pro united states reviews vs reviews from other countries

[cookiemonster]

After reading a boatload of reviews of the 2014 Mirage, from both professional reviewers in and outside of the United States, I've come to this (very) general conclusion: U.S. based reviewers generally dislike the Mirage, while those outside generally appreciate it for what it is and offers.

Why? My guess is it's because of American culture ... always wanting "more", "bigger", "better", and more specifically with cars, more horsepower, more torque, more accessories, more luxury. But I don't think most Americans ask themselves "why?" Why do they need more hp (yes, I know some people need high hp), more this or that?

This morning I saw a tv commercial for some subcompact (don't know what it was) best-rated in multiple categories, and it was supposedly rated the highest in "design, power, and comfort". I thought about it for a moment, and figured, it's just another way of saying "it's made to look good so you can show off to others, it can get u from 0 to 60 a few seconds faster, and it has all the bells and whistles you need to stay comfortable .. God forbid you should experience any discomfort!"

Instead of design, power, and comfort ... why not focus on reliability, economy, value, and safety? As in "it's aimed to be as reliable 10 years from now as it is the moment you bought it, it's great on saving you money, gas, better for the enviroment, it's styled to reduce friction and save even more gas, it helps you develop the virtue of patience , and it's great in safety!"

Long story short, the latter way is how I see the Mirage. As for the former ... I guess that's just the American way and reflective of the American subconscious and culture.

Sorry for the rant.

[MetroMPG]

No apologies required - good rant.

The car has definitely generated polarized reviews. There are writers who "get it", and writers who don't in all countries where I've seen reviews.

But it sure seems to lean one way or the other, doesn't it?

I haven't made any attempt to tally the positive vs. negative reviews we've collected here. That'd be a messy task. I definitely have the (unverified) impression that some countries have been more negative than others though.

EDIT:

Also, we could summarize this...

Instead of design, power, and comfort ... why not focus on reliability, economy, value, and safety? As in "it's aimed to be as reliable 10 years from now as it is the moment you bought it, it's great on saving you money, gas, better for the enviroment, it's styled to reduce friction and save even more gas, it helps you develop the virtue of patience , and it's great in safety!"

...as "heart" vs. "head", or emotion vs. thoughtfulness. And I think I know which side usually wins out in this culture.

[Daox]

No apologies required - good rant.

Agreed.

I really dislike the narrow mindedness of most car reviewers. They think EVERYONE wants _____ kind of car. Well, thats not even close to true. Your teenage daughter could probably care less about how much horsepower the car has, it just has to be cute. A traditional car enthusiast typically wants more power and good handling. A soccer mom wants a huge cargo capacity. Joe commuter wants a car that won't empty his wallet when filling up. Each of these people are very real, and that is why we have the variety of vehicles available to us. I don't see why "professionals" cant seem to grasp this.

[cookiemonster]

Usually, in the US, it is the "traditional car enthusiast" which ends up being the pro reviewer(s) ... in my opinion.

[cookiemonster]

Also, we could summarize this... ...as "heart" vs. "head", or emotion vs. thoughtfulness. And I think I know which side usually wins out in this culture.

Agreed!

[Yttrium]

This morning I saw a tv commercial for some subcompact (don't know what it was) best-rated in multiple categories, and it was supposedly rated the highest in "design, power, and comfort". I thought about it for a moment, and figured, it's just another way of saying "it's made to look good so you can show off to others, it can get u from 0 to 60 a few seconds faster, and it has all the bells and whistles you need to stay comfortable .. God forbid you should experience any discomfort!".

Yep, and the sad thing is that advertising like that works. Many people buy cars to show off, although once you realize that a staggering number of luxury cars are leased instead of bought, that fancy Mercedes-Benz C-Class starts looking rather pathetic.

I like the lack of pretense in the Mirage since as Jalopnik put it: the car's cheap, it knows it's cheap, and is fresh out of ****s to donate if you don't like it.

[festiboi]

This was a good rant Cookiemonster. I've never understood the American mentality that bigger is always better and sense of entitlement that we must always outshine the "Jones'" Living here in West LA, excess is never in short supply. BMW's and Audi's are a dime a dozen, and it's a daily occurrence to see the random Bentley or Rolls Royce parked in front of a generic apartment complex. I feel that a car like the Mirage is what most people can afford and is within their needs, and if more people had cars like that, then we may have averted the worst of the economic crisis that we've been experiencing in the US.

There is a Ford Escape ad that drives me bonkers. It has a middle aged woman saying that her and her sister were car shopping and her sister bought a BMW. However, she went for the Escape with it's snazzy Ford MyTouch (which is the devil btw), power liftgate, self parking, blah blah, and now her sister is jealous. She loves her Ford Escape because her sister wants it. Grrrr!!!!

I also laugh when I hear people who say "oh, we had a child and traded in our ____ (compact car) for a ________ (three-row SUV). I always wonder how fat that kid has to be to need two rows in the back.

Visits to other countries can be an eye-opener; In Japan we've seen mothers with two small kids strapped onto a bicycle (with fitted child seats), in Europe I've seen Opel Corsas and Ford Fiestas as family cars, and I've driven in Australia in a Hyundai Getz on a four hour drive with five adults onboard and a corresponding amount of baggage. Sure, none of these are luxurious options, but they get the job done and no one seems to complain.

