Test drive: 2015 Mirage ES vs. 2016 Spark LS

[ComputerAbuser]

I took both on a test drive yesterday. Mitsubishi recently dropped the base ES model down to $9000 in Canada while supplies last. Chevy dropped the Spark down to $10000 in January. Both had manual transmissions (which is what I want). We also have a 2014 Lancer purchased 1.5 years ago. The fuel economy of the Nissan Micra is just too crappy to consider.

I ended up driving the Mirage around for almost 3 hours. I wanted to get a feel for the car keeping in mind complaints I have read about it. Namely weak suspension, vehicle sway & cheap feel. I also wanted some personal fuel economy experience.

I had the Spark for almost 2 hours. I tried to take it along the same route so that I could compare fuel economy, but I ran out of time.

In the Mirage, I didn't notice any issues with the suspension, but I could feel the sway when turning hard. It didn't feel cheap to me. The interior is very similar to my Lancer.

What I liked about the Mirage
- Fuel economy: I got 4.7 l/100km over 80 km or about 50 MPG
- How the back seat simply folds down without any fuss
- Power windows in the front
- Power mirrors
- Seat was comfortable
- Small turning radius

What I didn't like about the Mirage
- No power locks (it's an option on higher trims, but you forget what a pain it is to manually lock/unlock 4 doors)
- No instantaneous fuel economy, only average.
- No driver arm rest

What I liked about the Spark
- Fuel economy: I got 4.9 l/100km over 50 km or about 48 MPG
- Seat height adjustment
- Seat was comfortable
- Dash info (instantaneous fuel economy & average fuel consumption, although not on the same screen)
- Clutch & shifter were excellent
- Touch screen infotainment center is very nice in a base $10K car
- Arm rest - although it was too high for my liking
- Hill-start assist (not something I need, but it means my wife would be willing to drive it)
- 15" tires
- Suspension over speed bumps was great.
- Excellent handling
- Small turning radius

What I didn't like about the Spark
- No power windows or mirrors (available in higher trims, but for over $4000 more (40%))
- Rear seat fold-down non-sense

***

In Canada, Chevy really wants you to upgrade to the 1LT. For financing, they drop the rate down to 1% for the 1LT, but stick with 5% with the LS. The price jump is over 40% though.

The Hill-start assist might be a major factor (for my wife). Luckily, it appears to have been added to all 2017 Mirage models.

The suspension and handling was better in the Spark. Hopefully that will improve with the 2017 Mirage.

Without instantaneous fuel economy in the Mirage, I felt like I was driving blind. I couldn't confirm when fuel-cut off was working or when I was driving at optimum levels. All I had to go off of was the average consumption. Of course, the more you drive, the longer it takes to see changes in the average. That's probably why I was able to get such good fuel numbers in the Spark.

I will definitely have to wait for the 2017 Mirage, which should be here in 3 weeks according to the dealership. I'm really hoping they add instantaneous fuel consumption to the 2017. Preferably like what I have in the Lancer. I don't want to bother with a Scanguage and if they don't that might be a deciding factor.