Several Compact Crossovers Fail IIHS' Small Overlap Test

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's newest test — frontal small overlap — is pretty tough to ace. The agency recently performed the test, meant to simulate a crash of a vehicle's front corner into another vehicle, a tree or a pole, on 13 compact SUVs; 11 scored Marginal or Poor.

The new-for-2014 Subaru Forester came out ahead of the pack, earning a Good score and the agency's highest overall safety rating, Top Safety Pick+. Behind it is the slow-selling 2013 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport; it pulled an Acceptable score. The test group included 2014, 2013 and 2012 models.

Concept Cars Make Big Splash at Shanghai Motor Show

On April 20, the 2013 Shanghai motor show kicked off. As The Detroit Free Press puts it, the event served up a high-decibel dosage of fashion, sports and music (oh, and cars) to some 10,000 journalists. More than 100 automakers vied for attention in the world's largest car market, where 94% of consumers don't own a vehicle — and young people dominate the ranks of those who do.

Automakers introduced plenty of concept cars, including Ford's Escort reboot and two small SUV concepts: Mercedes-Benz's GLA-Class (pictured above) and BMW's X4. Check out some others that caught our eye:

Recall Alert: 2013 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport

Mitsubishi is issuing two recalls for model-year 2013 versions of its Outlander Sport compact crossover, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The first is to address a fuel pump problem that affects 3,724 all-wheel-drive-equipped Outlander Sports manufactured from June 11 through Dec. 11, 2012 (check your vehicle's build date on a sticker on the driver-side doorjamb). These vehicles may be missing a fuel sending unit harness, which could result in a false fuel tank level reading; this could cause the vehicle to unexpectedly stall.

2014 Mitsubishi Mirage Video

If you've felt deserted during the Mitsubishi Mirage's decade-long U.S. absence, the subcompact's reappearance may seem like something of an oasis. The 2014 Mirage, which bowed at the 2013 New York International Auto Show, returns as a hatchback and falls between the Chevrolet Spark and the Ford Fiesta in size.

More 2013 New York Auto Show Coverage

Cars.com reviewer Kelsey Mays observes that the Mirage offers an impressive array of standard features, such as power windows and door locks and remote keyless entry, but skimps on some desirable ones like a telescoping steering wheel and armrests. Still, boasting city/highway combined fuel economy of 40 mpg and a likely price around $13,000, the target demographic may see just what it's looking for in the Mirage. Watch the video below.

2014 Mitsubishi Mirage: Up Close

We reported in 2012 that Mitsubishi was undecided on bringing its global Mirage hatchback to the U.S. Well, the Mirage has finally materialized. Pricing is still pending, but Yoichi Yokozawa, president of the automaker's U.S. arm, told reporters Mitsubishi will price the tiny Mirage to compete with the Chevrolet Spark, which starts at $12,995 including destination.

More 2013 New York Auto Show Coverage

A chrome package gussied up the car on display at the New York International Auto Show, but there's little else to describe. The formless bumper leads into equally bland styling around the sides and back. Inside, the front seats have decent adjustment range, but the Mirage's optional knob-style seat height adjuster moves only the bottom cushion, not the whole seat. Crank yours up and the backrest lumbar meets your spine at a lower point. It's not comfortable.

2014 Mitsubishi Mirage at the 2013 New York Auto Show

• Competes with: Ford Fiesta, Toyota Yaris, Nissan Versa
• Looks like: A generic version of a Mazda2
• Drivetrain: 74 hp, 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine, five-speed manual or CVT
• Hits dealerships: Fall 2013

There hasn't been much happening at Mitsubishi of late. The Japanese automaker has had mild success with the Outlander Sport because of the low price, but the rest of the lineup is nothing to crow about.

More 2013 New York Auto Show Coverage

Today, the company intends to change that with an all-new subcompact, the 2014 Mirage. The five-seat hatchback will be rated 37/44 mpg city/highway and 40 mpg combined, thanks to a tiny three-cylinder engine and a very tiny size.

That will make it the most fuel-efficient non-hybrid car on sale in the U.S.

Cars.com Family Reviews the 2013 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport

With good looks and a low starting price of $19,995, the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport has lots of appeal until you live with it for a little while, says Cars.com Family reviewer Carrie Kim. During her weeklong test drive, Carrie was underwhelmed by its underpowered four-cylinder engine and tiny cargo area. It could hold a stroller, but there wasn’t any room for grocery bags back there, too.

2013 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport Review

Recall Alert: 2012 Mitsubishi i-MiEV

Mitsubishi is recalling 1,402 model-year 2012 versions of the i-MiEV compact electric car due to problems with the brakes, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The affected vehicles were manufactured from Dec. 2, 2011, through Sept. 7, 2012 (check your vehicle's build date on a sticker on the driver-side doorjamb), and have a brake system vacuum pump that could fail. This could cause the brakes to fail, increasing the risk of an accident. According to Mitsubishi, no related accidents have been reported.

Mitsubishi has not yet provided an owner notification schedule due to parts availability, but dealers will inspect and replace the affected parts for free. Owners can call Mitsubishi at 888-648-7820 or NHTSA's vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236 for more info.

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Insurance Study Finds GMC Sierra 1500 Best for Safety

A new study of insurance rates for injury protection and medical payments ranked the GMC Sierra 1500 pickup truck highest for occupant injury protection. The Fiat 500 ranks lowest.

Insure.com studied prevailing insurance rates across hundreds of ZIP codes from six major auto-insurance carriers: Allstate, Farmers, Geico, Nationwide, Progressive and State Farm. The firm analyzed premiums for injury coverage, including provisions for uninsured motorists and lost wages, on more than 750 new cars.

Besides the GMC Sierra 1500 (SLE/SLT/Work Truck), the best rates came from the Porsche Cayenne, GMC Yukon (SLT/Denali), GMC Sierra 2500 (SLE only) and GMC Terrain (SLE1 only) — all trucks or SUVs. On the other end, multiple trim levels of the Fiat 500 and 500c (cabrio) rated worst among injury-protection rates. The Kia Rio5 (LX/SX), Toyota Corolla (L only), Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart and Mercedes-Benz CL600 joined the small Fiat among the worst cars for injury-related insurance rates. Four of those five are compact or subcompact, and three of them start under $17,500.

Mitsubishi Galant Prices Tumble in January

Late-model used-car prices dipped slightly in January 2013, dropping about one-half of a percentage point ($101) from December 2012 to $22,662. However, a number of models saw significantly steeper declines. Leading the way was the Mitsubishi Galant.

The now-discontinued family sedan saw its average asking price drop 12% to $13,993, a decrease of nearly $2,000. Other models that have recently met the chopping block — the Mercury Milan and Mazda CX-7 — also saw some of the largest price drops of the month with declines of 4%.

Another Mitsubishi model, the Lancer compact car, saw the biggest price increase of the month with a 5% ($841) jump to $17,672. The Chevrolet Corvette saw the second-largest increase with a 4% rise but the largest dollar jump of $2,528 to $59,017.

The chart below details the top 10 used cars from the 2010 to 2012 model years with the biggest price drops — as well as the 10 with the biggest increases. To be eligible for the list, a model had to have 500 cars in Cars.com's national inventory.