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Thread: What makes a car “fun to drive” to you?

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    What makes a car “fun to drive” to you?

    Hi all,

    I see that a lot of reviews say the Mirage is a boring car to drive. I am not a car expert or enthusiast. I don’t really know what makes a car “fun”. I didn’t have a car in the last 10 years but I’ve driven several rental cars and the Mirage feels pretty much the same as other cars. The only thing I would criticize is the Mirage seats aren’t as comfortable.

    Is it the fast acceleration that makes a car fun? I’m a pretty defensive driver so slow acceleration doesn’t bother me. There’s also so much traffic where I live anyway. I always see car take off super fast after the traffic light turns green but then I’m able to catch up to them at the next red light lol.

    Is it the extra gadgets or technology? I can see that they can make a car more fun, but they also come with extra costs. It’s not an economy car’s fault for not having expensive gadgets and technology.



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    Senior Member dspace9's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by newtomit View Post
    Hi all,

    I see that a lot of reviews say the Mirage is a boring car to drive. I am not a car expert or enthusiast. I don’t really know what makes a car “fun”. I didn’t have a car in the last 10 years but I’ve driven several rental cars and the Mirage feels pretty much the same as other cars. The only thing I would criticize is the Mirage seats aren’t as comfortable.

    Is it the fast acceleration that makes a car fun? I’m a pretty defensive driver so slow acceleration doesn’t bother me. There’s also so much traffic where I live anyway. I always see car take off super fast after the traffic light turns green but then I’m able to catch up to them at the next red light lol.

    Is it the extra gadgets or technology? I can see that they can make a car more fun, but they also come with extra costs. It’s not an economy car’s fault for not having expensive gadgets and technology.
    Having the 5 speed manual Mirage makes my car more fun to drive. You're engaged in the whole driving process more with manuals. All hands and feet are busy. With automatics basically one hand and one foot doing the driving.

    Kinda obvious point sorry. But I think a lot of the spark of driving disappears when you go automatic. I also love convertibles because they're way more fun. Whatever it takes to get you away from the gadgets and technology... is what makes a car a fun driving experience.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log 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)


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    Quote Originally Posted by newtomit View Post
    Is it the fast acceleration that makes a car fun? I’m a pretty defensive driver so slow acceleration doesn’t bother me. There’s also so much traffic where I live anyway. I always see car take off super fast after the traffic light turns green but then I’m able to catch up to them at the next red light lol.
    That's largely attributed to the driver's ego driving a need to be equal to others around them at that moment in time. It can lead to aggressive driving habits that sometimes winds up in acts of road rage. Look up Honor Culture. If drivers would only slow down and drive carefully they would find they will reach their intended destination just fine.


    Quote Originally Posted by newtomit View Post
    Is it the extra gadgets or technology? I can see that they can make a car more fun, but they also come with extra costs. It’s not an economy car’s fault for not having expensive gadgets and technology.
    The Mirage comes with an impressive set of advanced technology for an economical city car. Some tech in todays cars are a Huge Distraction, some provide real safety benefits.


    Quote Originally Posted by newtomit View Post
    I am not a car expert or enthusiast. I don’t really know what makes a car “fun”.
    It is the ability to go two, three, even four times as far on a gallon (or litre) of gasoline.
    Last edited by Eggman; 08-02-2020 at 01:42 PM.

        __________________________________________

        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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    Quote Originally Posted by newtomit View Post
    Hi all,

    I see that a lot of reviews say the Mirage is a boring car to drive. I am not a car expert or enthusiast. I don’t really know what makes a car “fun”. I didn’t have a car in the last 10 years but I’ve driven several rental cars and the Mirage feels pretty much the same as other cars. The only thing I would criticize is the Mirage seats aren’t as comfortable.

    Is it the fast acceleration that makes a car fun? I’m a pretty defensive driver so slow acceleration doesn’t bother me. There’s also so much traffic where I live anyway. I always see car take off super fast after the traffic light turns green but then I’m able to catch up to them at the next red light lol.

    Is it the extra gadgets or technology? I can see that they can make a car more fun, but they also come with extra costs. It’s not an economy car’s fault for not having expensive gadgets and technology.
    A car is fun for me when I can push it to its driving limits. It is much easier to push the Mirage to its limits than much more powerful cars. I can't usually push more powerful cars to their limits, because, like you said, it's only so far you can go before you have to stop at the next red light, the next stop sign, or the speed limit, and you can still feel that the car has the power to achieve "more".

