The 2013 Mirage has just launched in New Zealand, and once again Mitsubishi organized an economy run/challenge to show off the car's fuel-sipping abilities.

As usual, the assembled motoring media did not fail to impress, even though the goal -- using as little fuel as possible over the prescribed route -- may have gone against typical petrolhead driving style. We actually know this for a fact: the winning driver, "ironically a renowned leadfoot ... turn(ed) in a group-best 3.3 L/100km." (Source.)

Not bad, considering it's CVT-only cars. (Remember the CVT is the only transmission available in N.Z.)

Route

  • Wellington to Otaki
  • ~73 km / 45 miles, one-way
  • mix of urban & exurban roads with posted speed limits up to 100 km/h (59 mph)
  • I'm not sure if this was a round-trip event (waiting on a reply from Mitsu NZ.)


Conditions

  • Temp: hot enough that it was considered unusual to not run the air conditioning
  • Windy: "driving up the Ngauranga Gorge and onward into a strong headwind" (Source.)


Results

We don't know for sure which trim level scored which result. All we know is they were both 1.2L and CVT.

Car Driver/Media
L/100 km
km/L
mpg (US)
mpg (Imp)
Mirage 1.2L, CVT ?
3.3 (source) 30.3 71.3 85.6
Mirage 1.2L, CVT Richard Bosselman, Yahoo! autos 4.2 (source) 23.8 56.0 67.3

"Extreme" techniques employed by the winner

(This bit is kind of funny, quoted from a competing media outlet...)

"Obviously his technique was more extreme..."

  • engine off at red lights,
  • neutral on descents,
  • feather-footing the throttle/brake,
  • no air conditioning,
  • 90kmh in the 100kmh zone
  • and sneaking the spacesaver spare into the boot of a colleague's car (source)
Ha! Bonus points to him for competitive weight "redistribution".

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Other Mirage economy runs: