2017 Toyota Mirai Electric

Vying with the 2017 Toyota Mirai Sedan in its segment are the Honda Clarity Sedan and the Tesla Model S. The Mirai is more expensive than the Honda's Clarity but comes at a lesser price when compared to the Tesla Model S. It will be interesting to see how the 2017 Toyota Mirai Sedan performs against its rivals.

The 2017 Toyota Mirai Sedan comes only in a single trim and thus acts as a shortfall among the customers in terms of availability of different options. Coming to the price, the 2017 Toyota Mirai’s MSRP is set at nearly $57,500.

Trim	Toyota Mirai 4dr
MSRP (FWD)	$57,500
Key Features	Luxurious and comfortable interior Intelligent touch controls for climate and Audio Premium Audio system with navigation, JBL and Entune  App suite Extremely quiet cabin with acoustic noise-reducing windshield and driver side/front passenger windows Led daylight Running Lights Led Headlamps with audio High beam Feature

The 2017 Toyota Mirai houses many premium features such as the noise-reducing windshield, which minimizes the harsh noises coming from outside while on the move. Additionally, the 2017 Mirai offers intelligent touch controls, LED daytime running headlamps and 8-way power front seats.

“The fuel cell electric powertrain develops 151 horsepower and 247 lb-ft of torque. In our testing, the 4,000-pound sedan accelerated from zero to 60 mph in 9.1 seconds. That's leisurely, but in real-world driving at sub-freeway speeds, the Mirai has agreeable thrust.”- edmunds  

Engine and Transmission

The powertrain of the 2017 Toyota Mirai Sedan consists of an AC synchronous electric motor, which generates a peak power of 151 hp. Since the vehicle utilizes the hydrogen as its fuel, the electricity is produced using the Hydrogen fuel cell stack. The torque figure of the Toyota’s Mirai is 247 lbs.-ft. and its transmission system employs a single-speed direct drive mechanism.  

Models	Toyota Mirai Sedan	Honda Clarity Sedan	Tesla Model S
MSRP	$57,500	$36,620	$68,000
Engine	Electric DD	Electric DD	Electric DD
Transmission	1-speed Direct Drive	1-speed Direct Drive	1-speed Direct Drive
Horsepower	151 hp	174 hp	380 hp
Torque	247 lb-ft	221 lb-ft	317 lb-ft

The first competitor of the Toyota’s Mirai is Honda Clarity Sedan with a lower price tag of about $36,620. In terms of horsepower, the Clarity surpasses Mirai by almost 23 hp of power. On the other hand, the torque delivery of the Honda Clarity Sedan is lesser as compared to the 2017 Toyota Mirai.

Yet another rival of the 2017 Toyota Mirai Sedan is the Tesla Model S. The maximum power offered by the Tesla Model S is 380 hp along with a maximum torque of 317 lbs.-ft. Both the power and the torque figure of Tesla S is greater than that of Toyota Mirai. However, the Tesla Model S is priced at $68,000, which is nearly $10,500 greater than the price of 2017 Toyota Mirai.  

Acceleration

Coming to the acceleration of 2017 Toyota Mirai Sedan, it can catch up from 0 to 60 mph in 8.6 sec with the quarter mile time being 17.1 sec. On the other hand, both the competitors of Toyota Mirai are fast enough to beat it. The 0-60 mph time of Honda’s Clarity is 7.7 sec while for the Tesla Model S the 0-60 mph time reduces even more to 5.5 seconds.  

Models	Toyota Mirai Sedan	Honda Clarity Sedan	Tesla Model S
0-60 MPH	8.6 sec	7.7 sec	5.5 sec
Quarter mile	17.1 sec	15.6 sec	10.5 sec
Engine	Electric DD	Electric DD	Electric DD

Ride and Handling

Talking about the ride quality of the 2017 Toyota Mirai Sedan, it has an average ride quality. The car offers a good throttle response at lower speeds, but as the speed moves higher, the response becomes a bit laggy. However, the comfort level of the sedan is definitely high and thus makes it a good choice for long rides. The handling of the sedan is fairly good and not so extraordinary at higher speeds. The sedan is impressive when it comes to maneuvering in tight spaces.  

