When I was looking at buying a car this year I couldn’t find many blogs or forums with reviews from owners, so I am doing my bit to correct that :)
I decided to look at the Mitsubishi Colt after reading some magazine reviews and checking various web sites. I was lucky enough to have a test drive in it’s native Japan, and despite the less than ideal test track it did reassure me that it was comfortable and refined. Back in the UK I test drove a Suzuki Splash and a Subaru Justy, but neither really impressed me. The Splash is nice enough but had no character at all, and the Justy was underpowered and noisy.
I decided to get the ClearTec model in an attempt to keep running costs down. The ClearTec 1.3l engine is not only more efficient than most but also has a feature called “Auto Stop & Go”. More on that later. The spec lists the “combined cycle” fuel consumption as 56MPG, and I have managed to hit that level a few times on the way to work when the roads are not too busy.
The Colt is a solid and well made car. The interior doesn’t seem cheap or flimsy and it’s pretty quiet when running. Importantly for me it’s quite a tall car with big, wide opening doors that make it easy to get in and out of. The position of the steering wheel is nicely adjustable and the seats are comfortable with good back support and ample adjustment options. All the controls are within easy reach and the displays are big and clear. They are lit evenly in orange with the lights on. All the usual features are there, as well as a few less usual ones like cruise control (which works very well), air con and fully electric mirrors. Rear privacy glass is standard, as are alloy wheels on the ClearTec model.
There are lots of little touches like being able to tap the indicator lever to indicate three times and then automatically cancel, ideal for lane changes and roundabout exits. The washers have a similar feature, as well a speed sensitive intermittent operation where the wipers speed up as the car goes faster. Overall it’s all very well thought out and implemented.
The sound system is pretty good too, with front and rear speakers. Touches like a leather wheel and gear knob add to the sense of class and refinement that I found other cars in this price range lacked. The car is also quite practical, with a decent boot and fold flat rear seats. Inside it’s very spacious.
The thing that most impressed me though is the handling. It’s the sort of thing that is hard to judge on a short test drive, but having owned it for six months I’m now really enjoying it. The suspension is pretty stiff so the car doesn’t roll when cornering, and you can fling it into a bend with confidence. It manages to absorb the many bumps and pot-holes on your average British road without sacrificing stability which is no mean feat on a relatively tall car like this. The 1.3l ClearTec engine isn’t particularly fast but still manages to shift when you ask it to and has plenty of power left at motorway speeds to not worry about overtaking etc. The breaks are very sharp too, requiring only a tap to activate.
I had parking sensors fitted to mine and have found it pretty easy to manoeuvre into narrow spaces in packed roads. The sensors are very, um, sensitive and will warn you about stuff to the side of the car as well as directly behind it. I quickly learnt that you only really use them to warn of things you haven’t seen or are trying to judge distance from, because they do go off a lot when backing up. That’s not a bad thing by any means.
Visibility is generally pretty good in the Colt, except for the side pillars which block your view at some junctions. The wing mirrors are extra large and provide good coverage.
The ClearTec engine works well. The “Auto Stop & Go” feature basically turns the engine off when the car is stationary and in neutral. The moment you put your foot back down on the clutch the engine comes on again. The idea is to save fuel when not moving while in a queue or waiting for the lights to change. When not moving you are getting exactly 0MPG. It’s quite intelligent, for example not activating if the wheels are turned in (such as when turning into a side road) or if the battery is a little bit low. Mitsubishi claim that it doesn’t do the battery any harm and the starter motor is supposed to last the lifetime of the car, but of course only time will tell on that. It does take a little getting used to as well, but once you learn not to try and second guess it everything “just works”. How much fuel it really saves I’m not sure, but the car seems pretty efficient and cheap to run overall. I spend less on petrol than I did with my old 1.0l Suzuki Alto.
