Friday, August 16, 2013

Chevrolet Spark vs. Mitsubishi Mirage

2014 Chevrolet Spark vs. Mitsubishi Mirage

As far as a-segment vehicles are concerned, I'd venture to say the Chevrolet Spark has been pretty successful. While other a-segment vehicles have only two doors, the Spark has four. Where other a-segment vehicles either have no back seat, a limited back seat, or an uncomfortable back seat, the Spark will seat four legitimate adult human beings. And on top of it, the Spark starts at at $12,170. This is all a recipe for success, as Chevy has sold nearly 21,500 units in seven months. That's more than four times the Smart ForTwo and more than eight times that of a Scion iQ. But one manufacturer is going to go toe to toe with the the small Chevy, and that's Mitsubishi.


Mitsubishi is poised to take on the Spark in the four-door sub-$13,000 subcompact market with it's all-new Mirage. And while Mitsubishi doesn't have nearly the dealer network that Chevrolet does, it will be the only other four-door subcompact that'll be around the same price and have similar specs.

I genuinely like the looks of the Chevrolet Spark. It's edgy looking with prominent headlamps and sharp lines. It looks smartly packaged and has a very modern interior. The Mitsubishi, however, has a much more subdued look, almost as if it had been designed in the 1990s and put up for sale now. The Mirage's interior is the same story: basic and less futuristic.


Under the hood, both cars employ a 1.2-liter engine, however, the Mitsubishi mill has three cylinders, whereas the Spark has four. The Spark has 10 more horsepower and 11 ft./lbs. more torque, too. Both models are mated to either a five-speed manual transmission or CVT. Chevrolet claims a 10.5 second jaunt to 60 MPH. The 0-60 times I've seen for the Mirage are around 11.5 seconds. I'm assuming both of these times are with the CVT.

Neither car is big on power, but thankfully, neither weighs much, either. That being said, the Mitsubishi is a downright featherweight at just 1,863 lbs. compared to the Chevrolet's 2,269 base curb weight. On top of it, the Mitsubishi is larger in every dimension, too, yet has a better turning circle.

While we have spent time with the 2013 Chevrolet Spark, we have not had a chance to get behind the wheel of a 2014 Mirage, since it hasn't yet been launched in the U.S. However, we're very eager to see how the Mitsubishi compares to the Spark on the road, and if it'll be as big of a hit as the Chevy with buyers.

2014 Chevrolet Spark2014 Mitsubishi Mirage
Engine Size1.2 liter1.2 liter
Cylinders43
Horsepower8474
Torque8374
Transmissions5spd manual/CVT5spd manual/CVT
Fuel Economy31c, 39h/ 30c,39h34c,40h (est)/ 37c,44h (est)
Curb Weight2,269-2,368 lbs1863 lbs
Length144.7 in148.8 in
Wheelbase93.5 in96.5 in
Width62.9 in65.6 in
Turning Circle32.5 ft.30.2 ft.
Base Price$12,170 $12,995 (est)

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

my citroen 2cv beats these in some aspects, convertible, hatchback, removrable seats for picnic, weight 1200 lbs, adjustable headlamps (of course 4 dr,4speed, disc front brakes, many millions made world wide)

Kevin T. said...

The 2014 Chevy Spark with the 5-speed manual is rated at 39 MPG highway (same as the automatic), not 34.