428CobraJet
05-12-2015, 12:37 PM
A friend and I drove my much loved Yaris car shopping yesterday. He was interested in seeing the Mirage because of the price point. I wanted to revisit the Fit due to the standard equipment. We both knew how good my Yaris had been. Two guys looking to purchase 2 cars...a more basic and a "more frill laden" within next 6 mos. Maybe sooner.
The 2 Yaris we drove (an LE and an SE) were both auto. (Gulf States :-( ). The dealer was willing to order a 5 speed. Tight. Silent engine. Single wiper worked great (it was raining. ..but we weren't testing Dodge Challenger Hellcats). Car was solid and comfortable. Cup holder pretty retro and miniscule and low. I don't particularly like the gray soft material on the dash). No tach on LE. No backup cameras. Seemed exceptionally well built. Roomy front and rear.
The Mirage ES was ....low end. Seats too soft. Suspension too soft. Does this car have sway bars? Engine was fine. We drove the CVT in the more premium model (chrome vents on front fenders....lights in turn signals) . Effective back up camera. Car didn't seem noisy. I was expecting worse from 3 cyl and 74hp. Engine was transparent...unless under hard acceleration and doing the CVT thing. Seat room in front was marginal. The car's paint looked fine. The paint is only where you touch. Gas filler? Primer. Wheel wells? Primer. The car lets you know where you didn't put the money. I think this car would make driving less sporty. Maybe the stick might help....but the suspension is just not a willing partner. As i just replaced struts and shocks on my Yaris...i was questioning whether the Mirage also needed this repair! Also...'the woman within the dash' kept yelling slow down too fast!
Lastly, we drove the Fit....and it just wasn't the slam dunk i was expecting. 2nd time to drive one. Drove an LX. Sat in an EX. Beautiful dash. Nice seats (especially EX). Exceptional manual gearbox. Loud and underpowered engine. Poverty floor covering. Seemed noisier than Yaris (I dont believe the LX comes with a rear package tray which probably contributed). There was a feeling the design was to minimize costs (the way the door frames, lower windshield plastic, wheel wells were detailed. Backup camera. Nice drivers cup holder. Center armrest worthless (4 inches too low). Packaging was exceptional...a Fit trademark.
Just my thoughts. Still looking.:burnrubber:
The 2 Yaris we drove (an LE and an SE) were both auto. (Gulf States :-( ). The dealer was willing to order a 5 speed. Tight. Silent engine. Single wiper worked great (it was raining. ..but we weren't testing Dodge Challenger Hellcats). Car was solid and comfortable. Cup holder pretty retro and miniscule and low. I don't particularly like the gray soft material on the dash). No tach on LE. No backup cameras. Seemed exceptionally well built. Roomy front and rear.
The Mirage ES was ....low end. Seats too soft. Suspension too soft. Does this car have sway bars? Engine was fine. We drove the CVT in the more premium model (chrome vents on front fenders....lights in turn signals) . Effective back up camera. Car didn't seem noisy. I was expecting worse from 3 cyl and 74hp. Engine was transparent...unless under hard acceleration and doing the CVT thing. Seat room in front was marginal. The car's paint looked fine. The paint is only where you touch. Gas filler? Primer. Wheel wells? Primer. The car lets you know where you didn't put the money. I think this car would make driving less sporty. Maybe the stick might help....but the suspension is just not a willing partner. As i just replaced struts and shocks on my Yaris...i was questioning whether the Mirage also needed this repair! Also...'the woman within the dash' kept yelling slow down too fast!
Lastly, we drove the Fit....and it just wasn't the slam dunk i was expecting. 2nd time to drive one. Drove an LX. Sat in an EX. Beautiful dash. Nice seats (especially EX). Exceptional manual gearbox. Loud and underpowered engine. Poverty floor covering. Seemed noisier than Yaris (I dont believe the LX comes with a rear package tray which probably contributed). There was a feeling the design was to minimize costs (the way the door frames, lower windshield plastic, wheel wells were detailed. Backup camera. Nice drivers cup holder. Center armrest worthless (4 inches too low). Packaging was exceptional...a Fit trademark.
Just my thoughts. Still looking.:burnrubber: