Nissan Micra vs Mitsubishi Mirage - test drive review by Redditor on r/cars (not me)
http://www.reddit.com/r/cars/comment...2_budget_cars/
he's canadian...i wont spoil which of the two he prefers.
he makes some interesting comments.
Micra vs. Mirage overview
I've been meaning to post a comparison of these 2 cars. I'm genuinely surprised by the Redditor's overall conclusion (that being the answer about which he would buy with his own money).
I've also driven both cars, and both transmissions of each. Let's start with...
Media reviews:
| Micra |
Mirage
|
| I have not read a single negative review in 80+ reviews of the Micra in the Canadian press. Most are outright glowing. It's easier to find more negative Euro reviews, where the car has a lot more competition (and different engines/suspension). |
It's easy to find negative reviews of the Mirage. It's a very polarizing car: on one hand, it has won awards yet on the other it gets pummeled, especially by the "enthusiast" press. |
You have to keep in mind that auto reviewers are a self-selected group of mostly gearhead/enthusiast types who value power and handling much more than the typical buyer does. And in those respects, to those types of people, the Micra shines and the Mirage disappoints. There will never be a "Coupe Mirage Cup" racing series like the series Nissan is doing with the Micra. (Although some people are rallying Mirages in Europe/Asia.)
Engines:
| Micra |
Mirage
|
109 hp, 107 lb-ft, 4-cylinder
109 may not sound like a lot, but the Micra is near the top of the class for power to weight ratio. See: 2015 Micra vs competitors, power to weight ratio comparison
Character: I found the engine smooth & quiet in normal use. Some reviewers have called it too "buzzy" when pushed; others say it sounds great when flogged.
Acceleration: 0-100 km/h in around 9 or 10 seconds with the manual. |
74 hp, 73 lb-ft, 3-cylinder
This is one of the lowest power new cars available. However it's also one of the lightest (it actually has a better power:weight ratio than the more powerful Spark... which admittedly isn't saying much).
Character: triples have a growly, "thrummy" sound. They also transmit more vibration, which is normal, but it turns off some people.
Acceleration: 0-100 km/h in around 10 to 12 seconds with the manual (various sources). |
Both engines have been praised and criticized in the many reviews I've seen. Of course the Micra's gets more praise, and the Mirage's is more polarizing: less power, more noise & vibration. Lots of enthusiasts really like the growly "triple thrum" (it's even mentioned by several Reddit commenters in that thread); some hate it.
Depending on where you live (eg. mountainous terrain) or your driving style (high speeds), 74 hp may not feel like enough.
Transmissions:
| Micra |
Mirage
|
Manual: 5-speed
Automatic: 4-speed with lockup |
Manual: 5-speed
Automatic: CVT with 2-speed sub-gearbox |
Drivers of both car's manuals complain that top gear lets the engine rev too high at highway speeds. I definitely agree, in both. Both gearboxes are easy to use, and shift quality is acceptable (but you'll never confuse either car's shifter with a Miata's). The Mirage's clutch is easier to use in busy city traffic; that's not to say the Micra's is hard (it's definitely not), but the Mirage's is the lightest I've ever driven (one driver said he could push it in with one finger).
The Micra has taken some criticism for its old-school 4-speed slushbox. But it works well, is surprisingly refined when driven moderately and doesn't have the long term reliability question mark and higher maintenance cost of a CVT.
The Mirage's CVT on the other hand gets much better fuel economy and is surprisingly quiet with relaxed engine RPM at cruise. On the other hand, a lot of reviewers hate the "snowmobile style" acceleration and droning sound the CVT causes the engine to make under hard acceleration.
Ride & handling:
| Micra |
Mirage
|
When I first drove the Micra, I was pleasantly surprised at the balance between comfort & handling. It's a surprisingly solid feeling car that handles bumps & rough patches reasonably well, but also feels composed in the corners.
Nissan definitely put the Mirage in its bulls-eye with the Micra's standard rear stabilizer bar (the Mirage desperately needs one, in my opinion). Canada is apparently the only country where the Micra gets F&R stabilizer bars.
You can get NISMO suspension upgrades if you want to tighten it up even more. |
The Mirage was often criticized by journalists for its soft suspension & the amount of body roll in hard cornering. (Think: Citroen 2CV.)
I can confirm roll is epic when doing a quick left-right swerve at speed, eg. a collision avoidance maneuver.
On the other hand, the soft suspension gives it a very plush ride for a light car. There's a set of railroad tracks in my town that I could blast across in the Mirage at speeds I wouldn't dare in other cars.
An aftermarket rear stabilizer bar is available. I'd get one. |
Steering:
| Micra |
Mirage
|
The Micra's steering felt nicely weighted to me, and it didn't have any weird self-centering issue like the Mirage's.
