Which Continuously-Variable Transmissions Are the Best?
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Mitsubishi Mirage
The cheap Mitsubishi Mirage is hard to recommend because of its ancient styling, poor interior appointments and rough driving dynamics, but if you’re looking for a fuel efficient car, the little Mitsubishi delivers. Starting at just $13,805 the base Mirage (with the five-speed manual) is cheap and can get a combined rating of 37 mpg according to the EPA. However, spend the extra $1,000 to get the CVT and you’re looking at a 40 mpg combined figure, making it the most fuel efficient gas-powered car on sale today. That’s a 7.5 percent mile per gallon improvement over the manual transmission.
The Mirage achieves this impressive rating thanks to an auxiliary gearbox which expands the available gear ratio range. Additionally, the transmission goes into neutral at stops which reduces the load on the engine and saves fuel.
With a 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine making 74 hp, drivers will likely have their gas pedal permanently affixed to the floor-mat. Even driven at full throttle, we were very surprised at resulting fuel efficiency. Despite your driving style the Mirage is easy on gas and that CVT has a lot to do with it.
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