Decisive Latino Summer 2014 Decisive Latino - Summer 2014 | Page 23

SUMMER 2014 | WWW.DECISIVELATINO.COM DECISIVE AUTO LATINO drove came with the CVT and on a road trip to San Antonio, it reached an average 45.8 mpg. I beat that record later while driving around town when it reached 50.1 mpg, my own personal best as well. The standard five-speed manual should earn an EPA estimated city/highway mpg of 34/42. A manual is always a plus with these leetle cars. The 1.2-liter produces a modest 74 horses with 72 lb.–ft. of torque and with the CVT, it’s loud and struggles sometimes to accelerate. I did appreciate the standard ECO light indicator that helps encourage fuel-efficient driving. My total accrued mileage came to 2839.3 and in that time I spent $183.85 on gasoline, or 53.49 gallons. The test model did include the optional navigation system ($900) that comes with a back-up camera and a touch screen display. Even on a little car, extra visibility, especially parked between SUVs in a parking lot, comes in handy. The navigation system does trump the mode button on the steering wheel so that it only turns the radio on and off and does not scroll through the radio preset groups, e.g. FM 1, FM 2, and AM, and it replaces the volume and tuning knobs with up and down toggles on the touch screen. This threw me for such a loop that I took it to the local dealership, Roger Beasely Mitsubishi, to make sure it wasn’t broken. Great service, by the way, from service department manager James Henson and mechanic Roy Medillon. While the interior is rather plain, aside from the purple cloth seats, the touch screen for radio controls on the fully loaded version was refreshingly intuitive and simple to use. XM radio, however, was not included nor is it available and more than once, the navigation system took me on routes that I knew to be incorrect. Other idiosyncrasies included a push start button located on the left side of the steering wheel, no vanity mirror on the front passenger side, and a light adjuster for the instrument cluster that was counter intuitive. The Mirage is well equipped with safety features including traction control active stability control, airbags including knee protection, and keyless entry with panic alarm. For a first-time car buyer, the Mirage has great appeal as an affordable, fuel-efficient compact with versatility. The rear seats folded easily and offered 47 cubic feet of cargo room. Without the seats deployed, there’s still 17.2 cubic feet of space to hold grocery bags. Mitsubishi goes back to basics with the Mirage, and while it is a bit plain, the fuel savings, affordability, and nice list of standard and available features, were mighty impressive. Pricing for the 2014 Mirage starts at $13,790 but the as-tested price Mirage ES, considered fully loaded, was $16,890.dD 21