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21/07/2008
By EWAN KENNEDY
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The Mitsubishi Colt is a Japanese designed car which was built in Australia for many years during the 1980s and into the early ‘90s. It had an excellent reputation for being tough and long lasting and many Australian owners were delighted with the low running costs.
Though the latter day Colts being reviewed here had virtually nothing in common mechanically and in their bodies with the originals, they maintain the tradition of being well made and rugged. While they are fully imported from Japan, the fact that the world automotive marques had moved in a global direction means that the current Colts are well suited to Australian driving conditions. In the suburbs, that is, you wouldn’t want to spend your driving life on corrugated dirt roads in the far outback.
 Colt was relaunched in Australia in September 2004 as a five-door hatchback, though it had been on sale in Japan for couple of years before reaching us, its radical body styling still looked bang up to date. Especially smart is the way the windscreen pillars continue all the way down to the bumper without any deviation from a straight line. The bonnet bulges just enough to turn the front of the Colt into a fascinating machine. However, looked at directly from the rear, the Colt is a bit pear-shaped.
Interestingly, the facelifted version, as introduced here, had quite lot of the rear design work in the car done by Australia's part of the Mitsubishi team.
Hindsight says Colt was one of the leaders in the 2008 push by Mitsubishi Australia to move to imported cars only. As such it had plenty of backing locally and from the Japanese head office.
Inside, the Colt's cabin is as modern as the body it sits inside. There's a wave-shaped dash with stylish instruments housed in a lavishly curved binnacle. There's good interior space for four people with sensible legroom in the 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 tyre is 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.
 This cute little Mitsubishi is powered by a 1.5-litre twin-cam engine. Again it’s at the forefront of technology, with variable valve timing on the inlet valves. It 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 conventional five-speed unit.
Mitsubishi Colt Ralliart, sold from July 2006, is something special; a five-door hot hatch at a pretty modest price. Power comes from a turbocharged and intercooled 1.5-litre engine that generates 113 kW of power, and 210 Nm of torque at 3500 rpm. It’s not really in the Subaru WRX class for performance, but look at that 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.
Finally, there's the somewhat strange looking Mitsubishi Colt Cabriolet convertible. A tiny car that bulges at the back and slopes down in a somewhat disconcerting manner at the front it make up in cuteness what it lacks in elegance.
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. Allied to the extra weight of the open body, the lower power is noticeable. But there's more than enough pep for the average driver.
 Now that the motoring public has come to realise that withdrawing from local manufacturing doesn’t mean the Japanese giant if leaving Australia, new-car sales of Mitsubishis are booming. This will not only help resale values of existing used cars, but also ensure an ongoing commitment to spare parts supplies and servicing.
Insurance costs for Mitsubishi Colts vary dramatically. The turbocharged variants, particularly in Ralliart format may bring requests for huge premiums, especially if you are young, inexperienced behind the wheel and live in a high-risk area. Make sure you get quotes on costs before committing to the car.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
The standard hatches are pretty well screwed together, but make sure the engine starts easily, the transmission works smoothly and quietly and that the car doesn’t wander off the straight and narrow on the road.
Check the brakes pull it up promptly and that no one wheel locks before the others.
Body 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. And for tiny spots of paint on areas that should be clear, glass and badges are the easiest to see.
The turbocharged engine should have a minimum of lag, anything upwards of a second could be a worry, and 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.
Look thoroughly inside a Cabriolet for signs of dampness or water stains as it may have been caught out in the rain. If it’s OK with the owner, lift the carpets to check the conditions underneath them.
HOW MUCH?
Expect to spend from $8000 to $12,000 for a 2004 Colt LS; $9500 to $14,000 for a 2004 XLS; $12,000 to $18,000 for a 2006 VR-X; $18,000 to $26,000 for a 2006 Ralliart; $20,000 to $29,000 for a 2007 Colt Cabriolet; and $24,000 to $33,000 for a Cabriolet Turbo.
CAR BUYING TIP
A small magnet will be attracted to metal, but not plastic or fibreglass, and is an ideal way of checking on body or rust repairs that haven't been done professionally. |
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