12/03/09

• Price8749
• We like...Looks, generously equipped
• We don't...Only 2 airbags as standard

Just-reworked small Mitsubishi gets new look and is packed with standard kit. Good enough now tro deserve your cash?Little cars should look cute. Mitsubishi’s Colt for 2009 gets the ‘jet fighter’ front grille from its big brother, the Lancer, which makes it look mean. But a pair of teardrop-shaped head lamps softens the effect, giving it an endearing air.

The result is a look that’ll make more than a few owners want to give it a pet name. That aside, it’s the Colt much as we knew it before. The body aside from the lamps, grille, bonnet and front bumper is carried over from the previous car, while the cabin gets a makeover.

First thing you’ll notice in our mid-range 1.3 CZ2 model is the wheel and gear knob, borrowed from the Lancer. These look and feel good, with leather wrapped around the bits you touch, and stereo buttons on the wheel to give it a ‘big car’ vibe. Otherwise, the cabin is dark and sober. While the plastics used across the dash aren’t the poshest, they’re OK for the car’s price and feel solid and lasting.

The Colt’s titchy compared to some rivals but it’s roomy for its size, giving reasonable leg- and headroom for its back benchers and space for up to five, at a squeeze. But if you go for a three-door model like ours, getting in the back is bedevilled by a driver’s seat that tips forward but won’t slide on its rails. And, it won’t return fully to its starting place, so you must re-adjust the incline to get comfy once more.

The car is nicely kitted out for its price, offering air conditioning, alloy wheels and somewhere to plug in your iPod, though it’s short on safety kit. Only two airbags come as standard where most rivals now provide at least four.

The boot’s bigger than before and now has a two-level floor to keep your belongings in order.

The 1.3 petrol engine is a revvy little beast, making the car quite fun to punt along a country road. But it will also settle to a muted hum on the motorway, helping to make the car restful on a longer trip. Fuel economy and emission figures are good.
The ride and steering rates as ‘fine’ rather than ‘great’. The Colt picks up town bumps and ruts easily, though it’s better at speed, while the steering is accurate without imparting much of the feel that makes driving a joy.

Second-hand, the previous model is popular – so much so that first-rate ones aren’t especially cheap. That said, buyers seem happy to pay that bit more in return for Mitsubishi’s excellent reliability record.

New, the car is keenly priced against rivals. However, it dsn’t excel in any one area against rivals, while all-new designs like the Ford Fiesta trump it for refinement and driver responses.

Even so, if you like those looks – and we think many will – it’s a likeable car and you could do far worse.

For new and second-hand Mitsubishi Colts, go to motors.co.uk
 

• Engines1.3 petrol
• Power94bhp
• 0-60 mph11.0secs
• Economy48.7mpg
• CO2g/km138
• Insurance groups
• EuroNCAP
• Airbags2
• Seats5

Motors.co.uk value verdict: