After relatively little deliberation, I have concluded that the Mirai fits neither my lifestyle nor my budget. But hold the long faces because this conclusion has no bearing on the Mirai’s ability to serve its purpose on the market. Before we make a final judgment on the Mirai in our upcoming Verdict, we decided to take a look at the average Mirai customer to get a better idea of how the vehicle fits into the larger automotive landscape. Nathan Kokes, Toyota Mirai marketing manager, gave us some fast facts:
- Gender: 70% male
- Household income: $175,000
- Other vehicles in garage: 1
- Miles driven per year: approx. 10,000-12,000
- Lease vs. buy: approx. 85% lease
So what does this tell us? Because customers are logging a decent number of miles and don’t have a host of other vehicles in their garages, they’re driving the Mirai like they would any regular car. They depend on it for everyday driving. The fact that most customers lease could signal some hesitation to fully adopt new technology, or it could point to the perception of attractive lease rates, we’d guess. Also, Kokes says the vast majority of customers stay within the free fuel allotment of $15,000 during the three-year lease period. If you recall, Toyota offers free hydrogen fuel for up to three years or 15,000 miles, whichever comes first.
Here’s another fast fact for you. During our Real MPG tests, the Toyota Mirai achieved a combined 63 mpg-e in city and highway driving. That’s below estimates from the EPA, which pins the Mirai at 67 mpg-e combined.
During these past several months, the Mirai has proved very livable and has given us no major mechanical headaches. And I can’t think of a single key feature that’s missing on the model. One of my favorites I have yet to mention is its cruise control function. Unlike many adaptive cruise control systems, the one on the Mirai accelerates up to speed at a reasonable rate and brakes smoothly when approaching traffic. The only drawback is it doesn’t come to a full stop on its own like some other systems on the market.
We’ll share our final thoughts on the Mirai in the next installment.
More on our long-term Toyota Mirai here: