2014 Mitsubishi Mirage | Litte Notes

A little odd.

The R&T staff drives and performance tests hundreds of new cars every year. Because we don't have time to give each one the full review treatment, we share select logbook notes here, in a quick, easily-digested format. Unless noted otherwise, each test car is in the office for two weeks and is driven by every member of the editorial staff. Each staffer spends at least one day, but often more, in each car.
David Gluckman, Associate Editor

This Mitsu is an odd combo of features (proximity key and push-button start, auto climate) and weirdness (an engine that sounds like it’s trying to tear itself apart from the inside). I was surprised to see that it had enough torque to spin the tires in light snow, but I can’t imagine it'll ever give its traction-control computer much of a workout. I really couldn’t get over how unrefined the three-cylinder felt. I get the idea of pairing a gutless engine with a CVT, but it sure does highlight the unpleasant sound by putting it on constant repeat.

PLUS:
The touchscreen button sound was copied from Super Mario Bros. Level up!

MINUS:
Sure, it’s cheap, but it’s also cheap, as in tinny and slow and noisy. Used cars exist. Seek out used cars.

READ MORE: Drive Notes: 2014 Mazda 2 Touring

Chris Doane Automotive

Alex Kierstein, Web Editor

As a thing that is small and rolls under its own power, the Mirage is a success. On other marks, though, it's less so. It's not charismatic, it's not sophisticated, and (as tested) it's not particularly cheap. To be honest, it doesn't really stand out in any relevant category for a small car, at least with the CVT, which was dreadful to the point of being comic. At idle, in drive, the car shook like an off-balance washing machine. I'd like to believe that with a manual, perhaps it might be some fun. After all, it's absurdly light, and it appears that Mitsubishi spent some money on the ride quality engineering, which was remarkably composed over Michigan's Kabul-grade roads. Before I make a final judgement, I'd like to row my own gears for a spell in a Mirage. But first impressions are telling, and the Mirage got my wires crossed right off the bat. That's not an auspicious sign.

PLUS:
Surprisingly supple ride. Lots of options, somehow.

MINUS:
Expensive. A paint shaker at idle, a howling mess under load.

READ MORE: Drive Notes: 2014 Chevrolet Volt

Chris Doane Automotive

Wil Randolph, Web Assistant

I tried to approach this car as cheap and cheerful, and I nearly managed it. The CVT is forgivable based on the 30-plus mpg in the city, but I couldn't find any other ways to ramify the shortcomings of this car. It's ugly, it's slow, it has a boggling 'Eco' mode that seems to simply ignore the throttle, and its one redeeming feature is the navigation, which would be a distinct high point even among distinguished land-crushers. Unfortunately, "cheap and cheerful" doesn't really start at $17,000—not with these problems, not unless the year is 1999. But I did see a few in West Virginia recently, odd as it may seem.

PLUS:
The touchscreen navigation bests basically all of its Japanese competitors and a great many of the rest, as well.

MINUS:
The roof hit me in the head while going through a carwash. This car is utterly horrible by most standards outside of its navigation, and it's as expensive as a Mazda 2 or a Fiesta.

By Road & Track Staff February 10, 2014 / Photos by Chris Doane Automotive

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