Faults:

Since the car is practically new (only 20,000 km), there haven't been any problems until now. Just oil changes and minimal maintenance, all under warranty.

What I can say is that above 120 km/h it's rather noisy. Although it's a compact car, it has the characteristics of a city car; it's not meant for high-speed highway driving, even though it handles well.

The rear seats are adequate, and the quality of the materials doesn't seem to be the best, but for what it is, it's not bad.

General Comments:

This new Colt version is nothing more than a Clio with a Mitsubishi logo, yet it performs the typical function of a small car well. It's cheap, economical, and its fuel consumption is very low.

I can't comment on its reliability because it only has 20,000 km on it, but I can give a general overview of what it's been like in the short time I've had it.

The engine in this version is a turbocharged, three-cylinder in-line unit with indirect injection, dual overhead camshafts, and a 1.0-liter displacement, paired with a 6-speed manual transmission and a start/stop system.

With these dimensions and engine, we have a fairly versatile car that performs well in the city but also allows for relatively comfortable driving on highways and motorways, at least with two passengers and a small amount of luggage.

Starting with the engine, I found the throttle response somewhat erratic; I suspect it's due to the engine mapping. Sometimes in first gear, even a touch of the accelerator would cause the engine to accelerate more than I expected, requiring a bit of caution. There's an ECO mode that modifies this mapping, which will likely be more suitable for many drivers in the city.

Under partial loads, the engine is quite quiet, only becoming slightly noisy when pushed to its limits. However, it's rather sluggish at high revs; once past the mid-range, it revs very slowly and feels uncomfortable. The fact that it delivers its 92 hp at only 4500 rpm is a clear indication that it's not designed for high-revving operation.

Regarding the chassis, I also found it more than adequate for the car's performance. The suspension works well, is comfortable, and keeps the car firmly in place during normal driving.

Nothing noteworthy about the brakes. It is what it is; you can't expect 911 GT3 brakes, but at least they didn't seem imprecise or inadequate.

I also found the driving position suitable for my size, and one very positive ergonomic feature is that the climate control is operated with dials.

The trunk has a double floor, and if you remove the parcel shelf that divides it into two levels, you have a decent amount of cargo space—perhaps not enough for four occupants with a lot of luggage, but certainly enough for two or three.

One thing I didn't like was the rear visibility. Between the small, heavily tinted windows, you can't see far behind. It's true that the exterior mirrors offer good visibility, and there are rear parking sensors, but if the windows weren't tinted, the view would be much better.

In short, a very useful all-purpose car as a household appliance for getting from A to B at low cost - if reliability holds up, which we'll have to see in the medium term - and which is comfortable to use.

Faults:

Nothing so far. Really, nothing.

General Comments:

Bought this one after endless investments related to the reliability of my 2003 1.8 Dynamic Stilo. Couldn't get it to start reliably every time, swapped it in for the Colt.

Engine:

- The 1.3 ClearTech is reliable, good in the city, moderate on highways (90-110km/h, after that it gets too loud in the coupé). According to the onboard computer, average consumption is 8.2 litres/100km, and that's because I'm a bit heavy on the gas pedal; if you're a cheapskate and drive like a grandpa, I'm sure you can get that down to like, 6-6.5 litres/100km. So that's really good. Also, the only thing I've had to do so far is change the oil and filter, everything else is tip top.

Comfort:

- This is the weakest link for me, as someone who drove a Stilo, which is a synonym for comfort compared to this one. The quality of plastic in the Colt is meager, like Mitsubishi really tried to save as much as possible on this point; unfortunately, it just spoils the feeling for a driver completely. A far cry from ie Polo, Golf, Peugeot 206, Renault Clio, Toyota Yaris or whatever may fall into the same category. Except for the wheel and the gear stick, everything else just reeks of a budget solution. Very bad design when it comes to compartments, knobs, isolation in the doors and the rest of the car.

Space:

- It's okay for a driver, 4 people can ride in it without much sacrifice for the front passengers in regards to the leg space for the front passenger and driver. The boot is quite small and will not really be useful for anything else than grocery bags. I've transported smaller sorts of IKEA cabinets with folded back seats, and that's about it as far as practical goes.

All in all, if you're looking for something with cheap cost per km when calculating repair costs, maintenance, mileage - it's nice. Beware of higher consumption that comes as soon as you hit the gas pedal a bit harder. Also, the second hand value drops like the stock market in 2008. So it's a good buy if you plan on having it for like, 2 years or more. Pretty cheap to acquire too.

However, if you want some comfort in your ride and prefer something with a bit more car in it, go for the VW Polo, it's a 10 times better buy.

Faults:

Automatic gearbox sometimes acting weird.

General Comments:

A very good car, reliable and fun to drive, like a go-cart, especially with the automatic transmission.