New Car Road Test - Mitsubishi Colt Red

Mitsubishi has never had much success in the small car market. Not at least until the arrival of the latest generation Colt supermini.

Though sales have been steadier than the importers would have liked, they're a lot more buoyant than anything the brand has managed in this sector before.

The reason? Well most experts are agreed that this car is up there with the class-leading small runabouts.

Many models of this kind work best in their cheapest guises and the Colt is no exception. Here, we're looking at the entry-level Red variant, priced at an eminently reasonable £7,399 in three-door form (the only bodyshape offered in this particular trim level).

Swaying potential buyers away from a Volkswagen Polo or a Ford Fiesta isn't going to be an easy task but if styling counts for anything, the Colt 3-door has a clear head start.

Equipment on the Red version we look at here is a lot more comprehensive than you might expect. You'll find a radio CD with four speakers, 14" steel wheels with trims, power steering, driver & passenger airbags, front electric windows with anti-trap and a one-touch function, ABS with EBD (Electronic Brakeforce Distribution), an engine immobiliser, remote central locking including deadlocks, ISO-FIX child seat anchorage points, front and rear intermittent wipers and washers and colour keyed treatment for the front and rear bumpers and tailgate handle.

Oh, and the rear seat reclines and splits 60/40. Air conditioning is the only extras box you might want to tick, at around £600.

The Colt is a landmark car for Mitsubishi in any number of ways.

It needs to be too, as Mitsubishi is a company that has lost its way in recent years.

Yes, the Lancer Evo and the L200 Warrior pick up may garner some appreciative nods but little else in the Mitsubishi range is a big enough draw.

Part owners Daimler Chrysler have taken a tough line with Mitsubishi of late and the company needs to sort itself out rather than rely on hand outs. If they keep turning out cars like the this one, things may well be looking up.

Under the bonnet of the Red, there's a 75bhp 1.1-litre three-cylinder petrol engine allied to a five speed manual gearbox. The unit propels the lively Colt to a maximum speed of 103mph. The sprint timing from 0 to 62mph in 13.4 seconds is reasonable, if not spectacular, for a car of this size. Still, the average fuel consumption figure of just over 50mpg isn't at all bad.

The Colt Red aims to help the broader Colt 3-door range to score for Mitsubishi where they've failed to find the back of the net before.

The fundamentals have always been in place but buyers these days are a demanding bunch. Merely having top line safety and reliability isn't enough.

On top of this you also need slick styling, neat detailing and excellent dynamics.

Mitsubishi are confident that this car meets all these counts and have priced it aggressively to boot. Try one and see if you can find the catch.

FASTFACTS

CAR: Mitsubishi Colt Red

PRICE: £7,399 - on the road

INSURANCE GROUP: 3

CO2 EMISSIONS: 130g/km

PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 13.4s / Max Speed 103mph

FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 51mpg

STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Front airbags, ABS with EBD.

WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE? Length/Width/ Height 3820/1695/1520mm