2007 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.

Styled by Italian design studio Pininfarina, the Colt Cabriolet is at once stylish and goofy looking, particularly in profile with the roof up.The rear deck is too flat and long and the bubble shaped cabin too large and bulbous, creating an unbalanced appearance.With the roof down, however, the car looks like a million bucks.One thing's for sure, it's certainly got some get up and go with the 1.5-litre turbo aboard.Pininfarina has been responsible for a range of diverse and iconic designs over the years, including the Jaguar XJS, Peugeot 206CC and recently released Volvo C70 coupe/cabriolet.The company specialises in soft and hard topped roof solutions and its expertise is employed by many manufacturers.Mitsubishi says the roof system was the first thing that Pininfarina developed for the Colt Cabrio during the design phase.The roof was engineered and tested in its wind tunnel at Grugliasco, to guarantee the highest standards of safety and functionality.The fact Pininfarina engineered both the Pug and Mitsubishi cabrios is a point of interest, as the two are rivals, with a new Pug set to heat up things shortly.Our test car was certainly an eye-catcher finished in burnt metallic orange, but with a pair of the tiniest back seats that we have ever laid eyes on.There's little or no legroom for rear seat passengers and you've got to wonder why they bothered?The turbocharged engine develops 110KW of power at 6000rpm and 210Nm of torque at 3500rpm, slightly less power than the Ralliart Colt.In comparison the cheaper naturally aspirated model delivers 80kW at 6000rpm and 145Nm at 4000rpm.The force fed engine features a weight- saving hollow camshaft.Other changes have been made to accommodate the higher power output, with stronger engine and gearbox mountings, plus higher spring rates to cope with the demands of more harder acceleration and spirited handling.The turbocharged engine is mated to a five- speed Getrag manual transmission, with a revised gear set - there's no auto.Rounding off the package are 16in alloys fitted with 205/45 rubber.The end result is a car that's a bit of a tearaway, able to spin the wheels off the line, and again when changing to second gear and one that is something of a handful in the wet.Weighing in at 1200kg, it can sprint from 0 to 100km/h in 8.4 seconds and has a top speed of 205km/h.Fuel consumption from the 47-litre tank is rated at 7.2 litres/100km.We found the turbo a fun car to drive, but not exactly what you'd call cheap motoring at $37,990 plus on-roads.The roof is easily removed, with a locking clamp at each corner and luggage screen in the boot that must be extended before the roof will operate.Too much luggage and the roof will refuse to open.There's some body flex with the roof open, particularly on bumpy secondary roads - but not too much.The top of the windscreen is quite high and this minimises wind intrusion.The power-operated windows can be tricky, as one set of controls operates both front and rear windows, with a pause required between the two.You get leather and heated front seats standard, but the finish inside smacks of plastic and the sound system failed to impress.Handling is generally good, but we were wary of executing any fast cornering in the wet.It's reassuring to know that Active Stability Control (incorporating Active Traction Con- trol) is fitted along with anti-lock brakes to stop things getting out of hand.Strong front pillars and windshield frame are designed to support the car in a roll over accident, without the need for rear roll bars.Driver, passenger and side airbags are also fitted.

A high entry price, lack of a manual option and styling that caused it to blend with the baby-car crowd didn't help.Relief came last year with a manual version, which dropped the base price to $15,990, and a Ralliart edition that added spice.Mitsubishi has added two drop-top models to the Colt club and it has kept a lid on the cost. The base Colt Cabriolet, at $32,990, is one of the most affordable top-down cruisers along with the soon-to-be replaced Peugeot 207cc ($32,990).A turbo-charged version gets a performance and equipment boost and costs $37,990.Like its rivals, the Colt convertible has a folding metal hard-top.Mitsubishi turned to Italian design house Pininfarina to help create the multicultural Colt Cabriolet.Basics of the original Colt were designed between Mitsubishi of Japan and German/American giant DaimlerChrysler, panels come from the Netherlands, the engine is from Germany and Japan, and it is put together and finished by Pininfarina.Technically, the Cabriolet is a four-seater, but Mitsubishi describes it as a 2'2; that means the rear seats are small and unlikely to suit adults.The folding roof is easy to use. Fold back two roof clips above either side of the top of the windscreen and press a button on the driver's door armrest and it will fold into the boot.The boot space is reasonable with the roof up, but is cut dramatically when the roof is down.Mitsubishi was unable to fit in a spare wheel or even a space-saver, so the car has a pump-up repair kit.The base model convertible has the same 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine as the Colt hatch, but adds 3kW and 4Nm. That means it has a total of 80kW and 145Nm.The force-fed engine in the Cabriolet Turbo bumps that to 110kW and 210Nm, which means it gets along OK, but is certainly not a sports car. Both are available only with a five-speed manual transmission. There is no automatic option.Safety gear for the base model includes anti-skid brakes and driver and passenger front and side airbags.The cheaper Colt Cabriolet misses out on electronic stability control, which is standard in the Turbo.The convertible Colt has stronger A-pillars and windshield bracing, and other structural reinforcements, which Mitsubishi says negates the need for roll hoops at the rear.Both Colt Cabriolets have 16-inch alloy wheels. The Turbo model has heftier brakes. ON THE ROADTHE Colt Cabriolet is an affordable summer fun car, but is not perfect.No one can argue about the price — $32,990 for a convertible with a folding top is great value.It doesn't have a heap of power, but the 1.5-litre engine is fine if you push it along.The manual gearbox is not the sharpest I have used, but it works well enough. It could do with an extra gear for cruising though because the Colt buzzes along at close to 3000 revs on the highway, annoying on a long trip.And the lack of an automatic could be a problem. Car companies say small convertibles are mainly bought by young women, many of whom prefer an automatic.The Colt is cheap to run and has fuel-consumption figures of 7.1l — that means more money for sunscreen. The folding metal roof is impressive engineering and easy to use.Generally, folding hard-tops are better that soft-tops, which are cheaper to produce, lighter and take less room, but also create wind noise in the cabin and can look tatty.I enjoyed a country drive in the Colt Cabriolet, which is nimble and handles well with the roof up. It is no supercar, and the electric-assisted steering gives little idea of where the car is sitting, but it was fun to push along and quite comfortable.Then I folded the roof into the boot and the car became loose and wobbly, just as the bad convertibles of old. Bumps that didn't bother the car when the roof was up sent a shudder through its body. On smooth roads it is OK, but even around town, potholes and tram tracks made the top-down Colt shake.Potential customers should drop the roof when they test drive the car.The Colt's styling is plain, especially when compared with the Holden Tigra, which has a unique, sporty look. The Colt has a tall boot to accommodate the roof, similar to other small hardtop convertibles, which can look strange.The interior is nice. The test car had orange seats and the dashboard and dials had a quality feel. Functional trays and cupholders are welcome. The rear seats are for children only.Boot space is excellent with the roof up, but is virtually non-existent when the roof is down. THE BOTTOM LINEGOOD-VALUE summer fun, but comes with compromises. A wobbly body when the roof is down spoils a good drive.64/100