Used 2020 Toyota Mirai Base for sale 

Toyota always equips its premium vehicles with all the bells and whistles that they have to offer and they’ve taken special care of the Mirai sedan since it carries one of the best propulsion technologies from the carmaker. 

The Mirai sedan doesn’t come with any optional packages or multiple trim levels and is limited to a single Base trim only. Even though it bears the name ‘Base’, the sedan comes loaded up to the brim in terms of interior, comfort, and convenience features. The sedan is priced at $58,550.

Toyota has stood the test of time with its consistency of pushing out reliable and affordable vehicles that anybody and everybody can own and drive. Toyota vehicles are quite easy to own and the brand’s inexpensive maintenance costs sweetens the deal further. The brand ventured into the fuel cell electric vehicles with the Mirai sedan and despite the low availability of both hydrogen and this sedan, the latter is quite economical to run and eliminates the drawbacks of a conventional electric vehicle.

What is the Reliability and Ownership Costs of the Toyota Mirai Electric Sedan?

J.D. Power reports are the best way to study a vehicle’s real-world reliability and customer satisfaction index since the organization has been at it for more than six decades now. The organization collects genuine and unbiased feedback from real vehicle owners and compiles them to create their own reports and publishes them on its website for the general people. Unfortunately, the reports for the 2020 Toyota Mirai Electric sedan is not available with them however, the 2017 Mirai sedan was rated by the organization and it bagged a decent overall rating. 

Toyota always keeps its production process under a strict supervision and it has helped it to maintain the reliability and quality of its vehicles on the long run. The Mirai Electric never had any complaints or recalls in its entire production run even to this day and hopefully it will continue with its excellent record in the coming years too.

The Mirai Electric sedan will not break your bank with its ownership and fuel costs with its futuristic technology at play but the lower availability of hydrogen makes refueling a bit on the pricier side as opposed to regular gasoline. With Toyota’s complimentary hydrogen fuel for 3 years, you need not worry about the fuel costs for some time but post that period, per kilogram of hydrogen will set you back $16.63.

What kind of Warranty does Toyota offer?

Toyota is truly a generous automobile manufacturer since it always prices its vehicles reasonably, always maintains the reliability standards, and never forgets to cover its vehicles under a thick blanket of warranty. Since the Mirai Electric sedan comes with an experimental fuel technology, it requires strict servicing and maintenance to ensure optimum performance. Toyota has taken care of that too with an exceptional 10 years warranty for the hybrid battery and its related components. With such extensive coverage, you would hardly need to worry about the maintenance and well-being of your sedan within the warranty period. The details of the warranty are listed below:

The accessories and maintenance warranty is something unique and tailor-made only for the Mirai sedan owing to its complicated mechanicals. Since there are no extended warranty coverages provided by the brand, it might become a concern in the long run.

The Toyota Mirai Electric sedan is an experimental technology on wheels and it needs further refinement and development in the near future. The car is far from perfect and due to the low availability of hydrogen stations, the sedan is only offered in the state of California and Hawaii. However, for around sixty grand, you will get an electric vehicle without the hassles and drawbacks of a conventional EV provided you reside in either of the above-mentioned places. If you are willing to experience a futuristic technology first-hand and you’re okay with the premium prices of hydrogen, then the Mirai sedan is an attractive proposition. 

Is buying a used Toyota Mirai Electric sedan a good idea?

Toyota vehicles are renowned for their ability to retain value and keep depreciation in check owing to the bullet-proof reliability and robust build quality offered by Toyota.

However, the Mirai sedan is a different ballgame. Within the warranty period it is easy to own and maintain like any other Toyota, but post that it might be an expensive option since the car comes with an advanced propulsion system and anything going wrong with it will cost a lot of money. So buying a used Mirai sedan would not be a wise decision.

The common trait of every electric vehicle is the strong surge of power and torque owing to the electric motor. The cherry on the top is the fact that all the power and torque are readily available from practically zero rpm and you only need to vary your throttle input to get the desired performance. Even though the Mirai sedan is a fuel cell powered vehicle, its basics are the same as a conventional electric car, the only difference is that it doesn’t need to be plugged in for hours.

The 2020 Toyota Mirai Electric is powered by a single permanent magnet AC electric motor that generates a maximum of 151 horsepower and 247lb-ft of torque. The motor is also aided by a 1.7kWh battery from the Camry Hybrid to supplement the motor in case of instant acceleration. Initially, the sedan feels zippy and quick but becomes sedate once the car picks up pace. The transmission is a single-speed reduction gear unit that helps in smooth power delivery under all conditions. The transmission also features a brake function that adds some regenerative braking if required. The transmission drives the front wheels of the sedan.

