2004 Mitsubishi Colt Reviews

Mitsubishi Colt was relaunched in Australia in September 2004 after being missing for several years. Early models were made in Australia, these latter ones are fully imported from Japan.Colt’s big features are its radical body style and the number of interesting variants in which it is offered. We love the way the windscreen pillars run all the way from the roof down to the bumper without any deviation from a straight line. Interestingly, the facelifted version, introduced in April 2007, had quite lot of the rear-end redesign done by the Australian styling office of Mitsubishi.Inside, the look is as radical as the exterior; the Colt's wave-shaped dash has stylish instruments housed in a lavishly curved binnacle. There's good interior space for four people with sensible legroom in the adjustable rear seat. A fifth person will find comfort is compromised in the centre-rear by the join-line in the seatback.Boot space is restricted if the back seat is set all the way rearwards to achieve the best legroom. Colt can carry one large suitcase in a vertical position, with some room around it for softer baggage. The back seat can be double-folded to create a lot more room. The spare wheel is a small unit for temporary use only to make the boot deeper.Ride comfort is better than average for this class and overall refinement is as good as that of a car in the next size class upwards. However, handling is on the soft side, being aimed at the average driver rather than the enthusiast.The standard Mitsubishi Colt is powered by a 1.5-litre twin-cam engine. It was at the forefront of technology for its time and provides good torque that’s well suited to driving a CVT. Colt automatics use a new design of continuously variable transmission (CVT). The manual is a conventional five-speed unit.Mitsubishi Colt Ralliart, sold from July 2006 until mid 2010, has a turbocharged and intercooled 1.5-litre engine. Despite the apparent high-performance credentials is only has 113 kW of power so is not really in the hot-hatch category - but look at the low price. The Ralliart Colt has a more rigid body than the standard Colt and there's sports suspension, complemented by upgraded brakes and larger wheels and tyres.The most interesting Mitsubishi Colt of them all is the Cabriolet, which went on sale in November 2006. It's a tiny car with odd styling that bulges at the back and slopes down in a somewhat disconcerting manner at the front. At best it can be described as cute. Colt Cabriolet is sold with a turbocharged engine that’s closely related to the one used in the Ralliart model, but with slightly less power, at just 110 kW. The lower power is noticeable as the body gains wait due to being beefed up underneath to support the lack of a solid roof.Though Mitsubishi has pulled out of local manufacturing in Australia the company is continuing as a major importer and has an ongoing commitment to providing spare parts, repairs and servicing. Insurance costs for Mitsubishi Colts vary dramatically. The turbocharged variants, particularly the Ralliart attract huge premiums. If looking at the latter and you are a young, inexperienced driver and live in a high-risk area make sure you get insurance quotes before falling in love with the hotter Colts.WHAT TO LOOK FORBody damage, or signs of it having been repaired, is a worry on any car, but especially so in the Ralliart variant of the Colt. Look for body panels that don’t line up correctly, on colours that don’t match from one panel to another. Tiny spots of paint on areas that should be clear, glass and badges are another cue.Look thoroughly inside a cabriolet for signs of dampness or water stains as it may have been caught out in the rain. Get permission to lift the carpets and check the conditions underneath them. Make sure any version of the Colt engine starts easily and idles reasonably smoothly.A turbocharged engine should have a minimum of lag. During your road test be aware that anything upwards of a second could be a worry. The turbo shouldn’t be overly noisy in operation. Check on the service books of any car, particularly if it’s a turbo as the latter needs to have engine oil changes according to schedule. As well as having the complete dynamic system examined.Listen and feel for a transmission that works smoothly and quietly. Make sure the brakes pull the Colt up promptly and that no one wheel locks before the others.CAR BUYING TIPSmall cars often live tougher lives than large ones because of their constant exposure to urban traffic. So low kilometre readings are not necessarily a good thing.

