Page 1 of 4 123 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 34

Thread: Bittersweet upgrade, let me tell you about my 2017 Mirage G4.

  1. #1
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    Oklahoma
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    327
    Thanks
    21
    Thanked 178 Times in 76 Posts

    Bittersweet upgrade, let me tell you about my 2017 Mirage G4.

    Monday, I purchased my third ever Mitsubishi. Previously, I had a rough-and-tumble 1988 Mighty Max, which was this little truck with manual steering, low gears, a 2.0 liter engine, and anomalously, an automatic transmission.

    A few years back, I bought one of these new "Mirage" hatchbacks that popped up recently - didn't look much like what I thought of as a Mirage, but that car shared a lot of the basic engineering ideas that were shown in that old Mitsubishi truck, namely: As simple as possible using current technology, easy to work on, and and engine that looks and sounds like something lifted from either a generator, forklift, or tractor. 60,000 miles in that little blue car, and the wife and I reached a point where we needed more space. We wanted to keep a small vehicle, with a lot of space - we first looked at the Kia Soul. I wasn't impressed with it, but it was a nice little car. Too much attention paid to the stereo, not enough attention paid to practical matters such as spare tires, engine bay accessibility, or simplicity.

    I just happened to remember the G4 on the way home from looking at the Soul. I stopped at the dealer, to see if they had a G4 with a stick... I was told that they weren't available with a stick. But I found two with a stick, not in the color I wanted. I was asked what color I wanted, I pointed out a purple car. Salesman went inside, and found out that he had a wine red 5 speed.

    I bought that car Monday.

    It was hard letting go of the 2015 Mirage hatch. It was nothing short of amazing in the snow, reliable as an anvil, and had taken my family all over the place.

    But the G4... it seems similar - at first. Gone is most of the body roll. Gone is the lack of self-centering. (Which messed me up at first - I kept trying to pull it back to center.) It's quieter. It handles better. It's not a sports car, but it doesn't wallow. It doesn't wander.

    The front seats are more comfortable. The back seat is much better. The back seat even has a center armrest with cupholders. Lots of legroom, compared to the hatchback. The trunk is cavernous. I, myself, climbed into the trunk to see if I would fit, which I did with room to spare.

    The engine note is different. It's quieter. The 2015 Mirage had a specific sound, familiar to us all - a hateful snarl, reminiscent of a madman screaming in the rain. The G4 has tried to gag the madman, to hide him beneath a whirring. But you push on the gas, and you can still hear him. He's there. The improved sound deadening hides the fact that the car is slightly more swift.

    All in all, this car is an improvement over the 2015 that I had. Still an honest car, made for a specific purpose. Here's to the next several years.



  2. The Following 6 Users Say Thank You to Tinker1980 For This Useful Post:

    Daox (06-07-2017),Eggman (06-07-2017),MetroMPG (06-08-2017),Ranny (06-07-2017),ting (07-21-2017),Top_Fuel (06-07-2017)

  3. #2
    Moderator inuvik's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2015
    Location
    Coos Bay, OR
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    3,835
    Thanks
    4,760
    Thanked 1,562 Times in 1,120 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by Tinker1980 View Post
    Monday, I purchased my third ever Mitsubishi. Previously, I had a rough-and-tumble 1988 Mighty Max, which was this little truck with manual steering, low gears, a 2.0 liter engine, and anomalously, an automatic transmission.

    A few years back, I bought one of these new "Mirage" hatchbacks that popped up recently - didn't look much like what I thought of as a Mirage, but that car shared a lot of the basic engineering ideas that were shown in that old Mitsubishi truck, namely: As simple as possible using current technology, easy to work on, and and engine that looks and sounds like something lifted from either a generator, forklift, or tractor. 60,000 miles in that little blue car, and the wife and I reached a point where we needed more space. We wanted to keep a small vehicle, with a lot of space - we first looked at the Kia Soul. I wasn't impressed with it, but it was a nice little car. Too much attention paid to the stereo, not enough attention paid to practical matters such as spare tires, engine bay accessibility, or simplicity.

    I just happened to remember the G4 on the way home from looking at the Soul. I stopped at the dealer, to see if they had a G4 with a stick... I was told that they weren't available with a stick. But I found two with a stick, not in the color I wanted. I was asked what color I wanted, I pointed out a purple car. Salesman went inside, and found out that he had a wine red 5 speed.

    I bought that car Monday.

    It was hard letting go of the 2015 Mirage hatch. It was nothing short of amazing in the snow, reliable as an anvil, and had taken my family all over the place.

    But the G4... it seems similar - at first. Gone is most of the body roll. Gone is the lack of self-centering. (Which messed me up at first - I kept trying to pull it back to center.) It's quieter. It handles better. It's not a sports car, but it doesn't wallow. It doesn't wander.

    The front seats are more comfortable. The back seat is much better. The back seat even has a center armrest with cupholders. Lots of legroom, compared to the hatchback. The trunk is cavernous. I, myself, climbed into the trunk to see if I would fit, which I did with room to spare.

    The engine note is different. It's quieter. The 2015 Mirage had a specific sound, familiar to us all - a hateful snarl, reminiscent of a madman screaming in the rain. The G4 has tried to gag the madman, to hide him beneath a whirring. But you push on the gas, and you can still hear him. He's there. The improved sound deadening hides the fact that the car is slightly more swift.