About the only thing that does bother me about this car is that the air-con only delivers lukewarm air for the first few minutes until the engine heats up. It clears the windscreen in under a minute but takes longer to raise the cabin temperature on a cold winter morning. At first I wasn’t entirely convinced by the looks of the car either, but they have grown on me. It’s not ugly or anything, just an unusual shape from some angles. The addition of a spoiler really improves things I think. Colour wise you can have pearl white or red for free, or various metallic colours. It looks good in white but of course like all white cars shows the dirt up. I went for black in the end and am pretty happy with it.
There are other cars which on paper look like they might have an edge over the Colt, but spec isn’t everything. Mitsubishi have come up with a brilliant design which is well executed. The Suzuki Splash and Skoda Fabia are good examples cars which seem good on paper but which fail to impress when you get behind the wheel. The Skoda is pretty nippy but otherwise seems a bit cheap and basic inside, while the Splash is just utterly unremarkable.
27 Comments
Yes, i too opted for a Colt cleartec 5 door in black .Absolutely amazed at the car’s capabilities. Bought October 2010 with 3000 miles on the clockfrom Chertsy and drove up home to North Yorks, had several trips to London and Edinburgh and the car simply amazes me. got a very good deal, 3 years free servicing, mud flaps, reversing seensors
interior mats and sill guards for £7500 and the car was only four months old. Can never get to the claimed mpg (who can?)Looks good in black, only thing that puzzles me is that on such a cheap car you get fogs, cruise, air con, four powered windows stereo controls on wheel but for christ’s sake why no illumination on passenger electric window switches or glovebox.
I love the car and enjoy driving it, i’m 6ft 1 inch (dont know what that relates to in new money) 17 stone and it simply amazes me. Why has this car not caught the imagination of others, it deserves it.
Trevor, I almost spammed your comment as astroturfing, but I’ll let it stand :-)
Mine is a little over two years old now. I wish I had gone for white in the end. Still, can’t complaint because it is a solid car. All the others in that price range I tried seemed a bit cheap… the thickness of the doors, the dashboard and so on.
There have been a couple of issues. Ever since we had that snow back in 2009 the breaks have squealed at low speed. They tried to fix it but it made no difference. Must have some dust in there. The other problem is that where the dealer fitted the spoiler they failed to seal the bolt holes they drilled and so there was a bit of rust. That does seem to have been fixed now, and was entirely the dealer’s fault and nothing to do with Mitsubishi or the car itself.
I changed jobs and now I’m averaging 50 MPG to work, doing 60 on the motorway for about half the distance. When there are queues on the normal roads the Stop and Go kicks in a lot, although I do have to modify by driving a little bit to avoid constantly creeping forwards like most of the other cars. 50 MPG is good.
I noticed some stuff in the manual the other day, like the fact that the glove box has a cool box area that works when the air con is on. The car has “follow me home” lights too, although because of the way I part on my drive I have never used them.
The speed controlled volume of the radio could be a bit more aggressive… Clutching at straws now :-) Sound quality is good. Oh, and you get a puncture repair kit and air pump rather than a spare wheel (in order to save weight). Never had a puncture so no idea how good it is.
So yeah, I am very happy with it over the long term. It is actually quite a large car, higher than most other cars (and thus easy to find in the car park!). Enjoyable to drive, comfortable, handles well, fairly cheap to run. The design is really well thought out in a way that is hard to put into words… Little things like the position of handles and controls… I’d buy another one.
I see a fair few Colts driving around, but I suppose the Japanese kei car concept hasn’t taken off here as much as it might. They don’t even advertise the fact that it is one, which is a shame because if people understood the implications I’m sure they would be interested. Getting children and babies in and out is much easier than with other small cars (well, okay, B size cars like say an Astra or Focus).
What a fantastic review! Ive been considering purchasing this car since early 2011 i was hoping if you would be kind enough to answer a few questions i have about this vehicle. Whats the vehicle reliability and cost of parts, and whats it like to drive on the motorway is the ride uncomfortable is there severe vibration at high speeds? How often is servicing needed as in mileage wise. Is the predicted MPG realistic or is it much lower in and around town. And finally when the car is heavily laden e.g. five adults sitting in the car, is the peformance seriously hampered. Thank you.
Hi Ess. I’ll try to answer your questions.
