While I had briefly driven two Mirages prior to purchasing I really never did a proper test drive. Mostly just researching stats which led me to think this would suit me better than anything else made post 2002. So this is my first impressions of the Mirage.
Cons:
As I’m sure we all quickly noticed my first complaint was the super light clutch and its lack of feel. I can’t even remember the last time I stalled a Metro and yet in the past week I’ve stalled the Mirage like 5 times. The small tach to the side is annoying also, having it bigger and near center would make it easier to rev match without looking away from the road as long. The presence of the tach is appreciated though. Likewise the no-clutch lockout gates on the shifter are a mixed bag. The gritty feel these add when shifting is annoying. I had gotten into the habit of shifting to neutral sometimes when the engine had no load on it. The “clutch locked gates” prevent that but would presumably prevent a passenger from maliciously taking the car out of gear too, which is nice. Proper HVAC controls would be awesome, and I’ll be sure to get some out of a junkyard 17-19 Mirage once I get an opportunity. The processing latency of the electric throttle could so easily be fixed if only they'd used a throttle cable...
More minor issues: Lack of a lock or other way to open the hatch without unlocking the entire car. Disabling the speedometer/odometer in ACC is a little irritating too, although I suppose that also means that we are free to use one as a RV dinghy and not have the towed miles add up. Going with that is the power steering. Manual steering would be a nice upgrade for such a light car. However unassisted steering isn’t unreasonable to do when coasting. Much easier than fighting the power steering on an Equinox, PT Cruiser, or Prizm. The cold engine light is an obvious cheap out, but temp gauges have been just as useless and ambiguous for a long time. The super fat key is a bit of a nuisance when pocketed.
And benefits: The “ECO” vacuum based toggle light is a nice simple yet useful feature. No need for an FM transmitter or Cassette adapter, the 3.5mm aux is great, and good speaker system. Having a timing chain on what is likely an interference engine. Despite reading “weak brake” comments I find the brakes plenty strong. Using the super eco-friendly R-1234yf refrigerant is awesome. Being able to key unlock the door without the alarm going off should be a given but the fact it doesn’t is a benefit for a new car I guess. Also the existence of a cheap all metal key blank to open the doors or listen to the radio is nice(if only it could start it…). And the radio! No touchscreen, volume dial, and manual tuning(letting you select a station too weak to seek to). Such give me features can’t seem to be taken for granted anymore. Preserving night vision with the orange dash glow was a good consideration. It’s turning radius and ground clearance also are nice. Above all it stays so quiet when driving, which is its biggest benefit in my opinion.
This might have been a bit of a laundry list review but good job Mitsubishi. Would I have been happier getting another Metro: yeah probably. I still prefer my 90’s Suzuki engineering, but I’m sure I’d downright regret just about any other new car. Let's face it a 4000 mile completely perfect Metro isn't around anymore, this was.
Taevas
Reply With Quote