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.