Mitsubishi Colt 2004 Review

What we liked
>> Plenty of equipment
>> Quiet cabin, smooth ride
>> 'Seamless' CVT gearshifts

Not so much
>> Steering lacks feel, accuracy
>> Ancient stereo head unit
>> Low-rent plastics

OVERVIEW
To call it make or break is laughable, but to underestimate the job ahead of any manufacturer's 'entry-level' vehicle is equally lamentable.

For many buyers, the cute compact Colt will be their first taste of a Mitsubishi product, and we all know what they say about first impressions. Not only does it have to be affordable, well equipped and well presented, it must also perform strongly both on paper against the competition and in real world conditions. Anything less, and Mitsubishi could lose a life-long customer, something that the struggling Japanese carmaker cannot risk.

So, what's this Colt, then? Does the name sound familiar? It should, because it's adorned other bargain-priced Mitsubishis from time to time, most recently back in 1990 on the rump of a small five-door hatch. And yes, this 21st century rebirth is also a small five-door hatch, this time with overt European styling on the outside and packed to the gills with equipment on the inside.

There will be two models initially, both built around the same basic mechanicals, which we'll get to further down. Mitsubishi is working on a 3-door version, which may join the range either as a stripped-down price leader, or a pumped-up performance model (the CZ-T show car featured a turbocharger and all-wheel drive!). Or both. Either way, expect it late in 2005, or early 2006.

FEATURES
Let's look closer at what's on offer today. The five-seat, five-door Colt is not big by any standards, measuring 3.87m long, 1.68m wide and 1.55m tall. That's almost identical dimensions to the popular Honda Jazz, the car it'll have to beat to win buyers.

Mitsubishi's tactics differ from Honda in a number of ways, not the least being the restricted range. One engine, one transmission, and only two specification levels have dictated a burger-with-the-lot pricing structure. There's little you'd want for with the Colt; it comes standard with air conditioning, remote central locking, engine immobiliser, electric windows and mirrors, CD player and ABS ant-lock brakes.

Pricing at launch started at $18,990 for the LS and $20,990 for the XLS. Pony up the extra $2k for the XLS and you'll get a leather-bound steering wheel, tachometer, 15in alloy wheels, fog lights, a centre console (between the seats) and a sporty bodykit.

The options list is commendably brief, reinforcing Mitsubishi's high value, low price commitment with the Colt. Side airbags, metallic paint and a sunroof are about the only 'cost-extra' choices buyers will have.

COMFORT
Important in any car, and commendable on the Colt. There's good leg and headroom in the front seats, and shoulder-room to spare. The driver's seat adjusts for height, tilt and slide, and the steering wheel does tilt adjust, but a lack of telescopic adjustment left this driver with a second rate seating position.

All controls are well placed and easy to use, if a little dated, and there's plenty of storage cubby-holes for phones, keys, magazines, maps and the like.

The slightly higher second row of seats are not short on legroom or headroom thanks to a relatively upright seating position. Outboard occupants get three-point seatbelts, while the middle-man gets dudded by a less than satisfactory lap-only belt. That said, it's unlikely to be occupied all that often because there's insufficient shoulder room for three teens, let alone three adults.

Boot-space is pretty good for a compact car, thanks partly to the omission of a full-sized spare tyre under the floor (space saver only). There's a number of clever storage features inside the cabin, like an under-seat draw in the front and 'curry' hooks dotted throughout. Though quite why a central bin between the front seats is an optional ($$$) extra is beyond us. Sounds like a sneaky way to make a few extra dollars.

SAFETY
All Colt models come equipped with dual airbags up front and seat belt pretensioners on front seat belts. Side and curtain airbags are on the options list. Brake and throttle pedals break off in a frontal collission, reducing the chance of foot injuries. All electric windows are 'anti-trapping', and the seat backs and headrests are designed to minimise whiplash injuries.

Big cross on the Colt's safety score sheet to the two-point seatbelt in the centre rear. Given the propensity for kids to sit in the middle -- so parents up front can see them and also so the child can see ahead -- and given the documented safety shortcomings of a lap-only belt as an effective restraint, this is poor form by Mitsubishi. Hands up any adult who has no qualms about putting their child at risk... Our advice: don't use this seat...

other safety gripe with the Colt is the too-large A-pillar either side of the windscreen, which hampers the driver's view when cornering.

