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  1. #1
    Senior Member MacClyver's Avatar
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    First impressions after 1 week

    While I had briefly driven two Mirages prior to purchasing I really never did a proper test drive. Mostly just researching stats which led me to think this would suit me better than anything else made post 2002. So this is my first impressions of the Mirage.

    Cons:
    As I’m sure we all quickly noticed my first complaint was the super light clutch and its lack of feel. I can’t even remember the last time I stalled a Metro and yet in the past week I’ve stalled the Mirage like 5 times. The small tach to the side is annoying also, having it bigger and near center would make it easier to rev match without looking away from the road as long. The presence of the tach is appreciated though. Likewise the no-clutch lockout gates on the shifter are a mixed bag. The gritty feel these add when shifting is annoying. I had gotten into the habit of shifting to neutral sometimes when the engine had no load on it. The “clutch locked gates” prevent that but would presumably prevent a passenger from maliciously taking the car out of gear too, which is nice. Proper HVAC controls would be awesome, and I’ll be sure to get some out of a junkyard 17-19 Mirage once I get an opportunity. The processing latency of the electric throttle could so easily be fixed if only they'd used a throttle cable...

    More minor issues: Lack of a lock or other way to open the hatch without unlocking the entire car. Disabling the speedometer/odometer in ACC is a little irritating too, although I suppose that also means that we are free to use one as a RV dinghy and not have the towed miles add up. Going with that is the power steering. Manual steering would be a nice upgrade for such a light car. However unassisted steering isn’t unreasonable to do when coasting. Much easier than fighting the power steering on an Equinox, PT Cruiser, or Prizm. The cold engine light is an obvious cheap out, but temp gauges have been just as useless and ambiguous for a long time. The super fat key is a bit of a nuisance when pocketed.

    And benefits: The “ECO” vacuum based toggle light is a nice simple yet useful feature. No need for an FM transmitter or Cassette adapter, the 3.5mm aux is great, and good speaker system. Having a timing chain on what is likely an interference engine. Despite reading “weak brake” comments I find the brakes plenty strong. Using the super eco-friendly R-1234yf refrigerant is awesome. Being able to key unlock the door without the alarm going off should be a given but the fact it doesn’t is a benefit for a new car I guess. Also the existence of a cheap all metal key blank to open the doors or listen to the radio is nice(if only it could start it…). And the radio! No touchscreen, volume dial, and manual tuning(letting you select a station too weak to seek to). Such give me features can’t seem to be taken for granted anymore. Preserving night vision with the orange dash glow was a good consideration. It’s turning radius and ground clearance also are nice. Above all it stays so quiet when driving, which is its biggest benefit in my opinion.


    This might have been a bit of a laundry list review but good job Mitsubishi. Would I have been happier getting another Metro: yeah probably. I still prefer my 90’s Suzuki engineering, but I’m sure I’d downright regret just about any other new car. Let's face it a 4000 mile completely perfect Metro isn't around anymore, this was.
    Last edited by MacClyver; 05-23-2019 at 10:33 PM.


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  3. #2
    Quote Originally Posted by MacClyver View Post
    While I had briefly driven two Mirages prior to purchasing I really never did a proper test drive. Mostly just researching stats which led me to think this would suit me better than anything else made post 2002. So this is my first impressions of the Mirage.

    Cons:
    As I’m sure we all quickly noticed my first complaint was the super light clutch and its lack of feel. I can’t even remember the last time I stalled a Metro and yet in the past week I’ve stalled the Mirage like 5 times. The small tach to the side is annoying also, having it bigger and near center would make it easier to rev match without looking away from the road as long. The presence of the tach is appreciated though. Likewise the no-clutch lockout gates on the shifter are a mixed bag. The gritty feel these add when shifting is annoying. I had gotten into the habit of shifting to neutral sometimes when the engine had no load on it. The “clutch locked gates” prevent that but would presumably prevent a passenger from maliciously taking the car out of gear too, which is nice. Proper HVAC controls would be awesome, and I’ll be sure to get some out of a junkyard 17-19 Mirage once I get an opportunity. The processing latency of the electric throttle could so easily be fixed if only they'd used a throttle cable...

    More minor issues: Lack of a lock or other way to open the hatch without unlocking the entire car. Disabling the speedometer/odometer in ACC is a little irritating too, although I suppose that also means that we are free to use one as a RV dinghy and not have the towed miles add up. Going with that is the power steering. Manual steering would be a nice upgrade for such a light car. However unassisted steering isn’t unreasonable to do when coasting. Much easier than fighting the power steering on an Equinox, PT Cruiser, or Prizm. The cold engine light is an obvious cheap out, but temp gauges have been just as useless and ambiguous for a long time. The super fat key is a bit of a nuisance when pocketed.

    And benefits: The “ECO” vacuum based toggle light is a nice simple yet useful feature. No need for an FM transmitter or Cassette adapter, the 3.5mm aux is great, and good speaker system. Having a timing chain on what is likely an interference engine. Despite reading “weak brake” comments I find the brakes plenty strong. Using the super eco-friendly R-1234yf refrigerant is awesome. Being able to key unlock the door without the alarm going off should be a given but the fact it doesn’t is a benefit for a new car I guess. Also the existence of a cheap all metal key blank to open the doors or listen to the radio is nice(if only it could start it…). And the radio! No touchscreen, volume dial, and manual tuning(letting you select a station too weak to seek to). Such give me features can’t seem to be taken for granted anymore. Preserving night vision with the orange dash glow was a good consideration. It’s turning radius and ground clearance also are nice. Above all it stays so quiet when driving, which is its biggest benefit in my opinion.


    This might have been a bit of a laundry list review but good job Mitsubishi. Would I have been happier getting another Metro: yeah probably. I still prefer my 90’s Suzuki engineering, but I’m sure I’d downright regret just about any other new car. Let's face it a 4000 mile completely perfect Metro isn't around anymore, this was.
    A lot of your complaints will be found in most modern cars. Unless you have something with a cable driven speedometer(early 90's or older) it ain't gonna work unless the ignition is at least in the run position.

    I've got a bunch of questions.

    What do you mean clutch shift lockout? Are you saying you can't get the shifter out of gear without using the clutch?

    Manual steering is alright but power is better. Might not be as necessary on road as off road I guess but it probably helps prevent the steering wheel from spinning crazily out of your hands if you hit a curb or nasty pothole.

    What do you mean by proper heater controls? Are you trying to swap from auto to manual controls?

    Does your car not have a usb port in the top of the glove box or was that only offered with car that had bluetooth?

    I have yet to see a Mirage that is filled with the super eco-friendly r-1234yf refrigerant you speak of. They didn't come in 15's or 17's, maybe they did in the 18's or 19's?
    Mirage videos:

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage SE wussie cvt edition. 1.2 automatic: 37.7 mpg (US) ... 16.0 km/L ... 6.2 L/100 km ... 45.3 mpg (Imp)


  4. #3
    Senior Member MacClyver's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fummins
    A lot of your complaints will be found in most modern cars.
    Yeah, to quote mt999999(the previous owner): "change is bad". Still gotta appreciate what it doesn't have: a touchscreen, cellular based tracking, the ability to be remotely hacked, and such high tech undesirables.

    Also you are correct... Owners Manual shows HFC-134a. Guess this is a case of don't believe everything you read online. That's too bad, that was incorrectly a fact that swayed my decision pretty far. Like a global warming potential of 4 vs 1430 . That's too bad, but it makes me feel better about installing the r134 A/C I bought last fall for my Metro.

    Shifter lockout yep, shifter feels locked in place when clutch isn't pressed, and free moment it is. If you have a different model manual vehicle try to move the shifter when the car is stopped and the engine isn't running. You can freely move in and out of gears. Not so with this Mirage.

    Yes on the heater controls, if I want it defrosting full blast I don't want to worry about it stopping because it thinks it is warm enough. Before long a newer Mirage manual hvac crash victim is sure to turn up in a junkyard so I'll live with it for now.

    I wasn't aware of the USB, just looked and it does. Good to know I can charge without a cirgarette lighter USB adapter.

    It still has time to grow on me, and I'm satisfied enough with it even now.