Mitsubishi also called up the Grandis people mover this year and updated the Outlander to kick harder against its compact four-wheel-drive rivals.They are selling strongly, boosting support for a brand anchored by the Pajero but deserving better for the Magna and the Verada.The Colt has been pitched as a quality compact with European styling and a punchy engine, all wrapped in a new-age body. It was developed jointly by Mitsubishi and DaimlerChrysler.The Colt is a good looker and distinctive, but the starting price of $18,990 is too high.The cabin quality is disappointing; the transmission, a constantly variable automatic, is nothing special; and the car doesn't drive all that well.The bottom line, critical when the small-car scene is so competitive, is that the Colt isn't good enough to compete.The strategy was to take the Colt up and away from the $15,000 bargain battlers, banking on its European connections and a big five-door body that's more like a mini people-mover.Mitsubishi also believed the bigger engine would give it an edge over rivals with 1.3-litre powerplants.The 1.5-litre 16-valve engine and the CVT transmission feed power to the front wheels.There is nothing special in the suspension, with MacPherson struts and a torsion-beam rear axle, and it still comes with drum brakes on the back.The dash is under a huge windscreen and looks trendy, with a column-mounted shift lever for the automatic.The cabin leads the class for space and headroom, and the rear seat is on slides, with a reclining backrest similar to the Mazda2's. There are two models, but most of the action will be for the LS. The XLS gets a tachometer, leather-wrapped steering wheel, alloy wheels and other bits for $20,990.Mitsubishi believes it can sell 400 Colts a month, the LS taking 60 per cent.In its first few months, and without the XLS kick, it has managed only 326, though it did better in October with 233.The Jazz is romping away, with 846 sales in October.WE WANTED so much for the Colt to be a winner. It looks good, at least from the outside, and it has all the ingredients to do the job if you ignore the premium price.But even if the recipe is right, the result is wrong in 2004.The Colt is sub-par on quality, particularly against its price rivals, and is nothing special to drive.It is not as good as an Echo or a Getz on the road, let alone be a genuine contender against the Mazda2 and the Jazz.How did it happen? We don't know, because Mitsubishi has proven many times it knows how to build good cars. The Magna is still a good drive. Not the Colt.Fuel economy is good at just under 9 litres/100km, the engine is strong, and the cabin has a lot of space for people and/or luggage.It would be a good weekend carryall for someone with a mountain bike or a hiking obsession.Still, we're making excuses, and that's not good enough.There is not much to make you smile, apart from a reasonable CD sound system. The cabin looks cheap, the back seat is upright and uncomfortable, and even the front seats feel narrow and thin. It doesn't even have a centre console, which is an option.On the driving side, we can almost excuse the CVT transmission – Honda does a much better job by setting up steps that act like gears – because the 72kW engine is so eager. It will push the car along well enough, once you adjust to a gearbox that sounds as if it has perpetual clutch slip.But we can't excuse brakes that don't have nearly enough bite.The Colt rides well, coping reasonably with bumps and humps, but it doesn't want to turn corners. Even at slow speeds it feels skittish, with little rear grip.Perhaps that's why the brakes feel as if you need to shove harder than expected for a moderate stop.The turning circle is good, the headlamps are fine, and it's good to have aircon, power steering, twin airbags and anti-skid brakes.Still, we would never pick the Colt over a Mazda2 or a Honda Jazz, even if it has a bigger engine, and that sums it up.IT WOULD be great if the Colt was a star, but it's not.