    All in all, this car is an improvement over the 2015 that I had. Still an honest car, made for a specific purpose. Here's to the next several years.
    Glad to see you stayed in the Mitsubishi family. It's always amazing to me to hear these stories of salespeople that have no idea of the product that they are trying to sell. I too enjoy the "growl" of the 3 cylinder. Definitely part of it's charm.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 automatic: 40.5 mpg (US) ... 17.2 km/L ... 5.8 L/100 km ... 48.6 mpg (Imp)


  4. The Following User Says Thank You to inuvik For This Useful Post:

    Tinker1980 (06-09-2017)

  5. #3
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    Oklahoma
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    327
    Thanks
    21
    Thanked 178 Times in 76 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by inuvik View Post
    Glad to see you stayed in the Mitsubishi family. It's always amazing to me to hear these stories of salespeople that have no idea of the product that they are trying to sell. I too enjoy the "growl" of the 3 cylinder. Definitely part of it's charm.
    My wife and I were in agreement - the Mirage we had was just too good a car to replace with something else. Every other economy car we looked at was trying to be something else other than an economy car - and cost more as a result.

  6. #4
    Business Up Front Johnny Mullet's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Location
    Ashtabula, Ohio
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    695
    Thanks
    54
    Thanked 524 Times in 270 Posts
    Glad you are enjoying the new G4!

  7. #5
    Agreed on the growl. It's a unique sound.

    Some people take it too far though: I've read some buff book type people saying it sounds like "half a Porsche". I assume they're talking about a boxer 6 layout? There's one in my parents' neighbourhood, and it definitely sounds more truck-like than car-like, but aside from that I'm not sure it sounds anything like the Mirage!

    Glad to hear you're happy with the car. It's a bit funny to get the impression that you're slightly disappointed that they've made the car slightly more refined!

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 63.2 mpg (US) ... 26.9 km/L ... 3.7 L/100 km ... 75.9 mpg (Imp)


  8. The Following User Says Thank You to MetroMPG For This Useful Post:

    Tinker1980 (06-09-2017)

  9. #6
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    LA
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    351
    Thanks
    2
    Thanked 63 Times in 50 Posts
    I had the 2014 DE and the G4 es is like moving from a 80s car to 2010. Huge noticeable improvements
    mitsu's in the family

    2024 Mirage SE

    2021 Mirage ES CVT (Sold)
    2021 Outlander Sport 2.0 ES CVT (trade in)
    2018 Mirage G4 1.2 ES CVT (ex wife's car, crashed)
    2017 Mirage G4 1.2 ES CVT Smartphone Link Display Audio (SDA) System(Crashed)
    2015 Lancer SE 2.4 AWC (sold)
    2014 Mirage DE 1.2 Manual and BT (sold)
    2004 Galant DE (mom's sold)
    2000 Mirage DE 1.8 Auto (sold)
    1988 Cordia L Turbo (trade in)

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2017 Mirage G4 ES CVT 1.2 automatic: 42.0 mpg (US) ... 17.9 km/L ... 5.6 L/100 km ... 50.4 mpg (Imp)


  10. The Following User Says Thank You to remusrm For This Useful Post:

    Tinker1980 (06-09-2017)

  11. #7
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    Oklahoma
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    327
    Thanks
    21
    Thanked 178 Times in 76 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by MetroMPG View Post
    Agreed on the growl. It's a unique sound.

    Some people take it too far though: I've read some buff book type people saying it sounds like "half a Porsche". I assume they're talking about a boxer 6 layout? There's one in my parents' neighbourhood, and it definitely sounds more truck-like than car-like, but aside from that I'm not sure it sounds anything like the Mirage!

    Glad to hear you're happy with the car. It's a bit funny to get the impression that you're slightly disappointed that they've made the car slightly more refined!
    To me, the 2015 Mirage sounded a lot like an old Metro, especially when you started it up. The G4 has a similar, but very muffled sound.

    I feel it's more than "Slightly more refined". It's a much, much nicer car. It's even far better looking. I told my wife that it's too nice, and we have to get rid of it. She said that wasn't happening.

  12. #8
    Disagree on the looks! Hatchback rules. :P

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 63.2 mpg (US) ... 26.9 km/L ... 3.7 L/100 km ... 75.9 mpg (Imp)


  13. The Following User Says Thank You to MetroMPG For This Useful Post:

    Car Nut (06-11-2017)

  14. #9
    Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2017
    Location
    Maryland
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    43
    Thanks
    6
    Thanked 12 Times in 11 Posts
    Question for those of you who own (or have tested) the 2014-15 model and the 2017 hatchback model: are the improvements Tinker mentions--lack of body roll, improved steering, more sound isolation--true of both the hatchback and the G4? In other words, if Tinker had bought another hatchback, would he have found the same improvements? I know the G4 has a longer wheelbase and more back seat space, but does it also feel more refined than the hatchback?

  15. The Following User Says Thank You to mainertodd For This Useful Post:

    Tinker1980 (06-13-2017)

  16. #10
    Moderator Eggman's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2015
    Location
    Cleveland, Ohio
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    10,156
    Thanks
    4,039
    Thanked 2,788 Times in 2,107 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by mainertodd View Post
    Question for those of you who own (or have tested) the 2014-15 model and the 2017 hatchback model:
    Hello mainertodd and welcome to the forum. I'd like to help you out but have no experience with either the 2017 hatchback or the sedan. Reviews have been positive from those who have driven both. Hopefully someone will be along soon to give you a hand.

    I'm curious to know what brought you here to the forum. Have you driven a Mirage yet? Are you considering a used 2014/2015 or are you leaning toward a 2017?

    Again, welcome!


        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log 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)


Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •