2021 Mitsubishi Mirage SE On I-68 From LaVale to Frostburg Uphill The Whole Way

[@BrucifyMe]

Idk why I'm so fascinated by these. It could not be more different than the (relatively) huge 2011 Toyota Avalon I currently drive, yet I find myself kinda wanting a Mirage.

[@kmckenzie2461]

Your not the only one from the time they released the 2014 model in the USA I had to have one and waited for the first year bugs to be worked out and got my loaded 2015 Mirage ES with the exterior package and back up camera and navigation package. On the 2014-2015 ones the DE was base trim and ES was top trim. I was fascinated by it. Then when they made updates and released the 2017 Mirage and Mirage G4 I went with a loaded top trim Mirage G4 SE and after that they did a facelift with updates in 2021 and I got the 2021 Mirage SE top trim loaded. Sadly they will be discontinuing the Mirage and there were no more major changes or new model coming so I had to switch to something else and after tons of research I went with my Nissan Kicks SR Premium top trim in Boulder Gray Pearl loaded. I absolutely love it and surprisingly its not much faster than the Mirage at all lol.

[@jxmar_]

Eww trust me you don’t want one of these shit boxes

[@vanessamae623]

Thank you so much for these, they're so informative. 💛

[@kmckenzie2461]

You are very welcome. Yes listen to the owners on the Mirage vs online car reviewers. These are great reliable cars that run forever. Look up online the 414,000 mile 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage its a pink one that is still running fine with that many miles! Thank you for the comment!

[@vanessamae623]

@@kmckenzie2461 Get outta here!! That's insane!! That makes me even more excited to get one!! AHHH! I'm so excited. You're the best, thank you so much!

[@kmckenzie2461]

@@vanessamae623 You would love it and be a Mirage girl for life I bet ya lol 😀. Keep me updated on your plans. Thank you for the comment 💜

[@codyclips3623]

Just made a trip through west Virginia in the Rocky's with my 2022 5 speed, let's just say it was a champ making it through them. I never was a fan of how high the rpms get in the hills with the CVTs. Also heard people barley get 25 mpg when the CVT does it's thing in the hills. Average for my 5 speed I got about 43mpg on the hills witch really surprised me.(calculated it at a gas station on a fill up app) really happy with these little 3 cylinder 😁

[@kmckenzie2461]

Wow that is impressive! Yes the CVT holds its speed very well on the hills and does not hunt up or down much at all and holds you at the speed you want but it does keep those rpms up to at least 4,000 and climbing those mountains that are steep and and ac on and doing 70 mpg I average around mid 20s as you can see. Most cars I have owned like my 2010 Kia Soul new was the worst its 4 speed auto ai would average 16 mpg on that trip up it sucked. My 2013 Hyundai Elantra never broke 20 mpg. So this car does better than any other car I have had climbing those mountains mpg wise and def better than our Eclipse Cross it still makes this car suck gas more than ai am used to as I am used to my 40s mpgs in this car hahaha. Thats awesome mpgs for your 5 speed dang.

[@codyclips3623]

@@kmckenzie2461 yeah I am probably going to post something on mirage channel about the MPG numbers I got and how well these cars handle

[@user-qp9pu1xi4k]

does better than a 138hp Chevy Cruze, have to completely floor it to keep 65 mph on hills.

[@edgaryzen4925]

Interesting. I had MT and now CVT. I find it annoying to upshift on the hill from dead stop. The CVT shine right from the start and HOLD it right. MPG is always bad going uphill no matter what but on the flip side it get FAR BETTER MPG than a hybrid car. Hybrid HATES hill lol

[@g18886]

​@@edgaryzen4925Probably because a hybrid has to drag the extra weight of the battery up the hill whilst not providing anything in terms of propulsion.

[@ahmadfalah3562]

Does higher RPM affect on engine temperature ? In other mean does it damage cooling system & radiator ?

[@kmckenzie2461]

No I never noticed it affect the engine temp even in humid upper 90 degree weather. Same in long sitting traffic in the upper 90 degree weather with a/c blasting on high it never seemed to bother the Mirage. Never. Sure it lowers mpg’s some but no I never had an issue with engine getting hot.

[@ahmadfalah3562]

@@kmckenzie2461 thank you much appreciated 👍🏻🥰 i have the same Mitsubishi Mirage 2020 American, we live in Kurdistan - Iraq , again very thankful for your time and Your answer ❤️❤️

[@vincem4756]

Have you taken it to the steepest hills around you? It's able to do it/handle it? I recently bought a G4 21 myself and I love it. It's a CVT. There are a large set of hills near where I live here in Cali and I'm curious how it will perform. Thanks for the vids they are quite informative :)

[@kmckenzie2461]

Oh yes it can handle the hills no problem. The CVT keeps rpms higher on hills so it can handle them no problem and does not hunt up and down the rom range it just goes up to about 4,000 to 4,500 and holds it until you level off at the top. It does drop mpgs of course but thats with any small car with an Automatic or CVT climbing a steep grade/hill/mountain. Look up sidling hill in Maryland. It can travel up that 75 mph no problem at all and I have done it in a Mirage with 4 people in my 2017 Mirage G4 SE and the G4 is a lil heavier than the hatch. So glad you love you G4 I am happy for you and they are a great lil car to own that have their own neat quirks that make you love them. They are like no other car made today and its one makes them special to me.