Which all drew a perplexed response from the mother-in-law when she spotted a new Colt in the driveway – a Colt that looked nothing like her ever-faithful 19-year-old Mitsubishi with the same name.Little wonder – only the name is the same. The old Colt was a conventional five-door hatch. The latest looks more like a pregnant door wedge.The new face of Mitsubishi's small car line-up is a space-efficient cutey with five doors, a miserly 1.5-litre engine up front, a CVT auto gearbox and a European-styled minimalistic interior.In a photograph it looks back at you like a little toy, perhaps a mini-car thing rivalling the Daewoo Matiz or Hyundai Getz.In fact, though it looks weeny – a by-product of its pointed snout – it has a comfortable, four-adult interior.It also has a more grown-up price than the Matiz and Getz. At a base price of $18,990 – though $20,990 for the XLS tested – the Colt has lots of serious rivals.What makes this car so attractive, however, is the way it does its job of transporting people and cargo in comfort and with a tiny thirst.The Colt has an upright stance that makes it easy to get in and out. If the leg-room doesn't surprise you, the height of the headliner certainly will.The simplicity of the dash makes it an easy car to operate, though you have to get used to the bent stick jabbing out from the left of the steering column – that's the gear selector – and the annoying dwarf pedal down on the floor that turns out to be the foot-operated parking brake.Sticking this stuff out of the firewall and the dash keeps the mess off the floor, so that's why the interior looks uncluttered and airy. In effect, it also does the owner a disservice because in an attempt to keep everything clean and simple there's only a small console for your personal items.In fact, the base model doesn't get a console.On the road the car is quiet yet feels sprightly. Part of that is the CVT (continuously-variable transmission) which is like an automatic without specific gears.The transmission slides up and down ratios according to available engine power, so it always finds the best gear for the conditions.Best news is that the CVT boxes are more economical on fuel than a manual gearbox. The unusual bit is that as the speedo rises, the tacho needle is falling.Because it's quite a small thing, the Colt practically turns on a 20c piece and fits into tiny parking spaces.The steering is electrically-assisted, which means it is so light that it takes some getting used to.The Colt suits an owner wanting flexibility – thanks to its split-fold rear seats and wide and tall rear hatch – and generally travels in the city and suburbs.It's pleasing to see another top-shelf product from Mitsubishi.

For me, it was dad's old, rusting wagon – it could fit up to six of my friends at a squeeze, it was ever reliable and even when fuel prices were hovering around $1 a litre (yes, New Zealand had expensive petrol 12 years ago), it was economical to run.For many, the old Colt may have been your trusty steed.Now, the Colt has resurfaced and it's had a facelift. The trend for sleek lines is obvious and its simple, arched shape makes it impressively tall, despite this being classed as a light car.We all know the size of a car is important. It's a big issue with guys, although most women won't mind so much as long as it handles well, it looks good and behaves itself. So it was down to McLaren Vale for a leisurely lunch (alas, no wine) to see how well the Colt handled. And handle it does – smooth and quiet.The 1.5-litre four-cylinder DOHC engine with MIVEC provides ample power for a car of this size and, apparently, the transmission is so intelligent it will "learn" an individual driver's driving style and adapt for the best possible performance and efficiency. Great, but don't ask me how it does it.And be prepared, the Colt is a column shift. When I picked it up I was already running late for an appointment so imagine my horror when I saw, oh no, a column shift.Decision time: I could take my chances and potentially kill the car or I could run back to the office and get Kevin from Mitsubishi to explain how it works.Considering this car doesn't get released until next month, I opted to get Kevin.Of course, it turns out the column shift is automatic and it's as simple as putting your foot on the brake, flicking the shift down a notch and checking the dash to see what gear you have selected.Luckily my appointment didn't chastise me for being late and I did manage to find out from Kevin that the Colt has a storage compartment under the passenger seat – perfect for stashing CDs or small bags out of sight. Wouldn't have found that if it hadn't been for the column shift.Speaking of the seats, they are pretty cushy and I imagine they would be great when travelling long distances. In the back it's a bench seat so there's plenty of room to move and three adults can fit in easily.In the front, all the essentials are at your fingertips – CD/stereo, airconditioning with a pollen filter, power windows, childproof locks and a sundhroof for taking advantage of the nicer weather. It also has dual airbags, ABS and EBD (Electronic Brakeforce Distribution) brakes.So, considering the reasonable price tag and that all the mod cons come as standard, the cute little Colt has a lot to offer. By the way, there's plenty of cup holders.