Imagine if the Mirage had diesel option

[DottandDolores]

My wives friend currently has a x5 diesel in the shop that requires an expensive repair relating to diesel exhaust. In the past was asked on two occasions if my mirage was diesel. Would love to have a diesel bet 70-80 mpgs wouldn't be out of the question. I know today with emission standards and car technology diesels are becoming obsolete guess my point if the current mirage was around in 90's and 00's it would have been fun.

Knew someone with a late 90's jetta tdi high 40's low 50's mpgs and the engine was bullit proof. High 50's even low 60's if babied.

[klroger]

When I started into the Auto Mechanic trade, the dealership I worked for did the maintenance on the fleet for the Coca Cola sales reps & they had several Diesel Chevrolet Chevettes. If your interested in small Diesel cars, you have to take 1 of them for a drive... They were VERY interesting to drive...

[dspace9]

Actually I was asked by one of my coworkers if my Mirage was a diesel.

Mirage's can be loud when you step on them, and the 3 cylinder engine has a distinct raspy sound. Like a 3 cylinder Kobota tractor kinda... like MetroMPG has mentioned.

[DottandDolores]

During college drove at work mid 80s International 1600 diesel was manual 4 speed and reverse the first gear was super low. 46mph top speed Sometimes drove a Ford f700 5 speed with 2 speed rear. Remember the international barely used fuel. Also had a f- super duty 4x4 dually gas 4 speed manual with a 351 maybe 4mpg tops.

[Cobrajet]

About 10-15 years ago I found a very rare 1984 Toyota Corolla diesel with a manual transmission for sale on Craigslist. The ad said it was in nice shape and ran, but 'had a big oil leak'. I knew how rare and awesome these 50 mpg cars were, so I happily made the 40 minute drive to go see it with money in my hand.

When I got there, the owner said they did not want to start the car because the oil leak was so bad, but the car ran pretty well. I told them I really did not want to buy the car unless I could hear it run. When I started it up, it PUKED oil...just as they said it would. It also sounded like it was only running on three cylinders.

Turns out, it WAS. The massive oil leak turned out to be the hole that had been punched in the side of the block when the engine had thrown a rod. AAARRRGGHHH!

I helped clean up the oil as best I could and told them I was still interested in the car...if I could find a good used motor for it somewhere. I looked for an engine for TWO MONTHS and couldn't find one.

Had I been able to find an engine that diesel Corolla is one car I might still have. I had a couple diesel Volkswagens which got good mileage but were...Volkswagens. I guess the point of this story is if Mitsubishi ever offered a diesel Mirage in the US I would be the first in line to buy one. Don't think that will happen, though, because there would probably only be a couple hundred people in line behind me.

[Eggman]

Aren't diesels being phased out? Between electric and diesel drivetrains, one is gaining ground and the other is losing.

[Cobrajet]

Aren't diesels being phased out? Between electric and diesel drivetrains, one is gaining ground and the other is losing.

Yeah, apparently the powers-that-be just discovered that diesels burn fossil fuels, and those fossil fuels pollute. They conveniently forget the strip mines that provide the materials for batteries in electric cars and the mostly coal-fired power plants that charge them up.

Today's diesels are actually quite clean, but the push is to electric cars powered by millions of solar panels and windmills which are supposedly only going to be put in places that don't piss anyone off. I remember the big 'veggie oil diesel' craze of about ten years ago when gas prices went nuts, but I guess people are mostly over it now. Add "Dieselgate" into the mix and diesels are looking more than a little passe.

[Eggman]

Still would like to see an electric drivetrain for the Mirage. Seems like a good platform.

If only there were someone around these parts with experience in electric conversions...

[Cobrajet]

Still would like to see an electric drivetrain for the Mirage. Seems like a good platform.

If only there were someone around these parts with experience in electric conversions...

Might work for some people, but I will take a three minute refuel that takes me 400 miles over an eight hour recharge that takes me 120 miles any day.

[Eggman]

Might work for some people, but I will take a three minute refuel that takes me 400 miles over an eight hour recharge that takes me 120 miles any day.

That’s definitely the one outstanding trait that brought me here. I can go three, sometimes four weeks without refueling.

But that’s also why an electric drivetrain would work so well for my situation. I could commute back and forth to work a whole week and then some without needing to recharge an electric vehicle, and that’s with the puny ranges of the early versions.

Current electric vehicle criticism is understandable. Though it seems that criticism is only for not having enough imagination to see that not everyone lives like the critic does.

I don't take many long trips outside the range of today's electric cars. If that happens, I can either use one of our other vehicles, rent one, or use some other mode of transportation. This is said with the understanding that not everyone has the luxury of options.

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Aren't diesels being phased out? Between electric and diesel drivetrains, one is gaining ground and the other is losing.

Yeah, apparently the powers-that-be just discovered that diesels burn fossil fuels, and those fossil fuels pollute. They conveniently forget the strip mines that provide the materials for batteries in electric cars and the mostly coal-fired power plants that charge them up.

So just a quick question - of the two forms of energy you pose here, which do you think has a greater long-term impact - diesel or electric drivetrains? That's a big discussion, probably outside the scope of this forum.

Today's diesels are actually quite clean,

That's an interesting observation. Some regions such as Europe are starting to enforce pollution controls on diesels, but is this worldwide? And aren't the pollution controls contributing to the decline in the diesel market?

but the push is to electric cars powered by millions of solar panels and windmills which are supposedly only going to be put in places that don't piss anyone off.

Yeah, there are local communities that push back on these renewable sources of energy, but it seems they are cutting off their noses to spite their face. Besides, isn't the location of these renewable sources of energy determined by big business interests, who could profit from wherever these technologies can be placed?

I remember the big 'veggie oil diesel' craze of about ten years ago when gas prices went nuts, but I guess people are mostly over it now.

Doesn't used cooking oil foul and clog fuel systems not designed for it?

Add "Dieselgate" into the mix and diesels are looking more than a little passe.

There was a time when diesels looked like the path to better fuel efficiency but the VW cheating scandal along with designs like our Mirage seem to have put that dirty fuel source to bed. But again, not everyone sees it that way.