[@vincem4756]

@@kmckenzie2461 oh yeah Sidling hill is way steeper than the one near me! Thank you! It is quirky but a good car that doesnt even feel lik 3 cylinder. Thank you for the response, look forward to more of your videos.

[@kmckenzie2461]

@@vincem4756 Thank you for the Comments!

[@brucewayne8590]

Fun fact: The (CVT) Mirage's transmission is a combination of a CVT and a conventional 2 speed gearbox. This gives it a very wide gear ratio spread as it has a dedicated low and high gear that kicks in as needed. The transmission easily handles mountains when in sports mode.

[@kmckenzie2461]

@@brucewayne8590 awesome! You can slightly feel this when you drive it and hit a certain speed and feel it adjust. Sure it revs a lil higher than other larger cars but its got a 3 cylinder with only 78 horsepower and for that it handles these hills very impressively without losing speed or reving up and down. The CVT in this car does a great job keeping in its power band on hills then on flat ground it keeps the rpms super low for fuel economy it’s a win win. The Ds or Drive Sport kepps the revs up by an additional 1,500 in normal driving based on my observation and makes it feel very peppy and on tap and also helps when goes down step hills to engine brake and also helps going up step hills to keep the rpms up. I like having the Ds mode available since its 2017 introduction In the USA as my 2015 Mirage ES CVT didbnot have it.

[@kylinblue]

That's how newer iPhone (or camera in general) is, larger aperture plus larger sensor making depth of field very shallow, making footage more "cinematic". You can't fix it, it's physics. If you want a camera that shoots decent quality without thinking about focusing, you can try using your ultra wide lens on that iPhone, or use a GoPro like action camera.

[@kmckenzie2461]

Makes sense! It seems like the cameras get better each new iPhone but worse at the same time lol. My new iPhone 14 plus with 2 lenses vs the 3 lenses of my iPhone 12 pro max def seems better to me oddly enough. Not perfect but better but have tried some things and like this and helps some!

[@grzesiek1x]

I have just rented this car for my holidays in California (as it is the cheapest available) but I was hesitating a lot as I normally drive in Europe where those types of cars are everywhere but in the US (it will be my first time in the US) drive usuelly bigger cars right? I hope it will be enough for my trip though...

[@kmckenzie2461]

I will be curious what you think. It does have a small naturally aspirated 3 cylinder engine with only 78 hrsp but once you are used to the way it drives and accelerates it is no issue. Coming from larger cars with more power it may feel lethargic at first. This is my 3rd Mirage that I have purchased new and have owned a 2015, 2017 and now my 2021 all top trim loaded ones and I love them. Post your thoughts I will be curious.

[@grzesiek1x]

@@kmckenzie2461 I know because I drive a new Kia Picanto in Poland (Europe) before it was in France and as it was enough in France in Poland it would be better to have something bigger sometimes but from the other hand I like small cars , especially in big cities , they are just perfect. This is why for my holidays in California (I haven't been to the US yet!!! I plan to visit USA in September) I booked a small car as well as it is cheaper but I don't know if it was a right choice as on videos and everywhere I see only big cars :/ This is why I found your video which proves that not everybody drives only big cars in the US :D

[@kmckenzie2461]

@@grzesiek1x I love small cars and always have always will. I really like the look inside out of those Kia Picantos. You see a ton of Mirages in Altoona PA they were like ants everywhere lol cause the huge Mitsubishi dealer there. In my city of Cumberland MD its alot of trucks, SUVs and such but alot of small cars too cause our city here is full of skanks lol. I think you made a good choice and will be just fine booking a small one, ai just try to drive a lil extra careful with all the full size pickup trucks and suvs on the road today. I love how over in Europe it seems they love small cars where in the USA they are all about gone and have so few choices if you want a brand new small car it seems less and less each year.

[@lockdot2]

That's nice looking over there! How is your day? Also, why do you take it in and out of eco mode so much? What would happen if you left it in eco the whole time?

[@greysoncamarillo3143]

It’s probably like Toyota cars if your just cruising the eco comes on and if you need to pass or go uphill it turns off based on throttle input

[@kmckenzie2461]

The ECO light comes on and off on its own. It is just a light indicator telling your if its driving economical or not. Its based on throttle position and rpms I believe. You’ll notice the light comes on when rpms are lower or it levels out from a hill. Our 2019 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross SEL Touring actually has an ECO button and mode you can put it in.

