Mitsubishi Colt Hatchback 2004-2008

Mitsubishi Colt is a very popular supermini that bar a couple of short intervals has been around since 1962. It has seen seven generations and has really made a long up-and-down journey from a wacky kei-car to a boring mini and now to a modern and completely different city car. The new Colt is a versatile little car with an aerodynamic body and a good selection of engines.

Pros and Cons:

• An articulate European design
  A comfortable and exciting cockpit
  Exceptional economy both with petrol and diesel engines
  Convenient and practical for city life

• Badly optimised auto gearboxes
  Not ideal for highway driving
  A rather inconvenient boot space

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Exterior and Interior

The 7th generation Colt is an international project overseen by a French designer Olivier Boulay. The car has a truly Japanese character, but it is being built in the Netherlands. It shares a common platform with the little Swiss-German cracker, the Smart For4, but is much more spacious than its European relative.

It's the first Colt generation to feature a microvan body appearance with indistinctive front end and a smooth single-volume body. The car is created with aerodynamics in mind with the windscreen, the rear end of the roof, the mirrors and even the small wind-spoilers around the wheels at the lower end of the sills have been designed to reduce the air resistance. As it often happens with cars like the Colt, the A-pillars reduce visibility, so extra care and attention is needed when driving it.

The interior design is fresh and funny. The central console resembles a robot face and the silvery (cheap plastic) column that runs from the lower end of the central console towards the gear lever assembly adds to the overall informal character. The steering wheel is original and pleasant to hold while the overlapping dials make the interior look sportier. The anatomical front seats are very comfortable and the rear seats are big enough for two adults. Due to the risen roofline, the car was supposed to be able to carry three passengers at the back, however, the seat belt buckles have been placed so close together that the middle passenger will find sitting at the back of the Colt quite an uncomfortable experience. The boot compartment is a painful experience, it's difficult to access and the rear seats can only be partly folded which doesn't leave much space for luggage.

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Engines

There's a decent selection of various engines available. The range starts with a 1.1-litre 74bhp petrol engine and continues with 1.3-litre 94bhp and 1.5-litre 107bhp petrol engines. There's also a 1.5-litre diesel engine with 94bhp.

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Performance and Economy

The Mitsubishi Colt is an economical little car. It's city version (not that there is a distinctive highway version, though) with the basic 1.1-litre engine offers 51mpg. With the 1.3-litre unit economy drops to 47mpg and by the time we put the 1.5-litre sporty motor in play it's already 45mpg, which still isn't bad for a petrol engine. The top petrol version is actually a good one. It produces 107bhp, which in such a small car transforms it into a small rocket, if only the suspension could keep up. Acceleration to 60mph in less than 10 seconds is a possibility. The only diesel version makes for a good city option achieving 58mpg on average.

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What it's like to Drive

Certainly not as good as driving the larger Mitsubishi Lancer, so why do both cars costing roughly the same? The Colt does the job in the city as it is convenient, manoeuvrable and easy to park. On a motorway though it behaves erratically and emits too much noise. Also if you want to have any fun when driving, avoid a Colt with an automatic gearbox.

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Faults and Repairs

The car is built in Europe and the quality is good. The materials used in the cabin could be of a better quality, especially for the cost. You may find that the interior rattles and even disintegrates with too much use. Driving a Mitsubishi Colt, you'll soon get used to the fact that the excessive noise doesn't necessarily mean something is wrong. From the technical point of view it's the auto gearbox and power steering that can cause the most headaches and repair nightmares. Older cars can suffer from leaks, so it's worth looking for any signs of water stains when buying a used Mitsubishi Colt.

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