Not so little Colt car review
20/12/12
By Peter Hayward
Driving Force
THE Mitsubishi Colt rides reasonably comfortably and handles brilliantly with very strong road-holding and grip and lovely safe balance through the corners.
All come with Mitsubishi’s very strong reliability record backing them up, so there’s real peace of mind even if you intend to keep one for a few years.
The most enjoyable cars in the range are those with the smallest 1.1 and 1.3 petrol engines.
Despite only having three cylinders, the 1.1-litre in the cheapest ‘Red’ model is great fun with a good 74bhp on tap, making it peppy and full of fun. It also sounds brilliant when pressed up the rev range, where it stays smooth and reasonably quiet.
The 94bhp 1.3 next up the range is also excellent but the largest 1.5 is a bit gruff and not much quicker and the diesel is a little slow.
Economy is excellent – even better in the eco special Cleartec – and performance is even surprisingly good in this one.
Interior
The Colt is much bigger than other superminis - almost making it a mini-MPV - with plenty of interior space, a reasonable boot and a rear seat that slides to make more boot space.
The power steering is positive and direct with loads of feel, there is very little roll in corners and the front seats hold reasonably well.
FAST FACTS
Mitsubishi Colt 1.3
Price: Pay about £2,600 for an ’07 07-reg CZ2, or £5,400 for a ’10 10-reg Cleartec
Mechanical: 94bhp, 1,332cc, 4cyl petrol engine driving front wheels via 5-speed manual gearbox
Max speed: 111mph
0-62mph: 10.6 seconds
Combined mpg: 48
Insurance group: 5
CO2 emissions: 130g/km
Main rival: Vauxhall Corsa
Motors.co.uk value verdict:
