Compare the2022 Honda CivicVS 2021 Mitsubishi Mirage

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Honda Civic have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Mitsubishi Mirage doesn’t offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Civic are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Mirage doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Honda Civic has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Mirage doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Civic deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Civic’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Mirage’s airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tests front crash prevention systems. With a score of 6 points, IIHS rates the Collision Mitigation Braking System in the Civic as “Superior.” The Mirage scores zero, and is rated by the IIHS as having no effective frontal crash prevention.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Civic Touring/Sport Touring has standard Low Speed Braking Control that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Mirage doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Honda Civic has Daytime Running Lights to help keep it more visible under all conditions. Canadian government studies show that driving with lights during the day reduces accidents by 11% by making vehicles more conspicuous. The Mirage doesn’t offer Daytime Running Lights.

The Civic EX/EX-L/Touring/Sport Touring’s blind spot warning system uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. The Mirage doesn’t offer a system to reveal objects in the driver’s blind spots.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Civic Touring/Sport Touring’s standard rear cross-path warning system uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The Mirage doesn’t offer a cross-path warning system.

The Civic’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Mirage doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Civic and the Mirage have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, rearview cameras and available rear parking sensors.

The Honda Civic weighs 683 to 1062 pounds more than the Mitsubishi Mirage. The NHTSA advises that heavier cars are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts. Crosswinds also affect lighter cars more.

A significantly tougher test than their original offset frontal crash test, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH small overlap frontal offset crash tests. In this test, where only 25% of the total width of the vehicle is struck, results indicate that the Honda Civic Sedan is safer than the Mirage Hatchback:

	Civic	Mirage
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
Restraints	GOOD	MARGINAL
Head Neck Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Peak Head Forces	0 G’s	0 G’s
Chest Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Hip & Thigh Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Femur Force R/L	.5/.7 kN	4.9/1.8 kN
Hip & Thigh Injury Risk R/L	0%/0%	3%/0%
Lower Leg Evaluation	GOOD	POOR
Tibia index R/L	.33/.64	1.87/.8

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Civic its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2021, a rating granted to only 72 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Mirage is not even a standard “Top Pick.”

Warranty

The Civic’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Mirage’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

There are over 3 times as many Honda dealers as there are Mitsubishi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Civic’s warranty.

Reliability

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Mitsubishi vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 15 places higher in reliability than Mitsubishi.

Engine

The Civic LX/Sport’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 82 more horsepower (158 vs. 76) and 64 lbs.-ft. more torque (138 vs. 74) than the Mirage’s 1.2 DOHC 3-cylinder. The Civic EX/EX-L/Touring’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 104 more horsepower (180 vs. 76) and 103 lbs.-ft. more torque (177 vs. 74) than the Mirage’s 1.2 DOHC 3-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Civic EX/EX-L/Touring 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Mitsubishi Mirage (automatics tested):

	Civic	Mirage
Zero to 60 MPH	7.2 sec	10.9 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	8 sec	11 sec
Quarter Mile	15.6 sec	18.3 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	92 MPH	75 MPH
Top Speed	126 MPH	102 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

In heavy traffic or at stop lights the Civic’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Mirage doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The Civic has 3.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the Mirage (12.4 vs. 9.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Civic has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Mirage doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Transmission

The Honda Civic comes standard with an automatic transmission, for driver comfort, especially in the city. Automatic costs extra on the Mirage.

A six-speed manual is available on the Honda Civic, with closer gear ratios for better performance and a lower final drive ratio for quieter highway operation, less engine wear and better fuel mileage. Only a five-speed manual is available for the Mirage.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Civic’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Mirage:

	Civic	Mirage
Front Rotors	11.1 inches	9 inches
Rear Rotors	10.2 inches	7” drums

The Honda Civic has standard four-wheel disc brakes for better stopping power and improved directional control in poor weather. Only rear drums come on the Mirage. Drums can heat up and make stops longer, especially with antilock brakes that work much harder than conventional brakes.