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    Still Plays With Cars Loren's Avatar
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    Light, nimble, responsive, predictable. Quick enough to not be a problem in traffic.
    Simplify and add lightness.

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    Senior Member Subcompact Culture's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Loren View Post
    Light, nimble, responsive, predictable. Quick enough to not be a problem in traffic.
    This. I would also add having the illusion of speed. I don't need it to be really fast, but making it feel sporty and fun presents the illusion of speed (as do intake and exhaust noises!).

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    For me, it's the 5 speed manual. As much as I really liked driving my old 2002 Maxima, it was an automatic and it was just absurdly boring to drive. Yes, they did come with the manual transmission but those were super hard to find with minimal rust in my area.

    For me, what makes a 'fun' car to drive is the 5/6 speed manual transmission. After driving the Mirage, I feel like it's doing it's job perfectly fine. Sure, the suspension is super soft but there are "upgrades" you can do to make it handle better. It's quick enough to drive around town and merge onto the highway.

    "Fun" is very subjective as car enthusiasts can enjoy the car just being a car. Enjoy the car, have fun with it. Someone's opinion should never effect your own reasons to have fun with the car you have too.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log 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)


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    My fastest car was the most fun.

    95 Viper rt/10 roadster with full borla exhaust and head work.

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    Where's the leak ma'am? Marklovski's Avatar
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    Light, small, and easy to trash around. I drove lifted trucks before and don't like it. Scion TC was too heavy. Corolla is only fun with XRS model.
    Fuel Log: Good enough
    Instagram: @zoras_sapphire

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    Cool

    Quote Originally Posted by dspace9 View Post
    Having the 5 speed manual Mirage makes my car more fun to drive. You're engaged in the whole driving process more with manuals. All hands and feet are busy. With automatics basically one hand and one foot doing the driving.

    Kinda obvious point sorry. But I think a lot of the spark of driving disappears when you go automatic. I also love convertibles because they're way more fun. Whatever it takes to get you away from the gadgets and technology... is what makes a car a fun driving experience.
    I'm a die hard stick shift fan, taught myself by watching what my parents did with their hands and feet when shifting, then sneak tries on the cars when I could (Suzuki Swift Gti and Mazda RX-7 GSL-SE-not shabby cars to learn stick on).
    The car my G4 replaced was a 2013 FIAT 500 Abarth, which in 2012 and 2013 were only offered with manual. I had it over 6 years and put about 85,000 miles on it. And before that was a manual Pontiac Vibe, and before a manual Corolla....but yet I bought the CVT for two reasons. One, I wanted cruise control, and the dealer had no manuals with cruise (I think this was a trim thing in 2018). Two, I do delivery for Amazon full time. I started up in Seattle, and now deliver in the Portland area. Driving as much as I do, hitting traffic as much as I do, I just didn't want to stick shift anymore.

    Well, fast forward almost a full year since I've had my G4 and I am so so so so happy I got the CVT. By the time my year rolls around (8/14), I'll have put 30,000 miles on my car (bought it with 34 miles or something like that), so I've had plenty of time to get to know that CVT. Here's how I drive my car-I actively (daily) use the 'sport' mode. Quick controlled upshift, always the same, always know what to expect. Flip back to D for an upshift. Add a blip of the gas pedal for an extremely quick, effortless 'rush' forward. I have so much genuine fun flipping back and forth between D and sport, and I use up my RPM's too, right up to red. I use it often when going up steep grades too, as well as L (as recommended by the manual)-it's almost like a 3 speed 'manual' sans clutch pedal lol. I know I'm an odd duck on this and I've test driven plenty of CVT cars the past few months to know it's only the Mirage/G4 that I can do that with. On that note, I did also at least test drive the manual G4, and it was a ton of fun. Just that darn cruise control!! I'd recommend a manual in a heartbeat though. But our CVT should be given a little bit more credit-it really can be fun!! Oh, best part? Still getting mpg's in the 40's while driving like a hellion


    Last edited by Go4th; 08-09-2020 at 02:52 AM.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2018 Mirage G4 ES 1.2 automatic: 32.5 mpg (US) ... 13.8 km/L ... 7.2 L/100 km ... 39.0 mpg (Imp)


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