That's the fuel economy we got on our last trip to the pump. 41 miles per gallon. 40.70 mpg to be exact but we can round up, why not. The EPA does it. For those in sensible countries, that's 5.78 litres per 100km, or 17.3 km per liter. That's about what the EPA estimates for our model of car, a 2022 Mitsubishi Mirage ES in 'sapphire blue.'
Before this, we had a Ford Focus hatchback in deep red, with sporty rims and an angry face that tried very hard to look like an Aston Martin. That usually only got 32 MPG on a good day, and it had a myriad of mechanical problems (clutch, trans, engine, suspension, general miasma.) After a 1600 dollar repair bill for only part of the busted suspension we decided to start shopping for a new car. In our budget the only thing we could get was the Mirage, though we could've taken a larger loan and gotten something fancier but less debt is better.
Reviews from contemporary publications call the Mirage noisy, slow, uncomfortable, slow, cheap feeling, and most of all slow. They aren't wrong. At highway speeds there is a good amount of wind noise. Sitting in the seats for more than a few hours hurts, and our trim didn't come with a center armrest. On a flat road in Drive Sport mode we got a 0-60 time of 12.5 seconds. Yeowch.
The three cylinder, 70 and change horsepower engine struggles with hills and highway merging, it's a car built for the slow lane. We knew the car would be slow, and in preparation we started driving our Focus at the speed limit instead of 8 over for a few weeks before purchase, to acclimate ourselves.
The car has four perks: It's pretty looking in blue, with the back seats folded down it can haul a good amount of ass, and the EPA says it should make 41 miles per gallon combined. We'll get to perk four later, don't worry.
On first fuel up, we only got 37 miles per gallon. We do a good amount of freeway and city driving so it was expected to be a little on the lower side, but we weren't in that much stop and go? What happened to the estimate?! Well, it was the way we were driving, how we were accelerating and things of that sort.
So, 41 miles per gallon, how did we do it? We went on the Mirage owners forums (yes they exist) and got some tips from an old Mitsubishi of Malaysia advert. Their advice: drive like a little old lady. If the engine revs above 3000 RPM you're doing it wrong. Come to slow stops and pray red lights turn green before you have to stop completely. Don't brake for turns if you can avoid it. Accelerate slowly, enjoy the slow lane.
It took some practice, and frankly a bit of luck, but we managed to get the coveted 41 MPG after a few tries. We have caught the ire of some, our mother thinks we drive too slow for her life in the fast lane mentality, but economics is economics! Plus, it feels nice to not rush to work, to the store, to wherever. If you go 55 or 65 on TW Alexander, you'll still make the same lights and get there in the same time.
Perk four is more philosophical, it's that this car is ours (and the banks.) The focus was property of our father, even if we paid for fuel, insurance, and maintenance. It wasn't our car to own, it was nickel and diming us and we didn't even have our name on the title. When we got the Mirage we gave the Focus back to dad, and let him do whatever he wants with it. He wants to make it a tuner. It needs 4200 dollars in clutch work. Ha!
The Focus drove better when you floored it, as all of its previous owners had. When you nursed it, it bucked and complained and shifted weird. The Mirage is the reverse, it complains when you floor it but is happiest when you're gentle. Modifications can be done to make a Mirage faster, in fact our father had some... choice suggestions to that effect. But what's easier? Making a gentle car angrier, or making yourself kinder to match?
In that way the Mirage is aspirational. It's does not perform as well as some of its contemporaries, but it will always get you there if you can meet it on its level. It wants you to be kind to it, to other drivers, to people in parking lots, to pedestrians, to Mother Earth. It grieves when you are angry, even in moments when you need more than three cylinders, but rewards a caring driver with reliability and 41 miles to each gallon of fuel. And in that way, this car and us are more alike than we first thought.
P.S: Her name is Pokey the Blue Wonder.
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