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    Quote Originally Posted by MacClyver View Post
    Shifter lockout yep, shifter feels locked in place when clutch isn't pressed, and free moment it is. If you have a different model manual vehicle try to move the shifter when the car is stopped and the engine isn't running. You can freely move in and out of gears. Not so with this Mirage.
    I find my 2017 Mirage ES (manual) to be no different than my 2011 Subaru Forester 2.5X (manual). Both vehicles will shift into any gear without using the clutch while the engine is off on level ground. I could shift both vehicles into all gears including reverse when I tried them tonight.

    All of my vehicles have been manuals. I am in my mid-50's. Thus, I have owned a few manuals. I don't find the Mirage to shift any different than any other manual vehicle.
    Last edited by Mark; 05-24-2019 at 03:33 AM.

  6. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by MacClyver View Post
    Yeah, to quote mt999999(the previous owner): "change is bad". Still gotta appreciate what it doesn't have: a touchscreen, cellular based tracking, the ability to be remotely hacked, and such high tech undesirables.


    Shifter lockout yep, shifter feels locked in place when clutch isn't pressed, and free moment it is. If you have a different model manual vehicle try to move the shifter when the car is stopped and the engine isn't running. You can freely move in and out of gears. Not so with this Mirage.

    Yes on the heater controls, if I want it defrosting full blast I don't want to worry about it stopping because it thinks it is warm enough. Before long a newer Mirage manual hvac crash victim is sure to turn up in a junkyard so I'll live with it for now.
    Yeah I'm not a big fan of touch screens either. They look nice when they're new and might work okay but the few that I've used were small dirty and hard to read if it's sunny out.

    I've owned and driven dozens of manuals. None of them would easily pop out of gear if on any kind of hill. If there is no strain on the driveline, like parked on a flat spot then it should slide out of gear pretty easily. There shouldn't be a mechanical lock on the shifter or transmission to prevent that. I've never seen a car you can't shift without using the clutch unless the syncros are toast or it's just a not a synchronized transmission.

    I appreciate vehicles that don't have babysitter/tracking either. I don't know how I'd like to get something that can be tracked. What if I want to rob a bank or bury someone in the bush? I'd probably use a mirage.

    I don't imagine it'll be a simple job converting from auto to manual temp controls. To do it "properly". I'd expect you'll need to swap the entire heater box. Maybe check the part numbers on a Mitsu parts site first before stocking up at a junkyard. I don't know if the wiring would be the same for manual to auto temp. I did see a few unused connectors close to the heater box in our 15's I've torn apart so maybe it'll be the same? These cars can be pretty finicky when it comes to wiring. But who know's you might be able to just pop off the blend door motors and there might be provisions to easily stick cables there instead? None of the cars I work on have auto temp so couldn't tell you for sure.
    Mirage videos:

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage SE wussie cvt edition. 1.2 automatic: 37.7 mpg (US) ... 16.0 km/L ... 6.2 L/100 km ... 45.3 mpg (Imp)


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    Senior Member Top_Fuel's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fummins View Post
    I don't imagine it'll be a simple job converting from auto to manual temp controls.
    To do it "properly" I'd expect you'll need to swap the entire heater box.
    It doesn't look like you can just swap control heads. The HVAC assemblies have 2 different part numbers between manual and auto climate control...


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        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 52.2 mpg (US) ... 22.2 km/L ... 4.5 L/100 km ... 62.6 mpg (Imp)


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    Quote Originally Posted by MacClyver View Post
    Likewise the no-clutch lockout gates on the shifter are a mixed bag. The gritty feel these add when shifting is annoying. I had gotten into the habit of shifting to neutral sometimes when the engine had no load on it. The “clutch locked gates” prevent that but would presumably prevent a passenger from maliciously taking the car out of gear too, which is nice.
    What do you mean by 'lockout gates'?

    Quote Originally Posted by MacClyver View Post
    And benefits: The “ECO” vacuum based toggle light is a nice simple yet useful feature.
    I didn't know the ECO light was based on engine vacuum. I always thought it was based on vehicle speed and engine load, and the light itself computer controlled.

    ??

        __________________________________________

        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)


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    Hubcap Enthusiast Scratchpaddy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MacClyver View Post
    The processing latency of the electric throttle could so easily be fixed if only they'd used a throttle cable...
    The delay in throttle-by-wire is deliberate. With a cable throttle, when you lift off the gas to change gears and the throttle plate immediately slams closed, it causes a sudden increase in crankcase pressure, pushing more oil vapors through the PCV system to be burned off in the cylinders. The air/fuel mixture also leans out momentarily, causing a spike in NOx emissions. Driving manual with the instant response of a cable throttle is definitely easier, but also not good for the environment. An electronic throttle allows the computer to step in and slow that last little bit of throttle closure so the engine never leans out.