[@kmckenzie2461]

@@greysoncamarillo3143 You are exactly right. Thank you for the comment!

[@kmckenzie2461]

Also Im good hope you are well too! It is a pretty area but in town in actual Cumberland the city is bad and crime is awful. Its one of the highest places for crime and one the worst small cites - towns in the USA based on data. We have shootings, drugs, break ins, thefts, and more plus lots of really rough people.

[@lockdot2]

@@greysoncamarillo3143 @K McKenzie Thanks for the replies! That's interesting, so Eco mode doesn't just turn off in sport mode. Thanks!

[@lockdot2]

How is her foot by the way? Is it better?

[@kmckenzie2461]

Doing good but had to have pins and screws put in and therapy but def better! Thank you!

[@lockdot2]

@@kmckenzie2461 How's her foot now? Is she getting back to normal?

[@kmckenzie2461]

@@lockdot2 surprisingly not as good as I think it should be. It still swells up pretty big on and off and she still has a limp and this spring will be a year I believe.

[@lockdot2]

@@kmckenzie2461 At least it is working! My step brother tore something in his foot, and it is still swealing up too.

[@kmckenzie2461]

@@lockdot2 aww no really? Im sorry to hear that. I guess when you are on it and use it alot I guess its hard to heal to normal.

[@Drauntabuxy]

What kind of mpg did you get on this trip?

[@kmckenzie2461]

Going up cars suck gas in this like 30 or so mile stretch cause its like a constant climb. I didn’t film from Cumberland to LaVale going up but its a constant climb also. Plus at 70 mph and A/C on its hits your mpgs. Once I got off the interstate for the rest of the trip there it is level and you gain mpg back pretty fast for the last 15 mins of trip there. Then coming back home again its level for the first 15 mins until you hit the interstate then down hill all the way as you see. When I was on the interstate going up it read mid 20s mpg then when I got off the interstate and drove the other 10 miles or so to her house I was at around 35 mpg when I got to her house. Then coming home by the time I got to the interstate I was at 39 mpg and then going down the interstate by the time I got home I was at like 53 mpg. So this trip takes you all over the place mpg wise cause going up its a constant climb on I-68 from Cumberland to LaVale to Frostburg to Finzel to Oakland it is a steady climb all the way and really steep in alot of parts. This is all Maryland.

[@kmckenzie2461]

Going up cars suck gas in this like 30 or so mile stretch cause its like a constant climb. I didn’t film from Cumberland to LaVale going up but its a constant climb also. Plus at 70 mph and A/C on its hits your mpgs. Once I got off the interstate for the rest of the trip there it is level and you gain mpg back pretty fast for the last 15 mins of trip there. Then coming back home again its level for the first 15 mins until you hit the interstate then down hill all the way as you see. When I was on the interstate going up it read mid 20s mpg then when I got off the interstate and drove the other 10 miles or so to her house I was at around 35 mpg when I got to her house. Then coming home by the time I got to the interstate I was at 39 mpg and then going down the interstate by the time I got home I was at like 53 mpg. So this trip takes you all over the place mpg wise cause going up its a constant climb on I-68 from Cumberland to LaVale to Frostburg to Finzel to Oakland it is a steady climb all the way and really steep in alot of parts. This is all Maryland.

[@christiantaylor9873]

Can you do a video from 0-80 on the highway in regular drive

[@christiantaylor9873]

Also how is the handling above 60 Mph

[@kmckenzie2461]

@@christiantaylor9873 It does fine up to about 75 mph for me with no issues of touchiness or uneasiness. When you hit 80 mph or above it get blown around a bit being such a light car which would be with any car of its weight and size. But up to 75 mph I can drive normally with no issues.

[@kmckenzie2461]

Yep I sure will as soon as I can.

[@christiantaylor9873]

@@kmckenzie2461 thank you 😊

[@SmartAndromeda]

Ac on ?

[@kmckenzie2461]

Yep A/C on.

[@SmartAndromeda]

This small car need turbo for more tourqe , 100 nm not that much

[@kmckenzie2461]

Its main focus is MPG vs power thats why in the USA it has the highest rated MPG of any gasoline only car. The power is fine for it when you drive it on a daily basis it never causes any issues with its small engine and power output.

[@SmartAndromeda]

@@kmckenzie2461 totaly agree , i live in dubai totaly strugle with engine output because of heat , 40+ c

[@kmckenzie2461]

@@SmartAndromeda I never thought about where you live with that extreme heat and the a/c cranked up high it probably does sap the power. Luckily where I live it is plenty of power. But I bet it gets super hot where you are.