I have not had to buy any parts for it yet, but I did some research before buying and seem to recall that they don’t cost significantly more than average, certainly nothing like Toyota parts.
Reliability wise it has so far been excellent, except the issue with the break squealing. It always starts first time. No other issues to report.
The ride is very comfortable. I suffer from arthritis so I wanted a car that I could get in and out of easily, but also which had comfortable seats for long distance driving. My old Suzuki had good seats and the Mitsubishi ones are just as nice. They give you good lumbar support. Cruise control is good for me as I can relax my leg muscles.
The ride itself is nice, the suspension absorbing most of the pot holes and general unevenness in the roads around here. Better than my mum’s Toyota. There is no vibration at high speed, everything feels solid. If you are concerned ask for a test drive on the motorway, but I certainly have no complaints about it.
Servicing is either every 12 months or after a certain amount of mileage, whichever comes first. I can’t remember exactly what the limit is now but I do under 10k a year so never get near it. I went for the servicing and breakdown cover package so all mine are covered up to and including the first MOT after 3 years.
The MPG figure of 55 is realistic if you drive carefully. Keep in mind though that you will struggle to get that on short journeys. I used to work about 3 miles from my house through urban traffic and could occasionally hit 55, but most of the time averaged about 45. Now I live about 10 miles away with a stretch of motorway and some country roads I can easily do 55 MPG or a bit better. That includes some stops at traffic lights and slow traffic.
When you have five people in the car performance is a bit lower but certainly not struggling. Basically acceleration is lower but you can still get up to 70 on the motorway easily and it doesn’t feel like a strain on the engine. I understand there is something about Mitsubishi engines that makes them able to cope, and it certainly seems not to struggle when other 1.3s might.
Does that answer your questions?
Brilliant answers Mojo answered everything i required and more.
Ive never owned a mitsubishi but the general consensus seems to be japanese cars are just as well built as german cars but they carry a more attractive price tag which is very welcome in this rather challenging economic climate. Its a shame they dont include a space saver wheel as standard.
Im looking forward in finding my cleartec soon, and hopefully will be a member of its rather exclusive club.
Thanks Ess. I must admit to being more than a bit biased towards Japanese products in general, but the Colt does stand out.
Hey Mojo
Firstly, i should have mentioned this earlier, BUY A SPARE WHEEL KIT. That stupid puncture repair kit is useless, i’ve never used it but if you get a puncture on the sidewall you cannot use it, you have to remove from the tyre ANY nail, screw or whatever, that’ll be nigh on impossible. I have no knowledge of a cooled glove compartment on the Colt but am fairly satified with the air-con. I have just now returned from Edinburgh AGAIN and am still amazed at the cars capabilities, it doesn’t embarass itself or me on the open road. I have had the mpg readout showing 62 mpg once on the way home from work at midnight, no traffic and all green lights and going down hill for nigh on a mile, but in the real world cannot always get 48mpg on a run.
Question, why does Mitsubishi UK not try to advertise vigourously this little gem. When compared to say a Fix It Again Tomorrow FIAT Punto that has the reliability of, I cannot find anything to compare with it, suffice to say, the Punto looks good, Fiat UK advertise strongly but the car is S@@T, my son has one and just about everything from a bulb to gearbox has gone wrong, the electrics are appalling too. Come on Mitsubishi show the car to the world, advertise it and push it. We drove back from Edinburgh and my wife commented on how much space there is in the cabin, (she has a VW Polo) and rear seat space is simply brilliant.
As for Stop & Go, when in traffic i disable it, constant stop/starting will eventually burn out the starter motor, check out the price of a starter motor at Euro Car Parts £600, frightening. Enjoy your Colt motoring folks, especially as its only £30 per annum to tax. Finally, funny how white cars are making a comeback, I agree the white and silver gives the impression of being bigger than the black, my son’s observation, to which i agree.
It is a bit odd that Mitsubishi don’t push it harder, but I think they like to be seen as an up-market luxury brand with their SUVs and Lancers. As you say, it is a shame because the Colt is an excellent car. One thing I did hear is that the small number of convertibles they did were rubbish. Something to do with convertible top reliability, but I have never seen one.
