First cross country trip in my 2019 ES!

[Dirk Diggler]

Here is someone talking about a freeway trip in their CVT Mirage...



I'm thinking that above a certain RPM (like 4,000), the concept of anything being "ECO" probably goes out the window.

Yeah I'm definitely at a disadvantage as north Georgia/Atlanta is very hilly and you have to do 70+ mph just to stay alive. Factor that in with my non llr cheapo tires and my engine being 6 years old, I'm lucky to avg 37 mpg combined. Still solid mpg though. If your in a flat state with 65mph speed limits your in the ideal place for that awesome fuel economy. One guy on a Reddit Mirage thread said his CVT failed at 60k miles because he lived in the Rockies but I'm not sure if he wasn't just lying, claiming to be a "Mirage" owner to validate his opinion the Mirage was unreliable.

[precisionxt]

I would love to go on a road trip in my Mirage. I don't see it happening any time soon however since my family won't fit in this little car. Glad you got some 1-on-1 time with yours however!

[dragon2knight]

Yeah I'm definitely at a disadvantage as north Georgia/Atlanta is very hilly and you have to do 70+ mph just to stay alive. Factor that in with my non llr cheapo tires and my engine being 6 years old, I'm lucky to avg 37 mpg combined. Still solid mpg though. If your in a flat state with 65mph speed limits your in the ideal place for that awesome fuel economy. One guy on a Reddit Mirage thread said his CVT failed at 60k miles because he lived in the Rockies but I'm not sure if he wasn't just lying, claiming to be a "Mirage" owner to validate his opinion the Mirage was unreliable.

Jeez...I keep reading conflicting opinions on the reliability of the CVT in the Mirage....but it's mostly erring on the side of "it's good" so I'm not worrying about it too much. Crossing finger's regardless

[Dirk Diggler]

Jeez...I keep reading conflicting opinions on the reliability of the CVT in the Mirage....but it's mostly erring on the side of "it's good" so I'm not worrying about it too much. Crossing finger's regardless

Put it this way, all the car gurus on here, including the manual crowd, said if they had to drive a car with a JATCO CVT7 in it, ours would be the one. Lol it ain't much comfort but Fummin's has a good success rate with his fleet, so there's that.

[Fummins]

I know for a fact if we had 5 speed Mirage's I'd be replacing clutches, flywheels, transmissions, clutch cables,motor mounts and cv axles constantly!

When we had mazda trucks that was the case. 90% were 5 speeds. I lost track how many 5 speeds I replaced but only replaced 1 automatic transmission, not because it failed but cause the front seal went and I figured I might as well replace it with a known good one rather than put the one that was ran dry back in it. Most of the drivers who drove 5spd trucks had the bare minimum skills required not to stall one on flat ground, otherwise had no idea how to drive one without riding the clutch, lugging the engine...It was painful to watch. But it kept me busy! Hell one 1 1/2 ton? truck(or whatever size a little 4cyl cabover is?) needed the clutch replaced twice in the last 4 years. It doesn't even get used often and when it does it's mostly highway miles....

I wouldn't let being called a girl for driving an automatic deter anyone from buying one. Let's be honest, they're all lame as hell regardless of how many pedals you have.

[dragon2knight]

I know for a fact if we had 5 speed Mirage's I'd be replacing clutches, flywheels, transmissions, clutch cables,motor mounts and cv axles constantly!

When we had mazda trucks that was the case. 90% were 5 speeds. I lost track how many 5 speeds I replaced but only replaced 1 automatic transmission, not because it failed but cause the front seal went and I figured I might as well replace it with a known good one rather than put the one that was ran dry back in it. Most of the drivers who drove 5spd trucks had the bare minimum skills required not to stall one on flat ground, otherwise had no idea how to drive one without riding the clutch, lugging the engine...It was painful to watch. But it kept me busy! Hell one 1 1/2 ton? truck(or whatever size a little 4cyl cabover is?) needed the clutch replaced twice in the last 4 years. It doesn't even get used often and when it does it's mostly highway miles....

I wouldn't let being called a girl for driving an automatic deter anyone from buying one. Let's be honest, they're all lame as hell regardless of how many pedals you have.

Eh, I like manuals, just getting too old to deal with one in a city anymore. I like the CVT, it is an odd beast, but I'm getting used to it. In certain situations, like going up hills, it's better at managing what little it has to work with so much better than any normal geared automatic transmission I've ever used. After this long trip, I trust it even more than I thought I would as well. Nothing like real world experience to get that feeling of safety and reliability only that can give

[MirageRally]

I like manuals in the sense that you can pick the right gear for the right speed. But with normal automatics, now you have that "shifting mode" which eliminates the need for a manual in most sense. I was going to get a Honda fit sport in CVT (with paddle shifters) before looking at the Mirage. It was really cool to downshift a CVT and felt like a race Car driver lol. And the biggest two reasons I settled on the Mirage were fuel economy and stick shift. I get tired of my manual here and then but for the most part I love it. Can be an anti-theft device as well.

[Fummins]

I find a manual better for towing. For Drag racing I'll take a built automatic. Standards are more fun though. For a daily driver I'll take a girly automatic. My leg gets sore shifting all the time in traffic. I blame the metal rod in femur. I'm kinda worried about breaking it again, that might sting a little!

that's it I'm building a Fummins, I miss my old one

[Dirk Diggler]

I like manuals in the sense that you can pick the right gear for the right speed. But with normal automatics, now you have that "shifting mode" which eliminates the need for a manual in most sense. I was going to get a Honda fit sport in CVT (with paddle shifters) before looking at the Mirage. It was really cool to downshift a CVT and felt like a race Car driver lol. And the biggest two reasons I settled on the Mirage were fuel economy and stick shift. I get tired of my manual here and then but for the most part I love it. Can be an anti-theft device as well.

Any professional car thief worth his salt can steal a manual, thankfully most car thieves are idiots and under 21.

[MirageRally]

Any car thief can steal a car no matter what Anti-Theft device or transmission is in it... It's called a tow truck. Manuals just make it a slower process to steal... Sometimes lol.