The Honda Clarity fuel cell is more powerful than the Mirai and it reflects in the car’s 0-60 time. However, it falls short a bit in terms of torque output as compared to the Mirai. The car’s performance dips once it crosses the 60mph mark but merging into highway traffic and overtaking maneuvers are still doable.

2020 Toyota Mirai Electric Sedan Acceleration And Braking Performance

A decent electric vehicle will always put a smile on its driver’s face every time he or she floors the throttle and Tesla is, by far, on the top of the happiness index when it comes to blisteringly quick EVs. But unfortunately not every car maker can match the standards of Tesla. The Toyota Mirai Electric sedan is not an exciting vehicle by any means when it comes to quick acceleration.

However, it does manage to complete the 0-60 dash in under 9.6 seconds. The quarter mile run is completed by the Mirai in 16.83 seconds and if you keep the throttle floored, it will max out at 111mph. The figures are adequate for a first-generation hydrogen powered sedan that emits nothing but heat and clean water.

The Honda Clarity’s motor with more power than the Mirai makes the sedan complete both the 0-60 and standing quarter-mile runs a bit faster than the latter. The official braking distance figures are not available for both the sedans but the braking prowess is equally good on both the vehicles and the regenerative braking system also aids in shedding speed faster than normal.

2020 Toyota Mirai Electric Sedan Drive Experience

Driving the 2020 Toyota Mirai Electric sedan is quite an experience if you keep in mind the complex chemical reactions going on in the background to keep the car running smoothly. Apart from that, it drives just like any regular electric vehicle in a silent manner. Handling and driving dynamics are a mixed-bag feeling but the sedan is best driven sedately since it lacks top-end grunt and high-speed maneuvers is a strict no-no with the Mirai. Apart from these, the ride quality is well sorted with independent front suspension and semi-independent rear torsion beam suspension with anti-roll bar and gas-pressurized shocks. The tires, however, offer very limited grip levels, and pushing the car too hard will result in plenty of body-roll and erratic handling. But the sedan remains composed under moderate driving conditions and smoothes out almost all the road undulations.

The steering is accurately weighted and the sedan responds instantly to the inputs but lacks the feedback like any other regular electric vehicle. There are three driving modes- Eco, Normal, and Sports. The Sports mode improves the throttle response slightly and the Eco mode helps to conserve hydrogen by damping the overall performance. The brakes do have a spongy feel owing to the regenerative function and the long stopping distance is quite noticeable when coming to a halt from high speeds.

A significantly lesser fuel cost and a pollution-free environment is EVs are designed to provide and the Mirai Electric sedan does that no questions asked. It converts hydrogen into electric energy in real-time and the only emission is clean water. The sedan offers an impressive mpg-equivalent mileage of 67 mpg and a more surprising 312 miles of range that beats a lot of hybrid vehicles in the market. But low availability and high prices of hydrogen makes this otherwise extremely economical vehicle a bit costlier to run than an average hybrid of electric vehicle.

The Honda Clarity Fuel Cell is slightly more fuel efficient than the Mirai sedan and offers an even better overall driving range of 360 miles from its bigger hydrogen tanks. It is only a test of time till the availability of hydrogen is increased and the fuel cell-powered cars undergo further advancements and developments.

The interiors of the Mirai sedan looks quite attractive and plush with a futuristic design all around. The interiors come with an option of deep ocean blue or warm white faux leather materials. The warm white faux leather interior looks the best though it is prone to collect dust easily. The seats are very comfortable with adequate support and also come with a two-level heating function. The dashboard and the interior panels are made up of soft touch plastic and don't feel cheap.

The rear seats are equally comfortable and the recline angle is just right. Sadly, only two passengers can sit comfortably at the back and there is a big center console in the middle that limits the total seating capacity to four. The cabin lacks adequate storage spaces that is quite a turn-down. There are practically no analog dials inside and the dashboard design looks like something right out of a sci-fi story. It has a total of three screens- the first one is the instrument and driver’s information cluster sitting on the top middle portion of the dashboard, the infotainment system, and the air-conditioning controls with a screen. 

Owing to the hydrogen tanks, both the Mirai sedan and the Honda Clarity sedan have a very limited cargo capacity and the rear seats also do not fold to increase the boot space. Overall, the Clarity sedan is a bit more spacious than the Mirai but loses out on the cargo capacity.