Personally, I am still looking at a new car in about eight months, and I keep getting tempted toward the bigger Sonic and Accent, but keep telling myself: I can do all the same things in the Mirage and save money on fuel and running costs.

The Mirage is just an honest to goodness car and it's not ashamed of it. I find it to be one of its endearing qualities and what makes it unique and very special

[cinder]

Don't pay that much attention to many reviews . The Yaris was slammed when introduced , still is , especially by C.R.. Did test drive a Mirage with the C.V.T. and enjoyed most of it . Two things bothered me . The sluggish steering and wind noise when at higher speeds on the interstate . Had plenty of umph when needed , not much less than the 1.5 ltr. of the Yaris . I think the C.V.T. helps that . Smooth as silk . We've had small cars for over 20 years , so immune to the engine noise , etc.. .

[pureflipking]

Good rant and well respected.
I would like to add my two cents into this.

In the US market, unlike the other countries, if the technology and engineering is available, why not use it.
the mirage poses a basic point a to point b vehicle. But in the north american countries, especially a consumer highlighted countries, Automakers or Companies in general focuses on the consumer's demands. A simple car has transformed into a cliche because consumers are expecting much more than just a box on wheels. Comfort and ease of use are what modern consumers are expecting from newer products, and design and innovation comes right behind it.
The yaris did get bashed the first time it was introduced, not under an echo name anymore, but toyota learned. They redesigned the yaris to meet the market to meet the consumer's requirements, which is now much comfortable and less noisy. Nissan did the same thing with their versa's and so did Mazda, and especially KIA and Hyundai, which are now in keeping pace with their competitors.
Furthermore, if it was true that people want bigger and power, then why did Ford and Chevrolet released the fiesta and spark/sonic as a full compact vehicles?
I have driven both vehicles and in my opinion, are much better built cars in terms of comfort, noise, bells and whistles, and also provided good fuel efficiency. but of course, not as much as the mirage.

Other automakers knows about the mirage but arent threatened. Mini Coopers are also implementing a 3 cylinder engines in the next model line up, and of course w/ turbo for acceleration. The only advantage that the mirage has is the fuel efficiency with out the price of a hybrid.
I have been doing my own engineering to get it as comfortable as my mom's 99 corolla which i found Mitsubishi completely overlooked in terms of suspension, body design rigidity, engine noise damper, tailpipe noise damper, road vibration damper, wind noise damper. Which i also found in their new Lancer GT, the same lack of attention but the seats are comfortable.

I drive the mirage on mostly freeways/express ways ( 40miles/day) and the wind noise and engine noise are starting to annoy my blood vessels.

My previous cars was 00 rav4, and 05 corolla xrs, and neither car was as loud as the mirage at 65+mph and engine noise from 0-45 mph.

Lastly, I think the reviews are biased in many shape or form but from an automaker that has been in business for more than a decade, they could have done much better.

[pureflipking]

This was a good rant Cookiemonster. I've never understood the American mentality that bigger is always better and sense of entitlement that we must always outshine the "Jones'" Living here in West LA, excess is never in short supply. BMW's and Audi's are a dime a dozen, and it's a daily occurrence to see the random Bentley or Rolls Royce parked in front of a generic apartment complex. I feel that a car like the Mirage is what most people can afford and is within their needs, and if more people had cars like that, then we may have averted the worst of the economic crisis that we've been experiencing in the US.

There is a Ford Escape ad that drives me bonkers. It has a middle aged woman saying that her and her sister were car shopping and her sister bought a BMW. However, she went for the Escape with it's snazzy Ford MyTouch (which is the devil btw), power liftgate, self parking, blah blah, and now her sister is jealous. She loves her Ford Escape because her sister wants it. Grrrr!!!!

I also laugh when I hear people who say "oh, we had a child and traded in our ____ (compact car) for a ________ (three-row SUV). I always wonder how fat that kid has to be to need two rows in the back.

Visits to other countries can be an eye-opener; In Japan we've seen mothers with two small kids strapped onto a bicycle (with fitted child seats), in Europe I've seen Opel Corsas and Ford Fiestas as family cars, and I've driven in Australia in a Hyundai Getz on a four hour drive with five adults onboard and a corresponding amount of baggage. Sure, none of these are luxurious options, but they get the job done and no one seems to complain.

Personally, I am still looking at a new car in about eight months, and I keep getting tempted toward the bigger Sonic and Accent, but keep telling myself: I can do all the same things in the Mirage and save money on fuel and running costs.

The Mirage is just an honest to goodness car and it's not ashamed of it. I find it to be one of its endearing qualities and what makes it unique and very special

I agree with you, But youre forgetting the part that what ford is doing is just marketing. People are still gullible and gets drawn to what they see shiny. It is true about people getting rid of compact cars for an SUV or a full size vehicle but not because of roomier purposes, but the safety factor it possesses. My best friend is having a baby and traded in his Versa for a Volvo. Enough said.

Other countries are much different than US, UK, Canada, Italy, Germany, etc... because of different living situation.
It is true by statistical figures that if a household's income increases, the standard of living also increases.

it bolds down to having pride for what you have, vs earning what you have, vs inheriting what you have, vs you can afford what you have.