Car journalists wield more power than they might think. People who read car reviews often make buying decisions based on what we write. Depending on the opinions journos deploy to print and pixels, automakers may see a lift in customer interest and sales, or a dip as buyers weigh a writer’s wary words. But the public doesn’t always agree with journalists, and may flock to a car that was reviewed poorly, or leave a model to flounder that journalists loved. When was a time that you disagreed with a car review?
The easiest answer for me is obviously the Smart Fortwo. I have been defending that car’s existence since before I even had a driver’s license. I was always the person who could see the brightness of that car between auto journalists’ complaints of slow shifting, slow acceleration, and a hard suspension. But that one would be too easy. Pretty much all of my Autopian Asks would be centered around Smarts if I focused just on that car.
My love for the unloved Smart had eventually led me to become a defender for everything that’s unloved. I can find something that I like about any car, no matter how much everyone else hates it. I find myself in that place today with the Mitsubishi Mirage, one of the favorite punching bags of the automotive YouTuber.
I won’t describe any review specifically here, and besides, I really don’t need to. Most of them largely follow a similar format of complaining that the Mitsubishi Mirage doesn’t have a lot of power, is filled with hard plastics, and feels like a generation or two behind the pack. Many reviews come to the conclusion that it’s a terrible car. You’ll often find such words as “asthmatic,” “lethargic,” “anemic,” and “tepid” used to describe the Mirage. Some folks might even say that the Mirage is unsuitable for highway use because of its lack of power.
I see the car in a different light. Yes, it’s devoid of many luxuries. Yes, it’s loud, and yes, it’s buzzy. What the reviewers say is not wrong, and the car is very easy to make fun of because of it. But at the same time, this was a car that was only $13,790 in 2014. Logically, you aren’t getting a fast car or one dripping with cutting-edge technology for that price. Want to drive it on the highway? It’ll do that, just put the pedal down further. Yes, you can get a better car by paying more money. The whole point of the Mirage is to be affordable transportation.
I don’t think the car is deserving of being made fun of for that. If anything, I love the fact that the Mirage is honest about itself. It’s not trying to make you think it’s state-of-the-art, and it’s not trying to make you think that it’s a racecar or luxurious. It’s a car where what you see is what you get.
So, that’s the car I often find myself disagreeing with reviews on.
How about you? What car did you think reviews got wrong? Is the car worse or better than reviews say?
The post When Did You Disagree With A Car Review? appeared first on The Autopian.
