Mitsubishi Colt ClearTec Car Review

Facts At A Glance
Car: Mitsubishi Colt ClearTec
Prices: £9,599-£10,099 - on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 5
Emissions: 119g/km
Performance: 0-60mph 10.4s / Max Speed 112mph
Fuel Consumption: (urban) 44.8mpg / (extra urban) 65.7mpg / (combined) 56.5mpg
Safety: Front airbags, ABS with EBD.
Dimensions: Length/Width/Height 3810/1695/1520mm

CLEAN AND CLEAR

Our Rating: 6.9 / 10

Mitsubishi’s greenest Colt has got a petrol engine. Steve Walker reports.

By now, we’re used to car manufactures trotting out eco-friendly versions of their products to tempt buyers seeking to cut costs and cleanse their consciences. Mitsubishi was promptly aboard the bandwagon with its Colt ClearTec, a vehicle that initially looks like more of the same but on closer inspection, turns out have a trick or two under its bonnet.

When fashioning one of these special environmental models, most manufacturers take the apparently logical step of starting with their most fuel-efficient standard car. They’ll then make a series of modifications to render that model even more fuel-efficient. One problem with this approach is that the most fuel-efficient model in most small car ranges tends to be a diesel and it usually comes at quite a price premium over the petrol alternatives. In a car which has low costs as one half of its dual focus, this can look a little incongruous. Mitsubishi has taken a different approach and used its 1.3-litre petrol engine as the basis for its Colt ClearTec. This is primarily due to the complete absence of diesel engines from the current Colt range but it has the happy coincidence of giving the ClearTec both a low asking price and an important edge over its rivals.

The 1.3-litre petrol engine isn’t even the Colt’s smallest. There’s a 74bhp 1.1-litre unit that sits below it in the standard range but the 94bhp 1.3-litre got the nod for conversion into ClearTec guise. Most other manufacturers have employed numerous small tweaks to achieve superior fuel economy on their environmentally-friendly models. The ClearTec Colt has these too but also goes for a big headline-grabber in the shape of Mitsubishi’s Auto Stop & Go technology. The system turns the engine off when the Colt is stationary like the other similar devices that are on the market but it has an extra bit of intelligence built in. Auto Stop & Go monitors seven of the car’s systems to determine whether or not cutting the engine when the car reaches a standstill would be appropriate. It checks stuff like engine temperature, battery power, electrical load and brake pressure but also takes account of the steering angle. If more than a quarter turn of steering lock is applied, the system assumes you’re at a junction and might want to make a quick getaway, so the engine stays running. The aim is to make the system more us

In general, the Colt is a sparky little supermini with an enjoyable driving experience but it can’t live with the best performers in the sector and never feels as sophisticated a proposition as the likes of Ford’s Fiesta or Volkswagen’s Polo. At least that fact is reflected in the price. The 1.3-litre engine gets the ClearTec to 60mph slightly faster than it does the standard car. The sprint takes 10.4s in the eco-focused model and 11s in an ordinary 1.3 Colt. The top speed is also improved by 1mph to 112mph, another side-effect of the ClearTec’s efficiency modifications.

Does this front end remind you of a jet fighter? No, us neither. Still, that was apparently Mitsubishi’s objective with this facelift. What they have managed to do is to give the car more of a shared family resemblance to their iconic Lancer Evo X performance models, which can’t be a bad thing. It’s also quite an achievement given that such a tall shape would normally bring a utilitarian MPV to mind rather than something racy. The revised front end includes restyled bumpers and headlamps while, at the rear the car gets darker lamps, a redesigned tailgate and revised rear bumper. Overall though, the look remains much as before with a nuggety compactness to the shape that pleases.

Inside, the high roof level makes it all feel quite spacious for passengers with decent leg and headroom everywhere, but it is worth pointing out that if you prioritise bootspace, you’ll have to put up with less than is offered by most supermini rivals – 186 litres with the rear seats in place and 568 litres with them folded. Still, the space that is on offer is uniformly shaped, so sliding in bulky items should be a straightforward task.

At the wheel, the dash is simple, with large, clear instruments and buttons which you should find to be easy to find and use. It’s a pity that the steering column adjusts for height only, but the Colt isn’t alone as a supermini in this respect and we reckon that most people should stil