I don't get the bad reviews....

[MyNewMirage]

Really I don't , sure you'll find something about a low cost car that will make you bring up some of it's bad features and simply won't like It.

Lets compare apples to apples, in this case a new car for under 13k.
Here's what I've been reading and for the most part I don't agree with most of it.

They people who retired the 2014 Mirage....

"Unbalanced engine which runs very rouge", what?
Let's me fair about this, the 2014 Mirage is a three banger, so sure in won't be as smooth running as a 4 cylinder but I don't feel what they are saying here, like it's noisy and runs very rough.
Well I already put 3000 miles on it, IMHO I can't hear the engine run unless I get on it hard which I love to rev it up.

"Not enough power to drive it on the interstate "
90% of my driving is on the interstate and here's what I think of it.
I normally drive my car at 70 MPH and have no problem keeping up with the fast flow of traffic if need be, it doesn't struggle one bit, not once it's up to speed, I don't have cruise control and often find myself going over 80 MPH and no I don't find the engine to be Bouncy" as one reviewer wrote , in fact I just can't hear it running, I do listen to my music so I thought maybe I'm drowning the noise out so one day I turned everything off, radio and A/C, It felt great as how the motor sounded, or lack of it.

"Can't feel which direction I'm going due to the steering", really ?
I travel a 100 miles round trip to and from work and don't have any complaints in this area either, let's not forget the wheels are only 14"'s so to some maybe they don't feel the front end of the car as I do, if one owned a large car or truck I can see their concerns but I'm fine with how it performs.

"The car looks plain and out of date"
We are talking about a brand new car that cost under 12k?
OK so it doesn't have all what my Toyota RAV4 has to offer but I could have bought two Mirages to one RAV4 and still have money for a nice vacation.
IMHO it drives well, looks nice inside and, fun to drive at not too many stops at the pumps.

People need to give it some credit , foolish not too.

I payed $12,890.. For a brand new Mirage DE with a CVT, A/C, power windows and locks, keyless entry , tilt steering , nice radio that looks very nice, sure the speakers suck some but that can be replaced which I plan on doing.
My avg. gas mileage is 48 MPG.
Is it a bit slow on take off?, sure but give it a little extra throttle and you'll be at interstate speed before you know it.

The more I drive my Mirage the more I enjoy it, I get excited every morning to get in it and head to work.

To the guys who give the all new Mirage a bad wrap all the way around let me say this, pick any car and drive it for a month and I'd bet you you'll find something bad to say about it, most likely over priced.

Kevin

[aydu]

After reading the reviews, I test drove the Mirage and wondered what car the reviewers were driving.

They complain about the engine vibration. While there is some - if you keep a light touch on the steering wheel ad idle - it is nothing that detracts from the driving experience.

I thought the engine was loud on my test drive, in comparison to other cars I have driven. The car I bought was a different one that the one I test drove and it too was loud when getting off the line. As I approach 700 miles on the car, the engine has quieted down considerably. Even my wife noticed that the engine noise was less.

The fun factor is still there in spades. We both enjoy driving this car, especially when the instant mpg readout goes above 40!!

[MetroMPG]

In the 5-speed I'm testing now, there is zero engine vibration at idle. Possibly the CVT may vibrate more in gear, if idle-neutral is not active because the engine will have a slight load on it at idle RPM.

Even if I intentionally shift too soon, the engine doesn't have a hissyfit shakedown (lugging). Nothing like the 1.0L 3-cyl in my Metro/Firefly would.

[Mistah JT]

I enjoy my car. Dash rattle needs fixing, but that's small issue.
Any other cars that ccan take off in second gear like the mirage?

[cinder]

There was a dash rattle in '08 Yaris sedan from the day it was brought home as new . Had to remove the center display and put sticky back felt at certain areas and reinstall . No rattle after . Other Yaris we had were full of rattles . Got a loaner '14 CAMRY and that had rattlles for a $20,000+ car . Most cars have these issues . Thanks to the hard plastics that snap together due to cosmetics . The older vehicles we had you'd see heads of screws , usually a the bottom of the dash .

[outtahours]

Hi kevin, excellent review of this car. I always wondered why Mitsubishi cars always get a bad or negative review. Seems the so called "experts" can never
Seem to give one a thumbs up. Only thing i can think is maybe they don't get kick backs some of the larger car companies can offer? Just a thought, Alan

[Yttrium]

"The car looks plain and out of date"
We are talking about a brand new car that cost under 12k?
OK so it doesn't have all what my Toyota RAV4 has to offer but I could have bought two Mirages to one RAV4 and still have money for a nice vacation.
IMHO it drives well, looks nice inside and, fun to drive at not too many stops at the pumps.

This one is particularly funny because the Mirage looks like every other modern compact car out there that has been designed for aerodynamics. Just move the Mirage's antenna to the back and you've basically got the Yaris, Mazda 2, Honda Fit, and so on...

[aydu]

As Mirages start to sell, people are posting actual owner reviews on some of these "expert" car sites. Owner reviews follow what people have posted on this forum - very positive.

I'm always reminded that when I look at the Car and Driver cars of the year that there are some real dogs there.

I find that each time I drive my Mirage I have a smile on my face when I pull into the garage. Not many cars give me that reaction to just driving around town.

[chris2004]

I feel the same when i read some of the reviews. Sure it doesn't compare to a BMW 325i but it's as good as any other sub $13,000 car. What do they expect for that money. I have no complaints at all with my Attrage. It's smooth and quiet, comfortable seats, lots of space, great fuel economy, reasonable performance, looks good, very high level of standard equipment. Jeez what do these guys want for $13,000.

[aydu]

The TV show Motorweek is a good example of what reviewers look for when they review cars.

They check 1/4 mile speed; take the car through an obstacle course of cones; and braking distance from speed. These are all objective measurements that they can use to compare to other vehicles.

They also check less objective items like styling, control layout, and seat comfort/adjustments available.

In the "objective" measurements, the Mirage isn't going to do very well as they are strongly influenced by how high performance a vehicle is. They'll rave all day about a Corvette or Porsche, and rag about a Prius.

Things like style are a matter of choice. Obviously the car manufacturers think their cars look good.

I think the Mirage can look great in certain colors and tend to look rather bland in others.

Most people who review cars for a living do so because they are car enthusiasts. This means they have a passion for performance - speed and agility. Neither of these attributes are what the Mirage was designed for, and are not the vehicle's strong points.