mikeyb
02-02-2005, 08:55 AM
http://www.channel4.com/4car/media/M/mitsubishi/colt/03-large/05-czt-f3q-f.jpg
http://www.channel4.com/4car/media/M/mitsubishi/colt/03-large/05-czt-r3q-f.jpg
Mitsubishi has been selling Colts since time immemorial, it seems. Well, since 1962, but that's more than long enough for it to qualify alongside the Toyota Corolla and Volkswagen Beetle as one of the world's longest-running model ranges. This latest Colt range is a long way from the dull, dated supermini which struggled its way through the turn of this century, however: all-new from the ground up, sharing its underpinnings and engines with DaimlerChrysler's Smart Forfour, and, highlighting the much-improved driving dynamics and younger, sportier image, it's now offered with a 147bhp turbocharged engine.
The three-door Colt CZT was never conceived as a mini-Evo - more's the pity, but cash-strapped Mitsubishi says it just couldn't justify the cost of developing such a model, which would sell in much smaller numbers with no margins for profit. Instead, it's pitched as a "warm", rather than "hot" hatch, and it's up against the likes of the Fiesta ST, Punto HGT, MG ZR 160, 206 GTi 136, Ibiza FR, the warmer non-Renaultsport Clios and perhaps the Corsa SRi - all more established in the hot hatch market and already popular amongst younger buyers. At £12,999 the CZT isn't cheap, and with Group 14 insurance it's still going to be too expensive for inexperienced drivers to run, but it compares favourably to a number of its better-known near-rivals.
http://www.channel4.com/4car/media/M/mitsubishi/colt/03-large/05-czt-int.jpg
http://www.channel4.com/4car/media/M/mitsubishi/colt/03-large/05-czt-gearstick.jpg
http://www.channel4.com/4car/media/M/mitsubishi/colt/03-large/05-czt-dial.jpg
http://www.channel4.com/4car/media/M/mitsubishi/colt/03-large/05-czt-pedals.jpg
The CZT's Japanese-built turbo-charged 1.5-litre engine (also to be fitted in the upcoming Smart Forfour Brabus) delivers 147bhp and 155lb ft of torque; top speed is 130mph and 60mph comes up in eight seconds. Mitsubishi also claims 41.5mpg economy - which we suspect might be a tad optimistic if you enjoy putting your right foot down - but in theory at least, it manages to deliver fairly rapid performance without costing a fortune in fuel.
Specific modifications to the CZT include stiffer suspension settings with retuned spring rates, stiffer shock absorbers and stiffer mountings for the front anti-roll bar, a steering ratio quickened by 8 percent, larger front brake discs and stability control and traction control fitted as standard. Its bodyshell is a little more rigid than that of the other three-door Colts, with extra reinforcement and bracing, and it has wider tyres on 16-inch alloy wheels.
Further visual signifiers are a chunkier front bumper with mesh grilles, small side air dams, a dinky tailgate-mounted rear spoiler, dark grey metallic headlamp bezels, colour-keyed door handles, mirrors and side protection strips and a larger-bore exhaust; inside, there are white-backed instrument dials, a red and black steering wheel, red/black upholstery, seats with extra bolstering and aluminium pedals. It's all quite subtle, in line with the warm-not-hot philosophy - too subtle for boy racers and Max Power readers, but sensibly restrained enough not to frighten away the older, more conservative buyers who are most likely to make up the Colt constituency.
The CZT's not very frightening at all, really: besides its chubby, friendly looks - a little bit Alfa 147, a little bit Seat Ibiza from the rear, especially in the bright red of our test cars - it is relatively benign and user-friendly. Under very hard or poorly-judged cornering the traction and stability control kicks in quite early to stop things getting too far out of hand, and although there is the sense that the rear end could drift free if you got it very badly wrong, it's not a car that would bite back. It's predictable and obedient, inspiring confidence without egging on the incompetent to believe that they're the next Gilles Panizzi. You don't lose the feeling, however, that this is a high-roofed, mini-MPV-style car in which you sit quite high off the ground, despite the good control of body roll and excellent balance.