I agree with you about the space, and it seems to be a common feature in small Japanese cars. Before the Colt I had a Suzuki Alto and that was very spacious too.
Can’t agree with you on the spare tyre or the Stop & Go though. The starter motor is a special heavy duty version that is designed to last the lifetime of the car with Stop & Go taken into account, which is why it costs so much. The technology was pioneered by German manufacturers and they have been using it for over a decade now with no lifespan issues on the starter motor. When you think about it there are lots of examples of electric motors running continuously for the lifetime of a car, the most obvious being fully electric cars. Many hybrids use the same starter motors so they can start and stop the petrol engine as required and use only the electric motor at other times. There is also the fuel pump of course.
The re-start that happens when Stop & Go is in use isn’t the same as starting from cold either. It uses less energy and puts less strain on the starter motor because the engine is already warm. Believe me, I did a lot of research before buying.
One thing I have noticed, and it isn’t a bad thing, if the Stop & Go kicks in and then you get out of the car it won’t restart automatically when you get back in. You have to turn the key. That caught me out a couple of times when I had to shoo my cat out of the driveway until I figured it out. The manual does actually mention it, I just didn’t pay enough attention :-) The seats have some kind of sensor in them that knows when you are sat there, but if you put something heavy on the front passenger seat occasionally the seatbelt alarm beeps at you. Oh, and the car won’t start if it is in gear; again that caught me out the first time it happened. It is a good idea because there is no way you can accidentally leave it in gear and lurch forwards when starting. It’s little touches like that which Mitsubishi don’t seem to advertise but are actually well worth knowing about.
Speaking of unadvertised features the CD player supports MP3s. The clock sets itself automatically via the radio so is always correct and takes account of daylight savings time. There is a “panic” button that locks all the doors. The wing mirrors are larger than normal and give you a really good view. There is a false floor in the boot that can be removed and stored on the back of the rear seats. The rear door has a grab handle for closing it so your hand doesn’t get wet in the rain. The indicators have a useful feature where if you tap the level they flash three times and then stop, ideal for changing lanes or exiting a roundabout. The official Mitsubishi floor mats have a little clip thing that stops them sliding forwards and fouling the pedals. The Stop & Go version indicates when you should change gear up or down to improve fuel economy. The trip computer beeps at you when you are running very low on fuel, although it still estimates a range of 60 to 70 miles left in the tank. It has a frost warning to alert you to when the road is icy. The steering wheel hight is adjustable, as is the height of the front seats. The wing mirrors can fold in and when you unfold them they go back into the same position as before, so no adjustment is necessary after a car wash or tight parking. The wipers have six speed settings which also automatically adjust to driving speed, e.g. intermittent at low speed then continuous at over 40mph. The dashboard illumination is orange, the colour that has the least affect on your night vision. Even the way the doors open is well thought out, and they are high enough not to hit the ground on roads with a high camber.
I’m trying to think of down sides… Sometimes I kick the doors a bit as I swing my feet out, but that could just be me. Remote battery needs changing soon I think, but it is only a CR2016, unlike the odd one my mum’s Toyota needs. The very deep dashboard does make cleaning the inside of the windscreen a bit tricky, so I got a thing with a microfibre sponge on the end of a handle to do it. The steering is a little bit on the heavy side, in common with all Mitsubishi cars, but keep in mind that I have arthritis so again it might just be me. I certainly wouldn’t say it is a problem, you just won’t be spinning it like they do on Top Gear. Maybe the glove box could be a bit bigger… It has slots for coins should you regularly pass through tolls. The reverse gear on mine is a bit notchy to get into (seems like a common problem with reverse gears), and the gears can crunch a bit if you try to go straight into first immediately after starting the engine from cold (it doesn’t do it when Stop & Go restarts it). If you wait two seconds for the revs to go down from the initial “burst” after turning the key it is fine, and my brother’s Hyundai Accent is the same (and BTW that is a terrible car). Strange that it is only from cold, but as I say Stop & Go isn’t quite the same as having the engine completely off and it doesn’t rev it like turning the key does.