Braking

Talking about the brakes, the front brake employed in the 2017 Toyota Mirai Sedan has a size of 11.6 inches while the rear one is of 11.4 inches. However, both the Honda Clarity Sedan and the Tesla Model S have larger brakes as compared to Toyota’s Mirai.  

Model	Toyota Mirai Sedan	Honda Clarity Sedan	Tesla Model S
Brake Front (in.)	11.6	12.3	14.4
Brake Rear (in.)	11.4	12.2	14.0
Curb Weight (lbs.)	4075	4134	4469
60-0 MPH (ft.)	126	129	109

With the curb weight of 4075 lbs., the 2017 Toyota Mirai Sedan is lightest among its competition. To decelerate from 60 to 0 mph, the Toyota Mirai requires a distance of 126 feet, which is less than the Honda Clarity’s 129 feet. However, despite having the largest curb weight of 4469 lbs., the Tesla Model S has the most efficient brakes with its 60-0 mph distance being only 109 feet.

The fuel efficiency of the Toyota Mirai is estimated to be 66 MPG in the city as well as highway conditions. Although when compared to the rivals, the 2017 Toyota Mirai Sedan offers the least fuel economy. The Honda Clarity Sedan has a fuel efficiency of 126 MPG in the city and 103 MPG on highways, which is also greater than the 98 MPG and 101 MPG fuel efficiency of the Tesla Model S.  

Model	Toyota Mirai Sedan	Honda Clarity Sedan	Tesla Model S
MPG (city)	66	126	98
MPG (highway)	66	103	101
MPG (combined)	66	NA	96

“At first, the Mirai seems as spacious as a Toyota Avalon, but it is narrower. The audio and navigation systems are fine, but the gauges and climate controls have been designed to reinforce the Mirai's futuristic image at the expense of ease of use. The fuel cell system limits trunk space, too.” - Edmunds  

Seating and Comfort

The 2017 Toyota Mirai Sedan is a 4-seater sedan, while both the Honda Clarity and Tesla Model S accommodate 5 passengers including the driver. On the front end of Toyota’s Mirai, it offers a headroom of 38.5 inches and shoulder room of 54.3 inches, while both of them being least as compared to the competition. The sedan offers a legroom of 42.5 inches, which is lesser than the 42.7 inches legroom offered by the Tesla Model S, but is greater when compared to the 42.2 inches legroom of Honda Clarity.  

Model	Toyota Mirai Sedan	Honda Clarity Sedan	Tesla Model S
Passenger capacity	4	5	5
Front (Head/Shoulder/Leg) (In.)	38.5/54.3/42.5	39.1/59.6/42.2	38.8/57.7/42.7
Second (Head/Shoulder/Leg) (In.)	36.8/53.5/30.1	37.1/57.2/36.7	35.3/55.0/35.4

Coming to the rear end of the 2017 Toyota Mirai Sedan, it offers the least shoulder room and legroom of 53.5 inches and 30.1 inches respectively among its competitors. The headroom of Mirai is 36.8 inches at the rear, which is greater than the Tesla Model S but is slightly lesser than the headroom of 37.1 inches offered by the Honda Clarity Sedan.  

Infotainment System

The 2017 Toyota Mirai Sedan features a multimedia display system, which is powered by the Toyota’s premium Entune App suite. Users can connect their wireless devices with the multimedia system via Bluetooth. Additionally, the sedan comes with an inbuilt navigation system for better convenience. For displaying the information regarding the vehicle, a multi-information display is provided above the steering wheel joint.  

Interior Features

The 2017 Toyota Mirai Sedan comes with an advanced and comfy interior. SofTex Leatherette seat trim can be seen across the interior. The sedan offers keyless ignition along with tilt and telescopic steering wheel to enhance the driving experience of users. There are a handful of features in the interiors of the 2017 Toyota Mirai Sedan including

• steering mounted audio and cruise controls
• overhead storage console
• heated steering wheel
• heating driver and passenger seats
• multiple airbags for better safety

Cargo Capacity

The Cargo volume of the 2017 Toyota Mirai Sedan is estimated to be 12.8 ft., which is greater than the 11.8 ft. a cargo volume of Honda Clarity Sedan.  