The Civic stops much shorter than the Mirage:

	Civic	Mirage
70 to 0 MPH	174 feet	184 feet	Car and Driver

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Civic has larger standard tires than the Mirage (215/55R16 vs. 165/65R14). The Civic Sport/Touring’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Mirage (235/40R18 vs. 175/55R15).

The Civic LX’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Mirage’s standard 65 series tires. The Civic Sport/Touring’s tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Mirage’s optional 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Civic LX has standard 16-inch wheels. Smaller 14-inch wheels are standard on the Mirage. The Civic Sport/Touring’s 18-inch wheels are larger than the 15-inch wheels optional on the Mirage.

The Honda Civic’s wheels have 5 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Mitsubishi Mirage only has 4 wheel lugs per wheel.

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the Honda Civic has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Mitsubishi Mirage has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

The Civic has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Civic flat and controlled during cornering. The Mirage’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The Civic has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Mirage doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Civic’s wheelbase is 7.3 inches longer than on the Mirage G4 (107.7 inches vs. 100.4 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Civic is 4.1 inches wider in the front and 5.8 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Mirage.

Passenger Space

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Civic a Mid-size car, while the Mirage is rated a Compact.

The Civic has 9.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Mirage G4 (99 vs. 89.2).

The Civic Hatchback has .4 inches more front headroom, .6 inches more front legroom, 5.5 inches more front hip room, 5.3 inches more front shoulder room, .3 inches more rear headroom, .1 inches more rear legroom, 2.2 inches more rear hip room and 4.8 inches more rear shoulder room than the Mirage G4.

Cargo Capacity

The Civic’s standard rear seats fold to accommodate long and bulky cargo. The Mirage G4 doesn’t offer folding rear seats, only a ski pass-through.

Ergonomics

The engine computer on the Civic automatically engages the starter until the car starts with one twist of the key and disables the starter while the engine is running. The Mirage’s starter can be accidentally engaged while the engine is running, making a grinding noise and possibly damaging the starter and ring gear.

To help each driver find a more comfortable driving position, the Civic has a telescoping steering wheel. Much better than just a tilt steering wheel or adjustable seat, this allows a short driver to sit further from the steering wheel while maintaining contact with the pedals. The Mirage doesn’t offer a telescoping steering wheel.

The Civic’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Mirage has a lever-type parking brake that has to be strenuously raised to engage properly. It has to be lifted up more and a button depressed to release it.

The Civic’s front power windows open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Mirage’s passenger windows don’t open or close automatically.

On a hot day the Civic’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance with the keyless remote or at the outside door handle. The driver of the Mirage can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Civic EX/EX-L’s standard wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers and the Civic Touring/Sport Touring’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. The Mirage’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Civic has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. The Mirage doesn’t offer automatic headlights.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Civic has standard extendable sun visors. The Mirage doesn’t offer extendable visors.

The Civic EX/Touring’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. The Mirage doesn’t offer heated side mirrors.

The Civic’s power mirror controls are mounted on the armrest for easy access. The Mirage’s power mirror controls are on the dash where they are possibly hidden by the steering wheel and are awkward to manipulate.

The Civic EX/EX-L/Touring/Sport Touring’s standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. The Mirage doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

To keep a safe, consistent following distance, the Civic has a standard Adaptive Cruise Control, which alters the speed of the vehicle without driver intervention. This allows the driver to use cruise control more safely without constantly having to disengage it when approaching slower traffic. The Mirage doesn’t offer an adaptive cruise control.

To direct the driver from any location to a given street address, a GPS navigation system is standard on the Civic Touring/Sport Touring. The Mirage doesn’t offer a navigation system.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Honda Civic Touring/Sport Touring has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Mirage doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Recommendations

The Civic Sport was chosen as one of Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2 of the last 4 years. The Mirage has never been a Car and Driver “Top Ten” pick.

The Civic was chosen as one of Automobile Magazine’s “All Stars” for 2 of the last 25 years. The Mirage has never been an “All Star.”

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Civic as the 2016 North American Car of the Year. The Mirage has never been chosen.