For the past 30 years, I have owned Jeeps; V-8s, gas guzzlers, big engines. Recently I bought a 2024 Mitsubishi Mirage – a Baby Hatchback. I don’t know what size engine it has, but it’s small. It fits in the glove compartment. It’s quite a change from my last several automobiles. The horn sounds like a little clown horn. People chuckle when I toot it. I think I’ll just get a seltzer bottle and give ’em a good squirt when I pass by. The car, however, is not a great “passer”. It goes from 0 to 60 in about a day and a half, but it fairly flies down the hills on I-64.
My little Mitsubishi is not without its share of bells and whistles. It has one of those little TV screens on the dash that tells you where you’ve been and that’s good information. It also has something called Blue Tooth. I think a dentist owned it before me.
Getting in and out of a car this small is not easy. Cirque du Soleil acrobats would struggle. I have to climb through the back hatchback and somersault over the front seat. It’s what I do for exercise, and I’ve lost 10 pounds so far.
Soon after I got it, I noticed it was on “empty”. I filled it up with 6.9 gallons. I used to spill that much filling my Jeeps. But they say it gets well over 40 miles per gallon on trips. So, I probably won’t need any more gas until June.
But you know what? I like it. It’s fun to drive and you can get an amazing amount of stuff in the back. I bet I could squeeze in 8 clowns if I had to.
Beep, beep, beep.