Model	Toyota Mirai Sedan	Honda Clarity Sedan	Tesla Model S
Cargo Volume to seats 1 (ft.3)	12.8	11.8	NA

“While Toyota explained that the design theme of the Mirai is that of flowing water, with a rear end resembling a catamaran, most people will most likely be too amazed by the Mirai's looks to notice the water theme.”- Kelley Blue Book

Dimension and Weight

2017 Toyota Mirai Sedan is 192.5 inches long, 71.5 inches wide and has a height of 60.5 inches. Both the Honda Clarity and Tesla Model S have greater lengths and widths than the Mirai. However, the Toyota Mirai is tallest with a height of 60.5 inches against 58.2 inches and 56.5 inches height of the Honda Clarity and Tesla Model S respectively.  

Model	Toyota Mirai Sedan	Honda Clarity Sedan	Tesla Model S
Curb weight (lbs.)	4075	4134	4469
Length(in)	192.5	192.7	196.0
Width(in)	71.5	73.9	77.3
Height(in)	60.5	58.2	56.5
Ground clearance (in)	5.1	NA	NA
Wheelbase (in)	109.4	108.3	116.5
Track width (in) F/R	61.8/60.5	62.5/62.2	65.4/66.9

The ground clearance of Mirai is nearly 5.1 inches and it has a wheelbase of 109.4 inches. The largest wheelbase among the three cars is that of the Tesla Model S, which measures around 116.5 inches, whereas Honda Clarity’s wheelbase of 108.3 inches is the shortest.  

Exterior Features

The design of the 2017 Toyota Mirai Sedan is very different from other conventional sedans and thus it may look attractive or unattractive varying from person to person. Two large air vents at the front corners of the car make it look unique. The sedan utilizes 17-inches alloy wheels that look eye-catching. Additionally, on the front side, the Toyota Mirai gets stylish LED headlamps accompanied by LED DRLs. The LED taillight employed at the rear of the sedan enhances its overall looks.

Safety Features

Toyota has been always impressive when it comes to offering high-standard safety features and it is maintained equally in the 2017 Toyota Mirai Sedan as well. The sedan comes with numerous integrated safety features including 4-wheel anti-lock braking (ABS) system, post-collision safety system, emergency braking assist, and stability control.

• Air Bag-Frontal-Drive
• Air Bag-Frontal-Passenger
• Air Bag-Passenger Switch
• Air Bag-Side Body-Front
• Air Bag-Side Body-Rear
• Air Bag-Side Head-Front
• Air Bag-Side Head-Rear
• Brakes-ABS
• Child Safety Rear Door Locks

NHTSA and IIHS ratings are not available

Toyota Mirai Sedan vs Honda Clarity Sedan

The Honda Clarity Sedan is priced at about $36,620, which is less than the 2017 Toyota Mirai Sedan by almost $20,880. In terms of performance, the electric motor employed in the Honda Clarity Sedan delivers a maximum power of 174 hp compared to the 151 hp offered by the Toyota Mirai. Honda’s Clarity is ahead of the Mirai when it comes to the acceleration and the fuel economy. However, Honda Clarity Sedan falls short to the 2017 Toyota Mirai Sedan in the overall braking capability and the cargo volume.  

Toyota Mirai Sedan vs Tesla Model S

Another car lining up with the 2017 Toyota Mirai Sedan for a head-on competition is the Tesla’s Model S. The car has a price tag that exceeds the MSRP of Toyota’s Mirai. But for the extra money, the Model S offers better performance with a maximum power of 380 hp and a maximum torque of 317 lbs.-ft. Additionally, the Tesla Model S offers better acceleration, more efficient braking system and greater fuel economy compared to the 2017 Toyota Mirai Sedan.

One of the major advantages of buying the 2017 Toyota Mirai Sedan is that it is completely environment-friendly and offers a decent performance. Till date, there are only 30-40 hydrogen fueling stations in the U.S. and most of them are concentrated in California. Thus, keeping all the factors in the mind, buying the 2017 Toyota Mirai Sedan is ideal for those customers who are willing to spend large money for owing a car with zero harmful emissions and have easy access to Hydrogen refueling stations.