All in all fairly minor stuff, and no car is perfect. In the interests of balance I thought I should mention these things though, and because I’m honestly not a shill in the pay of Mitsubishi :-)
The lack of a spare tyre really depends on how likely you are to change the wheel yourself. I did a car maintenance course but due to my condition I’ll just call the AA or RAC if it happens. You can be in the RAC for £14 a year these days and that is more than offset by the money you save on fuel by not lugging all that weight around. It would cost you more if it happened, but I and no-one I know has ever actually had a puncture so I’d say the risk is minimal. Touch wood.
Oh, one thing to remember, keep the thing for unlocking the wheel nuts in the car or on you, otherwise if the wheel does need to come off you won’t be able to do it! It is designed to stop people stealing the alloys.
Wow thanks for posting something like this I’ve been looking for a forum for the new colts but their either not very active or there’re about other colts.
I’ve concluded this is the best petrol hatchback out there at the moment in terms of cost, performance and economy. I wanted a 2nd gen mini cooper before because of the good performance and economy but after research found it to be expensive to maintain because it is a BMW after all.
I will most likely get a used colt cleartec with low mileage early next year, just dunno if I should get 3 door or 5. If I had more money to throw about I would love to get the colt ralliart 1.5t. The colts are quite underrated in the UK, but I don’t mind as long as the price is good :D
Hi Ess, Mojo and everyone else. In support of of Mojo i agree with most of his comments, one thing for me that is vitally important is a spare wheel, agreed, these days punctures are few and far between but should you suffer a blow out or a severe puncture no RAC or AA man will be able to help so for £100 i would opt for the space saver, sure, the weight is more than the repair kit that is standard but i believe this to be of minimal cost. An interesting point made by Hazza, three door or five door, i will concede that the 3 door has a nicer rear end, on passed me a few days back, 3 door in white, looks very nice but i will recommend the 5 door as its more practical, i often place items on the back seats, easy enough to get things in and out in a 5 door. I believe the Cleartec should be the default choice, confusingly Mitsubishi have a 1.3 standard and the 1.3 Cleartec, the latter marginally quicker to 60 but top speed lower by just one mph, in reality little difference, who does 113 mph anyway, so Cleartec is the choicest with £35 road tax too its a no brainer. Mitsubishi quote 12500 miles or one year for servicing, whichever comes first, like most my annual mileage is around 7 to 8k. This is my second Mitsubishi, the first one was a Video Cassette recorder bought some 10 years back, that is still working so i have faith in the cars reliability too. As for Suzuki Splash, i looked at that but did not like it, cheap stereo that sounded like it was playing thru Cocoa-Cola cans, very tinny. I must confess to a liking to the Hyundai i20 (£35 tax too) a little more refined i thought but the Colt sits higher and is much easier to get in and out of considering my age, size and bulk. Anyone considering buying a Colt should shop around and haggle very hard, some dealers are asking over £1000 more for similar mileage cars than others, just checked Autotrader and find that Mitsubishi want £7495 for a 2009 59 reg with 1500 miles but Evans Halshaw are asking £7883 for a 2011 11 reg with just 2000 miles, as they come with three years warranty and roadside assistance you should have no worries at all. They have a special edition called Juro (dunno what that means) come all leathered up and they throw in a sat nav that is NOT built in, probably a Garmin or Tom Tom bit of a gimmick but there you go. To be quite honest i will consider another Colt but i have read and seen pictures of the new Colt due next year, believe it kicks off with just 1000cc engine, cannot be as useable as the current 1.3. Happy motoring friends and enjoy your Colt
Trevor
The Mitsubishi built in radio/sat nav doesn’t seem to be available on UK models, shame as they offer it for other models. I did some research and it is supposed to be okay. Proprietary sat-nav software so you can only get updates from them, not idea IMHO.
I think much of the benefit of having a built-in sat nav is lost in the UK anyway because we just don’t collect enough data. For example my friend’s Japanese model has detailed live traffic and roadwork information that is refreshed every five minutes, so when she gets in the car to go to work in the morning it shows her route and how congested it is at that moment. All main roads seem to be covered, at least in cities. Very useful, but our traffic data is only for A roads and motorways and isn’t very detailed.
