Pursuing More Power is like seeking out a sledgehammer to drive a brad nail.
Pursuing More Power is like seeking out a sledgehammer to drive a brad nail.
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View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 49.6 mpg (US) ... 21.1 km/L ... 4.7 L/100 km ... 59.5 mpg (Imp)
The mirage has a long way to go before it has excessive power for its application, but to be honest the peak power is plenty for me. My problem is that you have to wind the motor up to get to that power, which is the opposite of what you want in an economy car. If it produced more torque down low where you need it, it could run taller gearing overall, allowing you to more easily up shift earlier, allowing lower average rpm overall, which would likely increase fuel economy, particularly at very low and higher speeds. As it stands, my metro with an eco grind cam, significantly less power power overall, worse aerodynamics, and taller gearing than the mirage, cruises on the highway better, and is easier to drive around town. It is waaaaaaay slower at full tilt obviously, but it's engine is also a 30 year old design.
Now I have the earlier 74 horse motor, maybe the 78 horse motor is tuned better, I don't know, it's impossible to find them with manual's around here for some reason.
Mine is a stick, and while I'm sure the new one is better, I have no realistic way to know by how much. I've only seen two new manual trans mirage's for sale in this state since they came out in 2014.
Manuals are not popular, but I don't know how you would know what is available statewide?
When I decided to purchase a 2017 Mirage ES (manual), I soon realized a Mitsubishi manager has much better access to what's available in the U.S. than you or I. While talking to a good manager on the phone, he knew exactly what was out there. He could tell what colors where available, too. The cars that he was looking at weren't on any radar (cars.com, autotrader.com, etc...) that I had available to me.
I meant to test drive, none of the dealers that are within 200 miles of me have had one in stock any of the times I looked, and they obviously didn't want to dealer trade for one if I wasn't going to buy it.
A rear axle adjustable for alignment would be nice.
By the way, how long did the Metro go without a major overhaul? Seems to me it kept it's basic layout for quite some time.
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View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 49.6 mpg (US) ... 21.1 km/L ... 4.7 L/100 km ... 59.5 mpg (Imp)
As far as the 3 cylinder engine goes, it changed very little from 89 when that iteration was produced until they stopped making it in 01 or whenever. The car itself got a moderate redesign in 95, made it a couple hundred pounds heavier and looked nicer, but other then that the underpinnings were more or less the same for it's whole run.
And about that manual transmission. I wish it's top gear allowed a lower engine RPM at highway speed. Whether that is done by adding a sixth gear (I hope not) or by getting away from these close-ratio gear sets.
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View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 49.6 mpg (US) ... 21.1 km/L ... 4.7 L/100 km ... 59.5 mpg (Imp)
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View my fuel log 2013 Space Star Cleartec Intense 1.0 manual: 55.7 mpg (US) ... 23.7 km/L ... 4.2 L/100 km ... 66.9 mpg (Imp)