Review: High Altitude Made the Mitsubishi Mirage Nearly Undrivable

[Mark]

I didn't realize that an Accent was so close in price to a Mirage in the US. You guys pay more for a base model too than we do in Canada. I mentioned that in the comment section(find my hilariously offensive screen name). I guess in the US the Mirage is overpriced compared to other cars out there. Up here the Spark is pretty much the closest competition as far as base models go(I might be wrong on this). But we don't get the Hyundai accent up here since last year. But you can buy a new Rio in Canada for the same as a base Mirage in the US if comparing at the other day's exchange rate.

Then you can option out a loaded Mirage up here with a 20k msrp. For that money I'd definately spend a little more and buy something that will drive, and handle better, be quieter but the trade off would be more expensive to maintain(tires, oil changes, windshields) and won't maneuver as easily as the Mirage. Oh, and a much shorter warranty. Up here MItsubishi is the only mfg that offers a 10 year 160k warranty, hyundai and kia only offer 5 year 100k km. Off topic but I noticed the Maverick only offers a 5 year warranty and I didn't see any extended coverage for hybrid components or battery like most mfgs seem to include.

Our base models are hard to compare, because it's never been apples to apples exactly. Our base model Mirage has always had A/C, power windows, power locks with remote. Since 2019, cruise control has been standard on the base model. Plus, the States have these silly mandates on vehicles like TPMS (2007) & backup cameras (2018).

A vehicle like a Mirage should have had a MSRP that was a few thousand dollars less than the (128-130 hp) Honda Fit, & I feel it's ok for critics to point that out. The same with the Hyundai Accent verses the Mirage today.

I didn't develop any interest in the Mirage, until I realized one could be had for 70% window sticker or even less. If I had qualified for all the rebates at the time, my brand new 2017 Mirage would have been around 55% window sticker. That is also an indicator of how off base the MSRP pricing was at the time. That type of pricing is not happening with a Honda Fit or Hyundai Accent, & those who review cars don't mention that. If they cared about consumers, however, they would stress that point.

The good reviewers recognized that the Mirage was a new car alternative to buying a used car. I wouldn't pay MSRP for a Mirage, however. Then again, I wouldn't pay MSRP for any vehicle these days. Since the price of used vehicles is up, Mirage discounts are less likely to reappear any time soon. If I had to buy a vehicle today, I would be back looking at the used market. I would dread even doing that!