Nissan says they tuned the steering ratio of the Canadian Micra to make it more responsive than other Micras built at its Mexican plant. |
The Mirage steering is very light -- like one-finger-parking-lot-steering light. However, as the Redditor commenter said, it's also numb with little road feel.
It also has a weird self-centering issue, where it doesn't completely return to the middle when you release steering pressure -- you have to guide it back to straight ahead. I had a Honda Insight with this same trait, which you get used to pretty quickly, but it's very odd at first. |
Both cars have a ridiculously small turning radius, which is great in tight spaces.
Bells & whistles (base):
Nissan's brilliant marketing angle is the $9,998 starting price on the Micra S. Mitsubishi is probably still kicking themselves over that one. In response, the base Mirage has been discounted also to $9,998 pretty much since the week after the Micra went on sale.
But possibly because the base Mirage wasn't planned as a $10k car, it offers a few more standard features over the base Micra: eg. power front windows, power mirrors, additional airbag (driver's knees), rear spoiler.
Styling:
This is entirely subjective, but I think the Mirage's styling looks dated compared to the recently facelifted Micra. Its 14 inch wheels are definitely out of style -- that's not subjective, nobody's doing 14's anymore! The little wheels look lost in the wheel arches, where the Micra's stance and 15 inch wheels (16 on the SR) give it more presense.
I've done informal polls on both, and more people prefer the Micra's looks.
One thing I will give the Mirage is they offer a few more fun & interesting colour choices - I like the radioactive green one, and while not my style, there's also a vibrant purple (looks pink to me).
Interior:
I don't like either car! All black and dark grey, no thanks.
Most notable differences: the Micra has a surprisingly generous amount of headroom, both front & rear (Mirage rear headroom is much less). The Mirage has a surprising amount of rear seat legroom, despite being a little shorter overall than the Micra. They have similar driver's seat options: 4-way adjustment on the base car, 6-way on the upper trims. Both car's seats felt decently comfortable to me, though the Mirage's rear seat is hilariously flat looking.
You can get a center arm rest in the Micra (SV/SR), but not in a Mirage. You can get heated seats in the Mirage, but not the Micra. The Mirage has more back cargo room (487 L vs. 408 L).
Both cars have 60/40 split folding rear seatbacks. Neither one folds flat.
Fuel economy:
| Micra |
Mirage
|
Manual
City: 8.6 L/100 km
Highway: 6.6
Combined: 7.7
Annual fuel cost: $1694
(@ 20k km/yr, $1.10 per L)
Automatic
City: 8.8
Highway: 6.6
Combined: 7.8
Annual fuel cost: $1716
(@ 20k km/yr, $1.10 per L) |
Manual
City: 7.0 L/100 km
Highway: 5.5
Combined: 6.4
Annual fuel cost: $1408
(@ 20k km/yr, $1.10 per L)
Automatic
City: 6.4
Highway: 5.3
Combined: 5.9
Annual fuel cost: $1298
(@ 20k km/yr, $1.10 per L) |
This is one area where the the 2 cars are far apart. The Micra's 109 hp engine makes it fun to drive, but it also puts it at the opposite end of the class for fuel consumption.
Using the ratings, over 5 years the Mirage manual would save $1430 vs. the Micra manual, and $2090 for the automatic.
Fortunately, it's not too hard to beat the Micra's official mileage rating using basic eco-driving techniques. However, the same is also true of the Mirage. In both cars, the manual will get better fuel consumption than the automatic, despite the ratings (due to the way the ratings are made), though the manual advantage is smaller with the Mirage (because its CVT is more efficient than a 4AT).
Warranty:
| Micra |
Mirage
|
Powertrain: 5-year/100,000 km
Bumper to bumper: 3-year/60,000 km
Roadside assistance: 3-year/Unlimited km |
Powertrain: 10-year/160,000 km
Bumper to bumper: 5-year/100,000 km
Roadside assistance: 5-year/Unlimited km |
Resale value:
If you plan to drive your car into the ground, resale doesn't really matter. But if you plan to trade in a few years, the Micra is definitely the way to go.
Overall:
I like both cars for different reasons.
The Micra is a car you can buy with your head and your heart (eg. great value, but also fun to drive, with funky style) where the Mirage is a car you seem to buy with your head alone (eg. warranty, fuel economy), and feels like making more of a compromise to get those benefits. I'm not surprised that the Micra is outselling the Mirage by a wide margin. If Mitsubishi had sorted out the car's steering and suspension, I think the competition would be closer than it currently is.
Globe and Mail does a Micra vs. Mirage comparison
This came out last month. Somehow I missed it...
Quote:
For all their penny-pinching appeal, neither Nissan nor Mitsubishi sells many of the $10,000 versions. Even in this basement of the car market, few would relish driving one in mid-summer afternoon rush-hour traffic. Jeremy Sinek compares the two
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe...ticle25015485/