My mum’s car is getting on a bit now. Despite being 15 years old it is a Toyota and still runs well, but if she does want to have mine the first thing I will look at is another Colt. Part of me would like the 1.5 engine, or maybe even go for a Civic or something, but pragmatism and a desire not to be pumping petrol money, higher car insurance and road tax into something I mainly use for commuting to work will probably win :-)
Hi Mojo, yes i agree with the in-built sat-nav, a few years ago i was in a friends Volvo XC90 with in built and it worked quite well, in fact superior to my Garmin but the cost of them makes very exclusive expense. Funny, why is it all Japanese cars have reliability as standard, my wife has a 06 1.2 Polo and my previous car was a Passat and every “long” trip makes you worry. i have never owned a Japanese car before although in Cyprus i rented Toyota Yaris, hated it at first but it kinda grew on me. back to the Colt, i cannot say i’m impressed with the on-board computer as its a constant push of buttons and i wish they had put in a water temperature gauge as i’m used to them, small gripes i know but at my age i think i have the right to an odd whinge. I constantly have it on average mpg just to see if i can squeeze another yard or two out of a gallon. My sole intention with the Colt was to save road fund licence cash so i could not consider Colt 1.5, i know owning a car is a personal thing but i find the Civic hideously unattractive. I feel the car i will look at next may well be Hyundai, either the i20 or the i30, if the i30 it will have to be diesel. Oh, happy days.
Generally speaking Japanese products tend to be over engineered and reliable. Japanese people replace their cars and appliances regularly even if there is no need to, and Japanese products tend to be positioned at the “quality” end of the market rather than the cheap end anyway. For some reason a lot of people seem to think of East Asian countries as all being the same, but of course they are very different.
Korean manufacturers have been improving a lot over the last decade, but while Hyundai cars are very reliable none of the ones I have ever tried were very inspiring. They just seem very generic and soulless somehow, although to be fair that was my impression of the Suzuki Splash too. I agree with you about the current Civic, it isn’t really a practical car and rear visibility is poor. I suppose people buying them don’t take much notice of that stuff, but because of my arthritis I am forced to. I do quite like the looks of the Civic though, but not as much as the Suzuki Swift. £135 road tax though!
Thought you all might want to check out the next generation Colt, follow the link.
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/motorshows/…/mitsubishis_new_colt.html
Seems a more modern looking chariot which apparently come with a 1.0 litre or 1.2 litre motor.
And, noticed that residuals on the current Colt are not too good, will be hit even harder when the new model is released in the U.K. in 2012 i believe. If anybody does purchase a current Colt it must be for the long term to ease a financial burden.
Sorry fellers, forgot to mention click on ALL CARS at the Geneva Motor Show then go to page 2 you’ll the new Colt about half way down. It looks good.
Is that actually going to replace the current Colt though? It sounds more like it will be aimed at different markets. The current one is made in The Netherlands and is slightly adapted from the Japanese model, which is built in Japan.
Considering the small engine size I’d say it is aimed at “emerging” markets rather than us.
Hi Mojo, yes the new Colt is being billed as a global car, it will be sold worldwide in the form you see and will replace the current Colt which in the car industry is getting on a bit, going into its eighth year now. I believe the new engines, although smaller in capacity are much improved over the current 1.1 & 1.3, the current 1.1 three cylinder is a cracker, several magazines rate it over and above the 1.3. I have no idea though if the next generation Colts engines will be 3 or 4 cylinder, Psychologically i am more confident with a four cylinder, think most people will be, but i have an idea the 1.0 litre engine may be a 3 pot, time will tell. I hope the next gen to be an improvement, especially on interior quality, over the current model, the Corsa and Fiesta have a far better build quality and is more refined. I await with great anticipation What Car magazine’s road test of the next model.
Happy Motoring
Funny you should mention the Fiesta, I did look at it but thought it was a bit cheap. The interior seemed plasticy and it wasn’t very quiet. I wouldn’t even compare it to the Colt, it’s in a different league. Much smaller too.
