Yeah, I've said this before: hybrids are going to get squeezed by these 40-ish ICE vehicles on one side and plug-ins on the other. But the Mirage, like the Versa, are on the bottom end of cheap cars. There's really no comparison in build or ride quality between them and a v or CMax. In the latter case, you can also add horsepower to the comparison. Finally, there's the mirages' poor crash rating although I'd bet most car shoppers in that price range aren't concerned with that.
Students, those who just graduated college, and even senior citizens on limited incomes buy low priced cars like the Versa and the Mirage. It's NOT that they want to; they HAVE to, due to budget restraints. Evidently, there seems to be a direct correlation to the higher accident rate for these small underpowered cars.
This is a modern day geo metro, unfortunately it looks almost as rough but costs a lot more money Toyota Prius v Sales Figures - GOOD CAR BAD CAR Toyota Prius v Sales Figures - GOOD CAR BAD CAR model mirage, prius v, c-max (hybrid +energi), versa, fiesta 2014 - 16,708- 30,762---27,575 -****************79,781- 63,192 2015ytd 6,056 --6,279-----4,305 -****************36,998 -12,110 Why did I incude the versa and fiesta? The versa is one of the least expensive cars you can buy, and you can choose one that gets 35 mpg combined. The fiesta isn't that much more in 1L 3cyl ecoboost trim if you really want that 3 cyclinder ice, but in much more refined turbocharged fashion and get 36mpg. Compare Side-by-Side The fit, corola, focus also can get great mpg (36, 35, 35 combined for each's most efficient models), but are a little more money than the mirage but still much less than the prius v. These really are more of the high mpg competition. Compare Side-by-Side Top 20 Best-Selling Cars In America - March 2015 - GOOD CAR BAD CAR corola has sold over 90,000 ytd, the focus over 52,000, with the fit brings up the rear at 18,094.
All of these cars might get decent mileage, but: I'm hooked. Any car that sits idling at red lights, and doesn't shut down the engine under light loading, it'd drive me nuts now.
Comparing the utility of those cars to the large capacity of the v tells me you are comparing very different classes of cars. I see the little cars all the time and as long as you want a two person car they have room for groceries. But we will take the two of us, three grandchildren and stuff for a week at the beach for all 5 in my v in August. Beach umbrellas, beach chairs, bags of beach towers, stuffed toys, etc. It was the combination of utility and MPG that influenced me. Others may have different needs and that is great too.
The Mirage absolutely does not beat the Prius in any way shape or form but Prius haters would like it to.
Engine off is allowed by a number of technologies that were popularized in the prius. These are electric air conditioning and electric power steering, which are finding their way into more and more cars. These technologies increase efficiency by reducing parasitic losses to the engine, which also allows for more of the engine power to reach the wheels during acceleration when it matters. The only draw back of electric air conditioning was higher cost, but I would expect it will soon only be a tiny premium. Electric power steering is a little different, it should already be less expensive, lower maintenance, and more reliable, but systems don't "feel" as good as above average traditional power steering systems. The guys at bmw, porsche, Lexus, mercedes, and ford are all working on that. OK so once you pay for the electronic AC and electric power steering, a start stop system is only around $300 (ford sells theirs for $295 as an option on certain models). With gasoline so inexpensive the difference in mpg between a prius v and honda fit cvt is only going to be 800 gallons over 200,000 miles. The fit is going to be more fun to drive, and may carry large cargo better with the seats folded flat. The prius v bigger cargo with the seats filled, and more luxury and options available. Compare Toyota Prius v versus Similar Competitor Vehicles Toyota has the list price difference at $8300. If the fit isn't big enough for your stuff, you may need a bigger veicle than the prius v. That is the challenge for toyota to sell these cars. The prius gets enough higher mpg, and the camry/fusion hybrid have acceleration and comfort benefits, but the hihy, prius v, etc may not get any more market share until the hybrid premium or fuel economy changes greatly.
Cross-shopping! so, people who bought Prius v or C-Max do not know about the existence of the $12,995/3 cylinder/1.2 liter machine?
I'd say that c-max and prius v customers simply don't care about that model. Its not even on the radar. This is the geo metro of our time. Really nothing to see here other than poor sales of the prius v and c-max at the start of this year. The honda cr-v, rav4, escape probably are in the thought process, which are all very nice small SUVs or crossovers depending on how you look at them. The price of gas being less of a factor. It seems some ford customers moved from c-max to fusion hybrid when the revised numbers came out. Some prius v have apparently moved out of stationwagon land to the Camry hybrid as well, giving up cargo room and 1 mpg, for a nicer drivers seat and better acceleration. Some may, cough cough, even be buying nicer german station wagons. OK the Japanese station wagon/crossover that sells is the subaru outback. Perhaps toyota should put a awd system in a prius outback type thing. The new architecture should make that easier, maybe. They have the hybrid system from the rav4 hybrid, so design a hybrid crossover from the architecture up and it may be an efficient hit. Please make sure it looks more like the outback, and less like this new uglifying design language in the mirai.
Oh that question. March 2015 YTD U.S. Vehicle Sales Rankings - Top 273 Best-Selling Vehicles In America - Every Vehicle Ranked - GOOD CAR BAD CAR The c-max came in @162 out of 273. It beats things like the mazda 5, the miata, the sequoia, etc.
thanks! next headline, 'guess which 161 cars beat prius v a c max sales'?prius v = 6,279, mirage = 6,056, what am i missing? oh, i get it, 'some months' out of 3 low sales months of the year.
That's why I posted the numbers. Both c-max and prius v beat the mirage in sales last year. This year the v is 128, the mirage 132 best selling vehicle but some months it is true the mirage has beaten both cars. Most months last year it lost to both. Mirage 3 month < 23 days prius liftback < 3 days of ford f-series sales. The whole article is just an anti-hybrid POV, that doesn't make any sense when you look at the cars actually selling. People don't want a 3-cylinder ecobox that looks like it was styled 20 years ago. They don't seem to particularly like the c-max or prius v either when gas is cheap.
It is clear in article Mirage sales passed C-Max and v (again, lowercase v for the Prius v wagon) in Feb... and March of this year. So it's YTD? Green Reports anti-hybrid???
I have considered both and picked C. From economic point of view you loose about 632gal per 100,000mi, so they will break even at ~200k. C was a better car. If it were for highschooler/college kid, Mitsu would have been an easy choice. Several hundred dollars every 6mo in insurance more than makeup for gas. Toyota was practically given away 2014 Cs in Jan/Feb.
Brilliant! comparing Mirage to cars that cost twice as much. While we're at it, I did a quick check and found out it even outsold the $120,000.00 Lexus LS 600hL; Compare Side-by-Side Could have knocked me down with a feather, totally surprised! Twilight Zone?
