I read review of new vs old Spark, and it was mixed bag while he appreciated improvements reviewer wasn't happy about space loss and fact that you can't even put rear seats down without have to move fronts forward first. We had considered Spark for my son, but end up buying Mirage. Price was the same Mirage won on MPG and more rear/trunk space. Handling is the weakest point of current Mirage, suspension is tuned for going straight over potholes at speeds under 35 MPH. Tires were chosen for MPG only and do not have lateral grip to speak of.