The CZT works very well as a speedy but civilised super-supermini, and it almost goes without saying that it's free of the torque-steer and turbo lag inherent in most turbocharged tiddlers of the 1980s and '90s. No doubt that it's quick, with loads of mid-range pull and the ability to cruise effortlessly at high speeds, but there's little instant gratification at lower speeds until it comes on-boost; power peaks high at 6000rpm, and torque at 3500rpm. Until that turbo really kicks in, the CZT feels less lively than the free-revving 1.3, and whilst the 95bhp 1.5 DiD diesel version has the same 155lb ft torque output, this peaks at just 1800rpm and feels stronger, earlier. Unless most of your motoring is at highway speeds, it's just not that great a gain. And although the engine is noisy, it doesn't sound particularly sporty: the 1.3, arguably the sweetest engine of the lot, has the cheekier exhaust note. As my co-driver suggested, you could buy that 1.3, fit an aftermarket air filter and exhaust to gee it up a bit, have just as much fun and still save a few grand.
Real hot hatch fans will also be frustrated that the CZT doesn't go as far as could have been done in its handling; a short-throw, closer-ratio gearbox would have lifted it immensely, and there's no discernable difference between the steering in this model and the set-up in the standard normally aspirated petrol models. The ride loses a little composure at higher speeds in all Colts, but a little more of the otherwise good compliance could have happily been sacrificed for a sharper-yet suspension set-up, which again, doesn't feel substantially different to that of the non-turbo cars. Still, the CZT isn't aimed at those real hot hatch fans, and as warmish compromises go, it's a pretty good one.
It'll be interesting to see just what Smart does with the Brabus-tuned Forfour, which we're driving shortly. By and large the Colt feels better-built than the rather pretentious Forfour, and is the more responsive drive, but Brabus is expected to take Smart's turbo model a stage further towards full hot hatch-dom and this may then have the edge at least in perceptions of its sporting credentials, regardless of the actual figures. But if the Smart image and the Brabus badge aren't issues, the satisfyingly sensible Colt CZT could remain the smarter buy of the two, as well as being an adult alternative to the kids' choices in the class.
Still hanging out for that baby Evo? Our guess is that even if Mitsubishi isn't developing a hotter Colt in-house, given its work with respected aftermarket tuners such as Owen Developments (FQ-series Evos) we wouldn't be too surprised to see something nearer that brief in the future, with or without an Evo badge. The potential's certainly there.
<!-- // END: FEATURE STORY HOLDING TABLE -->http://www.channel4.com/4car/media/M/mitsubishi/colt/03-large/05-czt-s-s.jpg
http://www.channel4.com/4car/media/M/mitsubishi/colt/03-large/05-czt-f3q-s.jpg
http://www.channel4.com/4car/road-tests/driving-impressions-2005/M/mitsubishi/colt/czt.html
http://www.channel4.com/4car/media/M/mitsubishi/colt/03-large/05-czt-r3q-f.jpg
Mitsubishi has been selling Colts since time immemorial, it seems. Well, since 1962, but that's more than long enough for it to qualify alongside the Toyota Corolla and Volkswagen Beetle as one of the world's longest-running model ranges. This latest Colt range is a long way from the dull, dated supermini which struggled its way through the turn of this century, however: all-new from the ground up, sharing its underpinnings and engines with DaimlerChrysler's Smart Forfour, and, highlighting the much-improved driving dynamics and younger, sportier image, it's now offered with a 147bhp turbocharged engine.
The three-door Colt CZT was never conceived as a mini-Evo - more's the pity, but cash-strapped Mitsubishi says it just couldn't justify the cost of developing such a model, which would sell in much smaller numbers with no margins for profit. Instead, it's pitched as a "warm", rather than "hot" hatch, and it's up against the likes of the Fiesta ST, Punto HGT, MG ZR 160, 206 GTi 136, Ibiza FR, the warmer non-Renaultsport Clios and perhaps the Corsa SRi - all more established in the hot hatch market and already popular amongst younger buyers. At £12,999 the CZT isn't cheap, and with Group 14 insurance it's still going to be too expensive for inexperienced drivers to run, but it compares favourably to a number of its better-known near-rivals.
http://www.channel4.com/4car/media/M/mitsubishi/colt/03-large/05-czt-int.jpg
http://www.channel4.com/4car/media/M/mitsubishi/colt/03-large/05-czt-gearstick.jpg
http://www.channel4.com/4car/media/M/mitsubishi/colt/03-large/05-czt-dial.jpg
http://www.channel4.com/4car/media/M/mitsubishi/colt/03-large/05-czt-pedals.jpg
The CZT's Japanese-built turbo-charged 1.5-litre engine (also to be fitted in the upcoming Smart Forfour Brabus) delivers 147bhp and 155lb ft of torque; top speed is 130mph and 60mph comes up in eight seconds. Mitsubishi also claims 41.5mpg economy - which we suspect might be a tad optimistic if you enjoy putting your right foot down - but in theory at least, it manages to deliver fairly rapid performance without costing a fortune in fuel.