One interesting safety point is the fitment of less-advanced drum brakes on the rear wheels despite the use of more effective disc brakes at the front. Purists will tell you this is a safety issue, and they'd be right, but for the wrong reasons.

In everyday situations the rear brakes do less than 20 per cent of the braking. Why? Largely because of the significant weight transference to the front under brakes, which reduces rear tyre grip. Efficient disc brakes on the rear, particularly on a light car like the Colt (which weights just 1025kg) could actually be a safety hazard prone to locking up the rear wheels. So, four discs are not always better than two discs and two drums.

At no time on our test did we find the Colt's braking performance wanting, especially with ABS antilock brakes and EBD Electronic BrakeForce Distribution standard. It does need more feel through the pedal, and a more progressive stroke, however.

MECHANICAL
Under the bonnet rests a 1.5-litre, four cylinder engine, equipped with Mitsubishi's MIVEC variable valve timing system which produces 72kW of power and 131Nm of torque. Not exactly class leading, but adequate nonetheless. Power is put to the ground via the front wheels and a super-smooth CVT transmission.

CVT stands for Continuously Variable Transmission, and it's a revolutionary new gearbox that eschews traditional gear sets for two cones and a connecting belt. The result is an infinite choice of gear ratios, and seamlessly smooth acceleration because there's no 'gear changes'. Mitsubishi's not first with this technology, not by a long shot, but it is the first company to offer it as the sole transmission choice.

Mitsubishi Australia claims the Colt returns a fuel consumption rating of 6.4 litres/100km (91 RON) -- that's near best in class.

COMPETITORS
The Mitsubishi Colt is one part of a three horse race involving the Honda Jazz and Mazda 2. The Colt presents a strong argument on value-for-money over the other two, though it can't match Jazz's innovative interior, or Mazda 2's sporty handling.

There's a string of second tier competition, which vary wildly in specification, price and performance. Hyundai Getz, Daewoo Kalos, Citroen C3, Ford Fiesta, Holden Barina, Toyota Echo, Renault Clio and Peugeot 206 all compete on various levels.

ON THE ROAD
Despite all the bad publicity and speculation surrounding Mitsubishi's financial woes in 2003/4, there's no denying cars that wear the three diamond badge are usually good, solid performers. Magna's a fine front-wheel drive sedan struggling in a country dominated by large rear drive cars. Lancer's a reliable performer, and the big Pajero's a long-time favourite with bush bashers and urban families alike.

So it's no great surprise to discover the Colt's of a similar vein. It's a fantastic small car which promises years of practical, reliable service. Still, if I were Mitsubishi, wanting to exorcise those well publicised demons, I'd be keen to turn out cars near perfect in every way. Good enough would not be good enough.

Colt's onroad manners are exemplary. It rides very well for a small car and handles the bumps with aplomb. The cabin was impressively quiet on our test, so much so that the tyre noise sounded extra loud. Mitsubishi tells us the test car had incorrect tyres fitted, and we'll recheck tyre noise when we test the Colt again.

The CVT transmission takes a little getting used to, especially the lack of rev rise and fall. But you can't beat the smoothness of the Colt's acceleration, and the seamless way it adjusts to different throttle openings. The Colt's scorecard looks pretty good so far, and overall it is good. But there are a couple of issues that hold the Colt back from greatness.

First off, the electrically assisted steering, which loaded up heavily on us during a three-point turn. It's also curiously vague at straight ahead, and has enough slack in the system to let the Colt wander gently across the road without the driver being told. Turn into a corner and communication between driver and car doesn't improve; it's very hard to feel how much front end grip is available, or how much work the front tyres are doing. Quite disconcerting, but not dangerous. Disconnected; like eating a meal without the sense of taste.

Then there's the interior. Quick, what's the second and third most used controls after those that drive the car? Stereo and air conditioning, right? And the Colt's are visual throwbacks to the 1980s which make no attempt to assimilate with the otherwise modern and funky interior. The dash plastics are pretty mundane also, though some effort's been made with vertical silver highlights and a sea-shell shaped instrument binnacle.

These two areas are not a reason to avoid the Colt, because overall it's a highly desirable compact hatch which offers good performance, almost-class-leading fuel economy and a versatile, practical interior. It's loaded with all the kit you'll need and comes at a knockout price -- and deserves its place high up on the shopping list.