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View my fuel log 2018 Mirage SE 1.2 automatic: 33.6 mpg (US) ... 14.3 km/L ... 7.0 L/100 km ... 40.4 mpg (Imp)
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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)
I think it's a simple case of the Mirage suffering by comparison. Car reviewers are used to driving powerful cars -- in many cases, cars more powerful than most normal people ever drive.
I'm used to ~50 hp, 3 seasons of the year (my beater Chevy Metro). So to me, a Mirage feels pretty speedy ... by comparison.
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View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 62.4 mpg (US) ... 26.5 km/L ... 3.8 L/100 km ... 74.9 mpg (Imp)
Absolutely right. A new Honda Accord will do 0-60 in around six seconds. That is about the same as a 1990 Corvette. Most new cars are just ridiculously...and unnecessarily...fast.
What's worse is the majority of people who buy powerful cars never use more than about 30% of the power they pay for. Ever try merging into 70 mph freeway traffic behind someone in a Lexus RC350 who seems terrified of going more than 45?
Haha! Right! Especially when merging onto the highway. There's been so many times where they keep a constant speed ON the ramp and then when they're ON the highway (with cars 1/4 mile away behind or in front of them), then they accelerate. (sighs).
But really, I agree that most new cars are pretty powerful for what they are, especially when they will never use the full power of the car.
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View my fuel log 2015 Mirage DE 1.2 manual: 43.4 mpg (US) ... 18.5 km/L ... 5.4 L/100 km ... 52.2 mpg (Imp)
timw4mail (07-24-2019)
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View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 42.2 mpg (US) ... 17.9 km/L ... 5.6 L/100 km ... 50.7 mpg (Imp)
The Mirage sort of goes against the trend you see in America, and that's the Mirage's appeal to me.
It's not just cars that I see this happening with. For example - ATV engines have continued to get larger & more powerful. It's reached a point where power steering was added to deal with all that extra weight. Thus making the ATV even heavier. It becomes a vicious cycle, & I don't get sucked into it.
Practical doesn't seem to drive sales these days, but it should!
Seems a lot of people here don't have many short onramps.
Remember, I love my car, but it is nearly dangerous on ALL of my local roads. Lots of stop signs turning onto roads where traffic does 120, lots of short on ramps where balls to the wall has you doing 90 merging into traffic doing 115-130.
The car is slow. To say "it can do 170" is fine, it can. But when you need to get moving the car doesn't.
Just because lots of us has a quiet commute doesn't mean some people are comfortable merging onto a highway doing half the rate of traffic. Lots of sketchy moments.
Hell, I have one stop sign at the end of my street, highway onto highway. In the Micra I punt it, and if somebody clears the hill doing 125 just as I start the turn, I'm doing 125 before they catch up.
In the Mirage, I'm doing 85, and since it's the 0-30 where it truly struggles, more of that time is spent not moving. I've had to start turning into oncoming and then merging into my lane when I'm up to speed.
If that stretch had any more traffic on it, it would be totally impossible.
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View my fuel log 2018 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 43.5 mpg (US) ... 18.5 km/L ... 5.4 L/100 km ... 52.2 mpg (Imp)
My wife also gets stuck behind traffic on her drive home. I can pass 3-4 cars between the bends, and keep doing 105.
The Mirage can't get out of it's own way, so if she hits somebody doing 85, she's stuck. Can, not, pass. Not nimble enough to make it happen. I can do it in the Mirage if I fall back then plan a running start around the corner to the next short straight but it's not fun. Easily 5 minutes every day I can beat her home by, and while she drives aggressively, I've passed her and 4 other cars at once before. She would, if she could.
That's the difference between a 7 second 80-120 and 15+ second.
Last edited by nickels; 07-26-2019 at 10:49 AM.
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View my fuel log 2018 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 43.5 mpg (US) ... 18.5 km/L ... 5.4 L/100 km ... 52.2 mpg (Imp)
Good on gas and insurance and cheap to run and reliable, that's what I want in an economy car.
My Mirage 5+ years ownership has been basically o.k. but you still want a faster car, bigger and better in the winter etc. Who doesn't think that when you are driving an econo box??
To Mark's point I think the reason cars, ATVs, even motorcycles are getting bloated is people want comfort. Nobody wants to switch gears, or have manual steering. So much work! But why do people want trucks and vans to haul sooo much stuff? Hoarding maybe has to do with it
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View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 42.2 mpg (US) ... 17.9 km/L ... 5.6 L/100 km ... 50.7 mpg (Imp)