Quote Originally Posted by Speedracer View Post
Both my son and I own 2013 Chevy Spark manuals. Real world fuel consumption is 40-42 mpg in the city without hypermiling. Traveling on interstate the at 75+ mph it drops to 38 mpg or so. The curb weight for an LT manual is 2269 lbs.

At the time we bought Chevy Sparks because the Mirage wasn't available in the US yet. That being said, I really like the Mirage and am probably going to purchase a 2017.

I think the biggest advantage the Spark has over the current Mirage is a firmer handling chassis. We modified our Sparks with an airbox mod, throttle body half shaft mod, muffler delete and shortened shifter. It gave a noticeable boost in power and with two resonators and a cat, the exhaust tone has a pleasant but subdued growl and is still quiet. I am anxious to find out if airbox and throttle body mods would give a similar boost to the Mitsubishi 1.2 three cylinder.

The updated front bodywork and firmer suspension along with a 4 horsepower bump on the 2017 model looks promising. I haven't driven a Mirage yet, but a lot of people have said the suspension could be a bit firmer, so it seems Mitsubishi has been listening to consumer feedback.

The 2016 Chevy Spark has a new 1.4 liter engine (versus the old 1.25) with 98 horsepower and a 1.6 inch lower roof line. Looks good on paper, but the engine is a newly designed GM ecotec with direct injection and variable oil pressure. With ethanol fuel I don't think any of the auto manufacturers have satisfactorily addressed the problem of gunked up intake valves caused by direct injection. The fancy variable oil pump sounds like a over complicated gimmick to me. I trusted the all Korean made (Daewoo) Spark and it has ran perfect for 69,000 miles so far.

No thanks ecotec, hello tried and true designed Mitsubishi!
I read review of new vs old Spark, and it was mixed bag while he appreciated improvements reviewer wasn't happy about space loss and fact that you can't even put rear seats down without have to move fronts forward first. We had considered Spark for my son, but end up buying Mirage. Price was the same Mirage won on MPG and more rear/trunk space. Handling is the weakest point of current Mirage, suspension is tuned for going straight over potholes at speeds under 35 MPH. Tires were chosen for MPG only and do not have lateral grip to speak of.