Some of the highlighted interior features of the Mirai sedan are listed below:

• Leatherette door panel trim
• Power reclining driver and passenger seat
• SofTex leatherette steering wheel
• SofTex leatherette front and rear seat upholstery
• Simulated carbon fibre instrument panel insert, door panel insert, console insert
• Driver cushion tilt
• Height adjustable passenger seat
• Heated rear seats

What is there to keep me entertained in the Toyota Mirai Electric sedan?

The infotainment system of the Mirai sedan is not basic but not highly equipped either. It incorporates a 7.0inch touchscreen display that is very easy to use and the display quality is impressive with crisp and detailed images. The navigation maps are, however, pretty basic but gets the job done. The infotainment system is paired with an 11-speaker JBL sound system that produces a rich and immersive audio output. Sadly, the system doesn’t offer Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and it is a big let-down for an electric vehicle priced at almost $60k.

The important features of the infotainment system are listed below:

• Internet accessWi-Fi Connect with up to 2GB within 3-month trial
• 11 JBL speakers
• Smart device integrationEntune 3.0
• Window grid antenna
• SiriusXM AM/FM/HD/Satellite with seek-scan
• CD player
• Automatic equalizer
• Voice activated radio
• Speed-sensitive volume
• Amplifier

Toyota has tried to experiment with the Mirai’s exterior too like they did with its propulsion system and it resulted in a weird looking sedan. The front profile looks a bit ugly with very narrow headlights but it gets full-LED low and high beam units along with LED DRLs and turn signals.

The front bumper houses large air inlets that are functional and helps to cool down the fuel cell system. The sedan looks a bit narrower than a regular sedan but the same is not the case while you’re inside. The side profile looks a bit out of the ordinary with a floating roof design and a glossy black strip design on both the front fenders. The rear of the sedan looks robotic with two separate light clusters. There is an LED strip running across the boot lid and the rear tail lamps are placed lower on either side of the rear bumper. The boot lid needs to be opened manually.

The Honda Clarity fuel cell looks a lot better than the Mirai sedan and has a better aerodynamic design. There are subtle uses of chrome trims on the outside and the beautifully designed tail lamps further adds to the design aesthetics of the sedan.

Some of the highlighted exterior features of the Mirai Electric sedan are:

• Body-colored front and rear bumpers
• Fully galvanized steel body material
• Heated door mirrors
• Power remote heated power folding side-view door mirrors with tilt down, turn signal indicator
• Front bumper with chrome rub strip

Toyota has earned its reputation with building safe and reliable vehicles for year after year without fail. Toyota never neglects the safety aspects of its valued customers and always equips its vehicles with all the necessary safety aids and driver assistance features to make everyday driving a risk-free experience. 

The Mirai Electric sedan has not been tested by the NHTSA and the IIHS for its crashworthiness but it comes with almost all the advanced safety aids and driver assistance features such as forward-collision warning with pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control, and blinf-spot monitoring system. The highlighted features of its safety suit are listed below:

• Knee airbag
• Side-impact bars
• Electronic stability
• Break resistant glass
• Forward collisionToyota Safety Sense (TSS) 2.0
• Traction control
• Curtain 1st and 2nd row overhead airbags
• Panic alarm
• Front passenger airbag occupancy sensor
• ABS and driveline traction control
• Dual front side impact airbags

2020 Toyota Mirai Electric Sedan Vs

The Honda Clarity fuel cell sedan comes from one of the most reliable carmakers in the world and impresses with its overall performance and reliability factor. It is certainly better than its hybrid and electric counterparts but the limited availability of hydrogen as fuel restricts its reach to the common folks.

When compared to the Toyota Mirai electric sedan, the Clarity is ahead of it in terms of appeal, design and performance however, the latter is only available for lease while the Mirai can be bought completely.

The 2020 Toyota Mirai Electric sedan is certainly an impressive “Green” vehicle with a futuristic propulsion technology and a huge potential for popularizing the hydrogen fuel in the near future. Except for the eccentric and weird looking exterior, the sedan has a beautiful interior and is feature loaded with a luxury vehicle price tag.

The 2020 Toyota Mirai Electric Sedan certainly packs a lot of punch in its feature-rich build and capable performance that comes out when you are out on the roads or on the highways. The trim levels are certainly priced aptly and the interiors are spacious enough to lull you into a slumber, however, surely feel lackluster in terms of luxury when you compare it with like-minded competitors.
Hence, we would recommend you pick one of the competitors, get an old one, or just wait it out for the 2022 Toyota MDX which is going to turn the tables for the moniker.