Surprising garage stats: comparing numbers of CVT vs. manual Mirage owners

[MetroMPG]

Just out of curiosity, I ran some queries in the garage to see the breakdown of DIY vs. automatic transmission owners. (2012+ Mirages/Space Stars/Attrages only, not other makes.)

(Only about a dozen or so owners have NOT listed transmission type on their garage pages. Have you??)

As of today...

[ADMIN UPDATE: see newer, 2018 stats further down this thread.]

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197 (53%)

Manual transmissions


175 (47%)

CVT automatics

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That's a bit of a surprise!

I wonder what the transmission sales ratio is in the various countries represented on the forum.

Because I'd be willing to bet the ratio in North American Mirage sales is nowhere close to those percentages!

[Daox]

I'd be willing to bet the ratio in North American Mirage sales is nowhere close to those percentages!

Interesting stats. I would imagine actual US sales are closer to 15% 5mt sales, 85% CVT.

[Dontee]

Interesting stats. I would imagine actual US sales are closer to 15% 5mt sales, 85% CVT.

I would say your right Daox,
I sell these guys, and it looks like the CVT is the higher seller. More CVT to older demographic. 5 Speed man to people that want the absolute lowest price i.e poor college kids lol. Also have 2 customers in Mirage 5 MT that own Evos that are pushing some good power. They want dailys that get double there gas mileage and are fun.

[namco]

Interesting stats. I would imagine actual US sales are closer to 15% 5mt sales, 85% CVT.

The dealer I got mine from said their manual trans sell out faster than the cvt, and that they've sold about an equal 50/50 amount, but only because they lack a lot full of manual transmissions, they have more cvt than manual as per Mitsubishi's push to their lot. dude said they tried to get more manual trans, but usually they end up getting the stick shift's from other dealers because mitsu can't deliver enough.....

Interestingly enough, when I was in the market for one, the dealer i went to listed 8 manual trans for sale, when i got there, literally only 1 on the lot, and i even looked around to see if he was lying. He said they sold 7 manual in a week, and only 3 cvt that same week. Interesting for sure.

[MetroMPG]

Yeah, that's about what I would guess too.

I think the number of manuals sold in the U.S. new car fleet is in the low single digit percentage these days. But economy cars would have a higher proportion than the average.

[Mitsuman]

Cool beans stats, MetroMPG. I still insist on a manual transmission but here in the States their numbers are like 5% these days. My Mirage, iA, Soul or Spark, whichever it is and even if it's not until 2019, will have a stick shift tranny, baby.

What could drive me to my local Mitsubishi, Toyota, Kia or Chevrolet dealer sometime in the next three months, though, is our '11 Kia Soul 5-speed only has Warranty service until June 30th, 2016. I don't like that. Anymore, I want a competent Warranty to cover my small car - just in case.

[MetroMPG]

Same here... only* manual transmissions for me! I was thinking about this yesterday: of the 4 sibs in my family, 3 out of 4 have manuals.

* I would make an exception for an EV or hybrid though, and have in the recent past (I had a 2004 Prius for a year). Automatics with those drivetrains are interesting enough with their various regen, coasting modes, start/stop, etc to keep me engaged as a driver.

[MiMi]

I have the CVT and much prefer it to a manual. I had never driven a CVT before the Mirage, and I heard horror stories about CVTs in other cars. The Mirage CVT is programmed to work perfectly to suit my driving. In normal driving, it is not difficult to stay under 2000 rpm while accelerating, even up to highway speeds. Of course cruising at highway speed is at much lower rpm than the manual. Then if there is a need for quick acceleration for merging or passing, pressing the pedal to the floor brings 5000 rpm almost immediately and it stays at 5000 rpm to whatever speed you want by changing the gear ratio. Driving the CVT takes some learning though. With a manual transmission, you choose the gear ratio and provide fuel to the engine with the accelerator pedal. With the CVT, the accelerator pedal is essentially a computer input device. Using the position of the pedal, the current speed of the car, the slope of the road, etc. the computer decides what rpm and what gear ratio is appropriate. When you learn what the computer will do under different circumstances, you can provide the right pressure on the pedal to get the result you want.

[RodeRoNL]

I have the CVT and much prefer it to a manual. I had never driven a CVT before the Mirage, and I heard horror stories about CVTs in other cars. The Mirage CVT is programmed to work perfectly to suit my driving. In normal driving, it is not difficult to stay under 2000 rpm while accelerating, even up to highway speeds. Of course cruising at highway speed is at much lower rpm than the manual. Then if there is a need for quick acceleration for merging or passing, pressing the pedal to the floor brings 5000 rpm almost immediately and it stays at 5000 rpm to whatever speed you want by changing the gear ratio. Driving the CVT takes some learning though. With a manual transmission, you choose the gear ratio and provide fuel to the engine with the accelerator pedal. With the CVT, the accelerator pedal is essentially a computer input device. Using the position of the pedal, the current speed of the car, the slope of the road, etc. the computer decides what rpm and what gear ratio is appropriate. When you learn what the computer will do under different circumstances, you can provide the right pressure on the pedal to get the result you want.

My thoughts exactly. The CVT is a machine that searches torque for you at the lowest possible rpm. It is NOT for "spirited driving". If you use it well, you will not need to exceed 2000 rpm. Sometimes I try to go with the flow with rpm less than 1800. It works, but as you said, you really need to communicate with your car. I therefore cannot understand the remark of manual drivers that they need the "engagement" with the car. I never was so engaged with my car as with the CVT and I drove all kinds of manuals and automatics. It is great fun, but it is a subtle game. Not for sporty driving. Although I feel that there is much still to learn about driving in sports mode. I do not have the feeling that that works very well. It could be that I need to refine (and get more spirited in sports mode?).

[MetroMPG]

I hope to get some more seat time this year in a Mirage with the CVT.

In the 20 or 30 minutes I drove one in 2014, I still clearly remember being very impressed with the extent the engineers were allowed to go to get good fuel economy. On top of that, the car was much more pleasant and relaxed under light load since the engine RPM always went as low as possible... especially on the hwy.