for 1985! In my world of public insurance, I doubt it will make any difference for the rates. It seems around here the insurance is the same whether your car is worth $2000 or $60000, since many repair costs are similar, and the big part is the liability/injury component.

    I just did a quick estimate to discover that my 2003 Focus costs $1066 about $63 less per year than a new Mirage ES at $1129, and a new Mirage ES costs about $27 less per year than the Honda Accord Crosstour EX-L V6 at $1156, which I imagine is almost 3X the price of the Mirage. All are constant at pleasure use, max discount, $5M 3rd party liability, $200 deductible (free stone chips and wildlife collisions) and no additional coverages (rental cars, above book value).
    Last edited by Canoehead; 04-30-2014 at 08:55 PM.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage SE 1.2 manual: 45.0 mpg (US) ... 19.1 km/L ... 5.2 L/100 km ... 54.1 mpg (Imp)


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    Here's month 3 ( April ) review , http://cars.about.com/od/2014-Mitsub...st-Month-3.htm . 9,482 miles . Compares to the Yaris and a few other cars .

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    MetroMPG (05-29-2014)

  14. #10
    Thanks, cinder.

    There's an illuminating part in his latest update that talks about how auto journalists view "cheap" cars. He's spot on.

    Few of us test cars as inexpensive as the Mirage... Compare the Mirage to a $30,000 car (never mind an $80,000 luxury sedan), and of course it's going to come off worse. Compare it to other small, inexpensive cars -- which I intend to do this month -- and you can better see the Mirage's highs and lows.



        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 63.2 mpg (US) ... 26.9 km/L ... 3.7 L/100 km ... 75.9 mpg (Imp)


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