Kerc, you are my new hero: Jalopnik article on Kerc's defense/review of the Mirage

[MetroMPG]

kerc! I WANT YOUR AUTOGRAPH! I just saw the Jalopnik post entitled:

Standing Tall, Someone Admits To Owning A 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage

In which the author expresses amazement that a Jalopnik commenter (kerc, the aforementioned) would fearlessly stand up and defend the Mitsubishi Mirage in the Jalopnik story which examines the "sad state" of Mitsubishi's current product line-up.

kerc's take on the Mirage is great, and I don't expect he'll mind that I re-post it here:

Let me see... I recently got myself a 2014 Mirage. Basic model, 5-speed manual, 74 bhp, 74 lb-ft, weighs less than a ton. I should be suffering, right?

Nope

If I'm in the mood, I can go zipping through traffic, revving the 3-cylinder engine hard (loves to rev), upshifting, downshifting. Handling can get a bit hairy sometimes with the tiny 165/65-14 tires, but that's part of the fun. To go quick, you have to drive, as opposed to just squirting the gas pedal. Pay attention to what you're doing. It requires involvement, in a good way. It's fun.

If I feel like just loafing around, I just drive normally, while driving a 44+ MPG car (I've managed to hit 51) that has excellent safety ratings and a 10/100K warranty. All this with simple technology that I can maintain, not with complicated hybrid sh*t.

Does it look like an angry toaster like the Spark? Nope. And I like that, because in ten years, it won't be looking dated. In a way it already does, but that works in the Mirage's favor.

It's funny when car "editors" want to have light, simple cars, and when they get them, they want all the doodads and sh*t that add weight and complexity. Go figure.

Please PM me your address, so we can send you a pair of Mirage Forum decals and our unending gratitude.

Also, I expect there will be some decent conversation to go with those 2 Jalop posts, so I'll be checking in on them again later.

[Alpha_One]

Also, I expect there will be some decent conversation to go with those 2 Jalop posts, so I'll be checking in on them again later.

It's amazing; whenever one of these posts come up on Jalopnik, you'd expect a lot of people rubbishing the car and suggesting Corvettes or BMW M3's instead or what have you. Instead, you see a barrage of replies saying "Yeah, I used to have [some basic lightweight car with <100HP] and it was the funnest thing I've ever driven, I totally dig yah!!!" So it seems that so many car enthusiasts are not at all the Jeremy "Powahhhh!!!" Clarkson types.

[MetroMPG]

Thanks for the link to the follow-up post. I missed that one.

It's amazing; whenever one of these posts come up on Jalopnik, you'd expect a lot of people rubbishing the car ...

Well, we do have to admit that Jalopnik commenters are a breed apart from, say, Car and Driver or Top Gear followers. And they don't mind proclaiming as much.

[Alpha_One]

This was one of kerc's follow-up posts on the original thread:

Simplicity, warranty, safety, ridiculously good fuel economy. Nice amenities on basic model (Bluetooth, USB, power windows and mirrors). Good outward visibility (something I *hated* about the Fiesta). Stupidly tight turning circle, nice electric power steering for city driving. Tiny tires that will be cheap to replace. For some reason, I have an irrational liking to the 3-cylinder engine. I just love how it growls like an angry mouse, and also like how quickly it revs up to redline. I also like the styling, especially from the rear. The tapering roofline, the bobbed rear end, the spoiler. It looks like the sketches I make when I'm on the phone.

One thing: I gotta admit that most testers have tried it with the CVT. IT SUCKS DONKEY BALLS. Period. Turns the happy 3-cylinder into a wheezing, agonizing weedwhacker. Just nope. I can understand their pain. You gotta have this car with the manual transmission. It turns it into a completely different thing. I know because I tried both.

Some interesting points:

• I've driven the Fiesta myself, at least the 1.6L with the DSG tranny. It has tiny ass convex mirrors, and at least for the DSG model, a transmission that takes forever to shift to 2nd (making it jerky and inefficient at low speeds). It handles well but feels much heavier (because it is). Something that I'd like to take to some mountain road, but given the outside visibility and the DSG's behavior it's not actually very suitable for city driving.
• Metro made the observation that most reviewers who had the manual loved it, while those who got the CVTs hated the car. Looks like kerc concurs.
• On the styling of the Mirage I'd like to paraphrase my girlfriend: "Why aren't the other small cars as cute as the Mirage?"

[kerc]

Whoa! Thanks, man! A PM will be on it's way soon. It surprised me to see quite a few people agreeing with me. I expected 100% pure, unadulterated bashing.

[grsupercity]

Finally a review from that website i dont have to bash. Looks like jeff gordan did that site some good. Thank you Kerc

[MetroMPG]

Up to 110 comments in that post now!

[Cobrajet]

Great comments, Kerc.

And you should go back and tell some of those knuckleheads on Jalopnik that they shouldn't knock the experience of hooning on a 1950 pound car that has a 1.2L, dual overhead cam, multiport fuel injected, high-compression 3-cylinder engine with variable valve timing and a five-speed until they have TRIED IT!