I wanted a diesel but the DPF (Diesel particulate filter) put me off as I don’t particulary do many long distance journeys. Do some research on DPF if you consider a diesel.
The Mazda 2 1.5 sport seems like a nice car. It is up in the reliability index with the Colt. But it does 0-62mph in the same time and is a bit less economical.
The new colt I doubt will replace the current colts, maybe the CZ1. They will probably be very economical but slow.
Hi Hazza, can’t really see the sense in the extra expense in buying a diesel if you don’t do many miles, coupled with the extra expense when servicing and cost of parts I’d stick with an economical petrol car. You probably know the Mitsubishi dropped the diesel Colt in 2008, it was a 1.5 litre three cylinder engine which enjoyed brilliant reviews except the nasty auto box, maybe Mitsubishi shot themselves in the foot as there are die hard diesel fans out there that would prefer the perceived efficiency and economy of a diesel. I have tried to find the specifications and the bhp of the new 1.2 engine but unable to find any details, but they claim better efficiency with even lower emissions however i am a great fan of the current 1.3 so i hope the new 1.2 is as powerful and at the same time economical.
Hi everyone im now the proud owner of a cleartec :D the car is unbelievably good value, and i come from a family who own’s audi merc’s and jaguar’s. The in car tech is fantastic, was wondering if you could help me though in finding what pressure the tyres are meant to be? It says 2.4bar on the inside of the car door that relates to roughly 34psi, is that correct?
Good question, I’m afraid I never had occasion to check. Does it say anything in the manual? 2.4 bar is close to 35 PSI.
care to share the cost/mileage/year or is it new :D ?
Hey Ess
Congratulations on getting a Colt. Is it a 3 or 5 door and what colour is it? The recommended tyre pressure is 2.4 bar (35 psi) which i find gives a harsh ride. I am running 2.2 Bar which gives a more comfortable ride, this i also found on the net yesterday confirmation of this pressure. In fact i will change the tyres to 195/60/15 when its time to change them as the lower 55 profile tyres do give a firmer ride, i will, of course, ask Mitsubishi first for guidance on this but i see no harm.
I saw last week a 2009 Blue 5 door Cleartec with just 8000 miles for £4800 believe that was in the Manchester area, an absolute bargain. Shame there appears to be no way of uploading pictures on this site. Please share with us all the details of your Colt. Good luck with it, it’ll grow on you.
I bought it from believe it or not a nearby suzuki/fiat dealer, its a rather fetching ‘atlantis blue’. Its had one lady owner and has clocked up a grand total of 21,500 miles since its birth as a ’09′ plate. It cost me £5280 to be precise, that price included two brand new continental front tyres and a quarter tank of fuel and its annual road tax. Its immaculate inside and out and it is a 5 door, i got a very good deal to be honest which is why i compromised on the colour I would have preferred silver but the blue colour is really growing on me. As ive only just bought the car i can not comment on its MPG yet BUT i can confirm its very nimble and certainly is no slouch when you require a bit of power. All in all the colt cleartec is very practical and very well thought out car. The one thing i dont like is the silly pop bottle type cap they used to cover the 12V car charger.
Nice that is a good deal I believe.
I check autotraders several times a week and must have missed that Trevor, unless it was a private which I don’t check.
Ess, glad you like the Colt, i must confess to liking the blue colour, i have had numerous silver cars over the years so i got a bit fed up with them. You got yourself a good deal and it will still be covered by Mitsubishi until its third birthday, so to speak. And, yes a few times i have had to search for that cap covering 12V socket, why could they not have made it a hinged affair i do not know. There are some irritating aspects of the Colt but i can forgive them as they are only minor issues, Front cup holders being one, but i still love the little’un.
Hi Hazza Yes that blue 2009 Colt was from a dealer, i also disregard private ads, i tried to get my wife to show an interest but she wants a Suzuki Swift (strange woman, she does not like the Colt, mine being black she says it looks like an undertakers wagon, i hope i have a few years left in me yet)