12 lightest cars in the US, 2014 (vs. Mirage 1973 lb curb weight) ... UPDATE 2022

[Daox]

We all know the Mirage is a pretty dang light car compared to most. But, let's see how it really stacks up against the other cars it is competing against. For now I am simply focusing on the US market because that is what I have easy access to. (But feel free to add info from your home country as well.)

Weights are in pounds (kilograms). The lightest cars are at the top and weight increases as you go down the list.

	Car	Manual Weight lbs (kg)	Automatic Weight lbs (kg)
1.	Smart ForTwo	n/a	1808 (820)
2.	Mitsubishi Mirage (US)	1973 (894)	2029 (920)
3.	Scion iQ	n/a	2127 (965)
4.	Toyota Yaris	2295 (1041)	2315 (1050)
5.	Mazda 2	2306 (1045)	2359 (1070)
6.	Chevrolet Spark	2269 (1029)	2337 (1060)
7.	Nissan Versa (sedan)	2354 (1068)	2412 (1094)
8.	Fiat 500	2363 (1072)	2434 (1104)
9.	Hyundai Accent	2396 (1087)	2463 (1117)
10.	Kia Rio	2410 (1093)	2480 (1125)
11.	Honda Fit	2496 (1132)	2577 (1169)
12.	Mini Cooper	2535 (1150)	2612 (1185)
13.	Ford Fiesta	2537 (1151)	2575 (1168)

So, the Mirage really is a feather compared to most, and that's one of the reasons why it gets best in class fuel economy. Only the Smart ForTwo beats it in weight. Everything else is substantially heavier. Even the smaller Scion iQ is 8% heavier, and the porky Fiesta is a whopping 33% heavier.

But what about power to weight ratios? Isn't that really the most important stat?
See thread: Mirage vs competitors power to weight ratio comparison

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Canada's list is a little different, with the addition of the Nissan Micra (not sold in the U.S... yet). See: 10 lightest cars in Canada 2014 / 2015 (vs. Nissan Micra)

[MetroMPG]

Nice list. It applies to the Canadian market too. (Though I think we're maybe missing a couple of Lotus sports cars which tend to be very light as well. But they're not mass market cars, and they definitely don't have 5 seats!)

It really puts things in perspective - Mirage will be the lightest passenger car available with more than 2 seats.

Anyone else want to do a list for your home country? Feel free to add to the data!

I'm sure any European/Australasian list would have a lot more on it at the lighter end of the scale than the US/Canada.

[MetroMPG]

And just for fun: I'm betting the Mirage's US/Canada curb weight will come in a bit heavier than the heaviest Australian model. Crossing the pond, the car gained a 7th airbag and a beefier rear bumper, and possibly some other tweaks & features we don't know about.

I'd say it's safe to add 40 lbs / 18 kg to the Ozzie figures to get the US curb weight.

That would mean:

- 1947 lbs (883 kg) manual
- 2002 lbs (908 kg) CVT

[Daox]

Darin reminded me that I forgot the fiat 500 and mini cooper, so those have been added to the list as well.

[jamiec]

The Suzuki Alto here in Australia is very close to the Mirage but still weights more.
Alto manual 880 kg
Alto auto 905 kg

[samwichse]

6. 	Chevrolet Spark 	2337 (1060) 	2269 (1029)

How can you possibly make an manual weigh MORE than an automatic??? And 68 lbs more?

[MetroMPG]

Good catch! The values were reversed for the Spark. I've fixed it.

[Daox]

Actually they weren't. If you look at Chevrolet's site the original numbers were correct.

http://www.chevrolet.com/spark-mini-...imensions.html

Unless Chevy's numbers are wrong.

[MetroMPG]

GM Canada's numbers show the manual is lighter:

Curb weight, estimated (kg / lb.)
1029 / 2269 (LS manual)
1060 / 2337 (LS automatic)

http://www.gm.ca/gm/english/vehicles...cordion-header

[samwichse]

GM Canada's numbers show the manual is lighter:

Curb weight, estimated (kg / lb.)
1029 / 2269 (LS manual)
1060 / 2337 (LS automatic)

http://www.gm.ca/gm/english/vehicles...cordion-header

That makes more sense then... I was wondering how GM could possibly have made a manual that overweight!