Compare the2022 Hyundai AccentVS 2022 Mitsubishi Mirage

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

Safety

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The Accent has standard Active Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Mirage doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

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

The Hyundai Accent Limited 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 Accent SEL/Limited’s blind spot mirrors use wide-angle convex mirrors mounted in the corner of each side view mirror to reveal objects that may be in the driver’s blind spots. The Mirage doesn’t offer a system to reveal objects in the driver’s blind spots.

The Accent Limited has a standard Blue Link, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to get turn-by-turn driving directions, remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Mirage doesn’t offer a GPS response system, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Accent and the Mirage have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding and rearview cameras.

The Hyundai Accent weighs 485 to 639 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.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Hyundai Accent is safer than the Mitsubishi Mirage:

	Accent	Mirage
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	290	362
Neck Injury Risk	26%	40%
Neck Stress	250 lbs.	435 lbs.
Neck Compression	40 lbs.	68 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	60/64 lbs.	291/454 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.4 inches
Neck Stress	198 lbs.	204 lbs.
Neck Compression	93 lbs.	203 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	33/31 lbs.	297/155 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

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 Hyundai Accent is safer than the Mirage Hatchback:

	Accent	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	1.4/0 kN	4.9/1.8 kN
Hip & Thigh Injury Risk R/L	0%/0%	3%/0%
Lower Leg Evaluation	ACCEPTABLE	POOR
Tibia index R/L	.88/.55	1.87/.8

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Hyundai Accent is safer than the Mitsubishi Mirage:

	Accent	Mirage
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	527	628
Hip Force	635 lbs.	715 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	2 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	12 inches
HIC	214	267
Spine Acceleration	35 G’s	52 G’s
Hip Force	880 lbs.	1200 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Accent is 5.1% less likely to roll over than the Mirage.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, rear impact and roof-crush tests, with its optional front crash prevention system, its “Acceptable” rating in the new passenger-side small overlap crash test, and its available headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Accent the rating of “Top Pick” for 2019, a rating granted to only 175 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Mirage was not even a standard “Top Pick” for 2016.

Warranty

The Accent’s 7 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the Mirage runs out after 100,000 miles.

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Accent for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Hyundai will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Mitsubishi doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Mirage.

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

Reliability

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Accent has a standard 100-amp alternator. The Mirage’s 85-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Accent’s reliability 11 points higher than the Mirage.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Accent first among small cars in their 2021 Initial Quality Study. The Mirage isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Mitsubishi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai 7th in reliability, above the industry average. With 15 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mitsubishi is ranked 13th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Mitsubishi vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Hyundai 14 places higher in reliability than Mitsubishi.

Engine

The Accent’s 1.6 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 44 more horsepower (120 vs. 76) and 39 lbs.-ft. more torque (113 vs. 74) than the Mirage’s 1.2 DOHC 3-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

The Accent has 2.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the Mirage (11.9 vs. 9.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Transmission

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

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Accent	Mirage
Front Rotors	11 inches	9 inches
Rear Drums	8 inches	7 inches
Opt Rear Rotors	10.3 inches

The Accent SEL/Limited has standard antilock 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 Accent stops much shorter than the Mirage:

	Accent	Mirage
70 to 0 MPH	173 feet	184 feet	Car and Driver

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Accent has larger standard tires than the Mirage (185/65R15 vs. 165/65R14). The Accent Limited’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Mirage (205/45R17 vs. 175/55R15).

The Accent Limited’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Mirage’s optional 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Accent has standard 15-inch wheels. Smaller 14-inch wheels are standard on the Mirage. The Accent Limited’s 17-inch wheels are larger than the 15-inch wheels optional on the Mirage.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Accent’s wheelbase is 1.2 inches longer than on the Mirage G4 (101.6 inches vs. 100.4 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Accent is 2.7 inches wider in the front and 3.5 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Mirage.

Passenger Space

The Accent has 1 cubic foot more passenger volume than the Mirage G4 (90.2 vs. 89.2).

The Accent has .4 inches more front legroom, 2.9 inches more front hip room, 2.5 inches more front shoulder room, .5 inches more rear headroom, 4.1 inches more rear hip room and 2.5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Mirage G4.

Cargo Capacity

The Accent has a much larger trunk than the Mirage G4 (13.7 vs. 12.4 cubic feet).

The Accent’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.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Accent Limited’s trunk can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Mirage doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Servicing Ease

The Accent has a maintenance free battery for long life without checking the battery’s water level. The Mirage doesn’t have a maintenance free battery, so the water level in the battery’s cells must be checked often to prevent damage.

Ergonomics

The engine computer on the Accent Limited 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 Accent SEL/Limited 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 power windows standard on both the Accent and the Mirage have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Accent is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Mirage prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Accent SEL/Limited 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 Accent has standard extendable sun visors. The Mirage doesn’t offer extendable visors.

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

The Accent’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.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Accent is less expensive to operate than the Mirage because typical repairs cost much less on the Accent than the Mirage, including $234 less for a water pump, $57 less for a muffler, $38 less for front brake pads, $156 less for a starter, $105 less for front struts, $6 less for a timing belt/chain and $1012 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Hyundai Accent, based on reliability, safety and performance.