Specific modifications to the CZT include stiffer suspension settings with retuned spring rates, stiffer shock absorbers and stiffer mountings for the front anti-roll bar, a steering ratio quickened by 8 percent, larger front brake discs and stability control and traction control fitted as standard. Its bodyshell is a little more rigid than that of the other three-door Colts, with extra reinforcement and bracing, and it has wider tyres on 16-inch alloy wheels.
Further visual signifiers are a chunkier front bumper with mesh grilles, small side air dams, a dinky tailgate-mounted rear spoiler, dark grey metallic headlamp bezels, colour-keyed door handles, mirrors and side protection strips and a larger-bore exhaust; inside, there are white-backed instrument dials, a red and black steering wheel, red/black upholstery, seats with extra bolstering and aluminium pedals. It's all quite subtle, in line with the warm-not-hot philosophy - too subtle for boy racers and Max Power readers, but sensibly restrained enough not to frighten away the older, more conservative buyers who are most likely to make up the Colt constituency.
The CZT's not very frightening at all, really: besides its chubby, friendly looks - a little bit Alfa 147, a little bit Seat Ibiza from the rear, especially in the bright red of our test cars - it is relatively benign and user-friendly. Under very hard or poorly-judged cornering the traction and stability control kicks in quite early to stop things getting too far out of hand, and although there is the sense that the rear end could drift free if you got it very badly wrong, it's not a car that would bite back. It's predictable and obedient, inspiring confidence without egging on the incompetent to believe that they're the next Gilles Panizzi. You don't lose the feeling, however, that this is a high-roofed, mini-MPV-style car in which you sit quite high off the ground, despite the good control of body roll and excellent balance.
The CZT works very well as a speedy but civilised super-supermini, and it almost goes without saying that it's free of the torque-steer and turbo lag inherent in most turbocharged tiddlers of the 1980s and '90s. No doubt that it's quick, with loads of mid-range pull and the ability to cruise effortlessly at high speeds, but there's little instant gratification at lower speeds until it comes on-boost; power peaks high at 6000rpm, and torque at 3500rpm. Until that turbo really kicks in, the CZT feels less lively than the free-revving 1.3, and whilst the 95bhp 1.5 DiD diesel version has the same 155lb ft torque output, this peaks at just 1800rpm and feels stronger, earlier. Unless most of your motoring is at highway speeds, it's just not that great a gain. And although the engine is noisy, it doesn't sound particularly sporty: the 1.3, arguably the sweetest engine of the lot, has the cheekier exhaust note. As my co-driver suggested, you could buy that 1.3, fit an aftermarket air filter and exhaust to gee it up a bit, have just as much fun and still save a few grand.
Real hot hatch fans will also be frustrated that the CZT doesn't go as far as could have been done in its handling; a short-throw, closer-ratio gearbox would have lifted it immensely, and there's no discernable difference between the steering in this model and the set-up in the standard normally aspirated petrol models. The ride loses a little composure at higher speeds in all Colts, but a little more of the otherwise good compliance could have happily been sacrificed for a sharper-yet suspension set-up, which again, doesn't feel substantially different to that of the non-turbo cars. Still, the CZT isn't aimed at those real hot hatch fans, and as warmish compromises go, it's a pretty good one.
It'll be interesting to see just what Smart does with the Brabus-tuned Forfour, which we're driving shortly. By and large the Colt feels better-built than the rather pretentious Forfour, and is the more responsive drive, but Brabus is expected to take Smart's turbo model a stage further towards full hot hatch-dom and this may then have the edge at least in perceptions of its sporting credentials, regardless of the actual figures. But if the Smart image and the Brabus badge aren't issues, the satisfyingly sensible Colt CZT could remain the smarter buy of the two, as well as being an adult alternative to the kids' choices in the class.
Still hanging out for that baby Evo? Our guess is that even if Mitsubishi isn't developing a hotter Colt in-house, given its work with respected aftermarket tuners such as Owen Developments (FQ-series Evos) we wouldn't be too surprised to see something nearer that brief in the future, with or without an Evo badge. The potential's certainly there.
<!-- // END: FEATURE STORY HOLDING TABLE -->http://www.channel4.com/4car/media/M/mitsubishi/colt/03-large/05-czt-s-s.jpg
http://www.channel4.com/4car/media/M/mitsubishi/colt/03-large/05-czt-f3q-s.jpg
http://www.channel4.com/4car/road-tests/driving-impressions-2005/M/mitsubishi/colt/czt.html