    The computer also needs to be able to take control of the throttle for traction control to work, which the government now requires.

    The delay in the Mirage is not so bad. My Yaris was much worse; you'd let off the throttle, push in the clutch, and the revs would just keep climbing. I never got used to it enough to really drive it smoothly. My Mirage feels pretty natural by comparison. I have yet to stall it once.

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    Hey Scratchpaddy, help me understand what you're saying here as it doesn't make sense to me.

    Quote Originally Posted by Scratchpaddy View Post
    ...when you lift off the gas to change gears and the throttle plate immediately slams closed, it causes a sudden increase in crankcase pressure, pushing more oil vapors through the PCV system to be burned off in the cylinders.
    I always thought that closing the throttle could cause a spike in manifold vacuum, controlled only by the amount which the throttle is controlled/restricted by either the ECU or an idle limiting screw. This temporary vacuum condition would help draw in crankcase blow-by pressure and in turn reduce it.

    Quote Originally Posted by Scratchpaddy View Post
    The air/fuel mixture also leans out momentarily, causing a spike in NOx emissions.
    Same here. With the throttle closing, it not only restricts air but inherently causes a temporary rich condition, until the emissions controls kicks in. That might be the single biggest benefit to having a control-by-wire throttle, is the ECU can better manage the air-fuel ratio and in turn what gets sent to the catalytic converter.

    I got this from studying emissions controls from 1970s era systems growing up.

        __________________________________________

        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)


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    Hubcap Enthusiast Scratchpaddy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Eggman View Post
    Hey Scratchpaddy, help me understand what you're saying here as it doesn't make sense to me.

    I always thought that closing the throttle could cause a spike in manifold vacuum, controlled only by the amount which the throttle is controlled/restricted by either the ECU or an idle limiting screw. This temporary vacuum condition would help draw in crankcase blow-by pressure and in turn reduce it.

    Same here. With the throttle closing, it not only restricts air but inherently causes a temporary rich condition, until the emissions controls kicks in. That might be the single biggest benefit to having a control-by-wire throttle, is the ECU can better manage the air-fuel ratio and in turn what gets sent to the catalytic converter.

    I got this from studying emissions controls from 1970s era systems growing up.
    It was something I read when I was doing research on how to make my Yaris more driveable. Now that I typed it out and slept on it, yeah... it's all backwards. Closed throttle plate = less air, more vacuum.

    I read it in two separate places, but they're not exactly research-paper grade (they're selling aftermarket throttle controllers):

    'Rev Hang' Explained And Why Petrolheads Hate It

    When the throttle is released and the clutch is dipped, an ECU with rev hang is programmed to leave the throttle slightly more open than usual.

    This strategy is used because it was found that suddenly closing the throttle produced a sudden spike in gas pressure within the crankcase which emphasised the rate of oil vaporisation, thus adding to emissions from the engine. Also, when the throttle is suddenly shut, the fuel mixture suddenly becomes lean which creates NOx (oxides of Nitrogen) which also contributes to emissions.
    Rev hang and ways of eliminating it

    Car makers are forced by legislation to build cars meeting ever tighter exhaust emission limits, typically defined in grams/km of test for HC (hydrocarbons), CO (carbon monoxide) and NOx (oxides of nitrogen). It is a known fact that NOx tend to rise with sudden leaning of fuel mixture as it happens when throttle is closed abruptly.

    Car manufactures tried since late '70s of the last century to prevent such a condition by installing vacuum operated dashpots on carburetted cars just for the purpose of slowing down the closing of carburettor butterfly valve. It was before cars with fuel injected engines became common. Now it is much easier for car designers to control many aspects of EFI (electronically fuel injected) engine operation, including prevention of sudden drop in engine speed by embedded software control.
    Maybe they mean when the throttle is opened abruptly? Because there's a delay programmed in there, too. I've noticed drive-by-wire throttles are very slow to respond from zero, and to return to zero, but have no noticeable delay when going from, say, 20% to 60%. They must be doing it for a reason.

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