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By
EWAN KENNEDY
26 February 2007
The latest variant of the Mitsubishi Colt is a tiny cabriolet
with styling that’s on the strange side. It seems there's almost
nothing in front of the windscreen thanks to the way the pillars slope
all the way down to the front bumper. But the rear end doesn’t match
the front because the Colt cab has a large and bulbous tail. The
designers had no choice but to provide this big back end – because the
folding roof has to go down into it.
Despite having sporting pretensions in its shape the Colt has
lacklustre engine performance. That’s chiefly due to the
additional weight of the hardtop and underfloor strengthening
needed to compensate for the lack of a full roof. The 1.6-litre
engine in the standard model manages only 80 kW and that’s
simply not enough to give the Colt anything more than leisurely
acceleration.
All of which makes it sound as though we hate the new
Mitsubishi Colt hardtop cabriolet – yet we loved it and didn’t
want to give it back after our week’s test period. The cuteness
and character make it something really different.
This fun factor radiates from the Colt cab and makes people
smile in approval as you cruise by, or when you park in front of
your favourite cafe. Drivers of other open-top cars love to give
you a friendly wave. Indeed after a conversation with the
intrigued owner of an Audi A4 cabriolet we wouldn’t be at all
surprised if a Colt cab didn’t join it in the garage sometime
soon.
Fuel consumption is higher than you might expect for a car of
this size. That’s due to the fact that the engine has to work
hard, but is also a factor of the aerodynamics being spoiled with
the roof down. And having the roof down is the reason for buying
this car in the first place.
Typically an owner will use about eight to nine litres of
petrol per hundred kilometres in open-top country cruising. A
figure that will rise to about 10 to 11 litres per hundred in
suburban driving. Close the top and you will do better, but what's
the point of having an open car that isn’t? Open, that is.
There is a turbo version of the Colt cabriolet that can manage
another 30 kW, but you pay an additional $5000 for the privilege.
Which lifts it into the area where you can (almost) afford a more
conventional convertible, such as the brilliant Mazda MX-5.
Dynamics are sloppy if the Colt is pushed even moderately, and
deteriorate even more if the road is bumpy. There's a fair bit of
scuttle shake due to the large opening in the body, an opening
that’s needed to cope with four seats.
Yet the back seats are a joke, they virtually touch the front
seats if moved all the way rearwards, and in any case are too
short and upright. Tolerant kids under the age of about 10 might
be able to travel there with some compromises from those in the
front, but that’s about the limit. However, criticism of the
back seat is a bit unfair because this is such a small car, but
the feeling is that the car might have been better had it been a
pure two-seater.
The boot is huge when you have the top raised, far bigger than
you would expect in a car like this. You simply won’t believe
its size and it’s worth a trip to your local Mitsubishi dealer
just to look at this amazing feature. Even with the top down
there's still a reasonable amount of space and two occupants will
have no trouble heading off for a pleasant week away with the top
permanently in the open position.
This Mitsubishi Colt cabriolet is a car of contradictions and
will definitely be a love-it-or-hate it proposition. Which is no
bad thing in these days of bland computer-designed cars that do
their level best to offend no one.
AT A GLANCE
MODEL RANGE
Colt Cabriolet 1.5-litre two-door convertible - $32,990
Colt Cabriolet Turbo 1.5-litre two-door convertible - $37,990
FEATURES
ABS Brakes: Standard
Air Conditioning: Standard
Automatic Transmission: Not offered
CD Player: Standard
Central Locking: Standard
Cruise Control: Not offered
Driver Airbag: Standard
Passenger Airbag: Standard
Front Side Airbags: Standard
SPECIFICATIONS (Mitsubishi Colt Cabriolet Turbo 1.5-litre
two-door convertible)
ENGINE:
Capacity: 1.468 litres
Configuration: Four cylinders in line
Head Design: DOHC, four valves per cylinder
Compression Ratio: 9.0:1
Bore/Stroke: 75.0 x 82.0mm
Maximum Power: 110 kW @ 6000 rpm
Maximum Torque: 210 Nm @ 3500 rpm
DRIVELINE:
Driven Wheels: Front
Manual Transmission: Five-speed
Automatic Transmission: Not offered
Final Drive Ratio: 3.737:1
DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 3885mm
Wheelbase: 2500mm
Width: 1695mm
Height: 1457mm
Turning Circle: 10.8 metres
Kerb Mass: 1200kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 47 litres
Towing Ability: Not supplied
SUSPENSION AND BRAKES:
Front Suspension: Independent, MacPherson struts, front strut
tower brace, coil springs, anti-roll bar
Rear Suspension: H-shaped torsion beam, coil springs, anti-roll
bar
Front Brakes: Ventilated disc
Rear Brakes: Disc
FUEL CONSUMPTION/EMISSION RATINGS:
Fuel Type: Petrol 91RON
Fuel Consumption - Combined Cycle (ADR 81/01): 7.1 L/100km
STANDARD WARRANTY:
Five years/130,000km
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Marque Publishing Company
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