Compare the2023 Honda CivicVS 2023 Mitsubishi Mirage

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
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 its 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 side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

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

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 Cross Traffic Monitor uses sensors in the rear to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The Mirage doesn’t offer a rear 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 738 to 1007 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 Honda Civic is safer than the Mitsubishi Mirage:

	Civic	Mirage
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	325	362
Neck Injury Risk	30%	40%
Neck Stress	241 lbs.	435 lbs.
Neck Compression	23 lbs.	68 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	189/372 lbs.	291/454 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.4 inches
Neck Injury Risk	25%	43%
Neck Stress	189 lbs.	204 lbs.
Neck Compression	61 lbs.	203 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	275/164 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 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

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 Honda Civic is safer than the Mitsubishi Mirage:

	Civic	Mirage
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.7 inches	1.1 inches
Hip Force	286 lbs.	663 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	268	628
Hip Force	516 lbs.	715 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	2 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	12 inches
HIC	260	267
Spine Acceleration	51 G’s	52 G’s
Hip Force	805 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 Civic, with its five-star roll-over rating, is 6.9% less likely to roll over than the Mirage, which received a four-star rating.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, and daytime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Civic the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 53 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Mirage is not a “Top Safety Pick.”

Warranty

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

Honda pays for scheduled maintenance on the Civic for 2 years and 24,000 miles. Honda will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Mitsubishi doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Mirage.

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

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 Civic’s reliability 18 points higher than the Mirage.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than Mitsubishi vehicles. With 43 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Honda higher than Mitsubishi.

Engine

The Civic 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 Honda Civic is faster than the Mitsubishi Mirage:

	Civic Sport	Civic EX/EX-L/Touring	Mirage
Zero to 60 MPH	8.8 sec	7.2 sec	10.9 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	9.1 sec	8 sec	11 sec
Quarter Mile	16.9 sec	15.6 sec	18.3 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	86 MPH	92 MPH	75 MPH
Top Speed	125 MPH	126 MPH	102 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

In heavy traffic or at stoplights 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.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Honda Civic higher (6 to 7 out of 10) than the Mitsubishi Mirage (5). This means the Civic produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Mirage every 15,000 miles.

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	170 feet	184 feet	Car and Driver

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Civic has larger standard tires than the Mirage (215/50R17 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 EX/EX-L’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 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 EX/EX-L has standard 17-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 G4 is rated a Compact.

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

The Civic Sedan 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 Sedan has a much larger trunk than the Mirage G4 (14.8 vs. 12.4 cubic feet).

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 Mirage’s standard power locks don’t automatically lock the doors. The Civic’s standard doors lock when a certain speed is reached. This is an important feature for occupant safety. Locked doors are proven to open less often in collisions, and they are also effective in preventing crime at traffic lights.

The Civic’s LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the Mirage’s standard halogen headlights. LED lights also light instantly and last over twenty times longer than halogen. The Civic’s LED headlights produce a white, bright light using less electricity than the Mirage’s xenon high intensity discharge (HID) headlights. HID headlights can be slow to reach full brightness or power cycle, causing issues when flashing them to signal other vehicles; LED headlights light instantly. LED lights also last about three to four times as long.

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 has an automatic headlight on/off feature standard only on the SE/Black Edition.

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/EX-L/Touring/Sport 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 Civic’s navigation system also has a real-time traffic update feature that offers alternative routes to automatically bypass traffic problems. (Service not available in all areas.) 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.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Civic owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Civic will cost $815 to $6065 less than the Mirage over a five-year period.

The Civic will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Civic will retain 47.45% to 51.94% of its original price after five years, while the Mirage only retains 38.46% to 47.16%.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Honda Civic, based on reliability, safety and performance.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Civic as the 2022 North American Car of the Year. The Mirage has never been chosen.

The Honda Civic outsold the Mitsubishi Mirage by over 8 to one during 2022.