THERE has been a Colt in the Mitsubishi stable since 1978. And they've all been reasonably pleasant, small family hatchbacks which were reliable and fairly painless to own.
But today's superminis have to be much more than that. The nation's buyers want a big car feel within a compact body, added practicality, style and fun, with wallet-friendly running costs, in return for their hard-earned.
In a bid to compete at the highest level in a supermini world already packed with excellent cars like the Honda Jazz, Nissan Micra, Toyota Yaris and Vauxhall Corsa, Mitsubishi joined forces with Daimler -Chrysler in a shared platform strategy to build its new Colt alongside the German carmaker's smart forfour at Mitsubishi's plant in Holland.
Launched last September, the new Colt five-door was inspired by Mitsubishi's CZ2 and CZ3 concept cars and is a radical departure from its predecessors, earning ticks in all the right boxes for roominess and versatility, but more of that later.
The new Colt comes with a trio of petrol engines - 1.1-litre 74bhp, 1.3-litre 94bhp and a 107bhp 1.5-litre, plus, a DaimlerChrysler-sourced 94bhp 1.5-litre diesel power source.
Trim levels are five-fold - Black, Attivo, Sport, Equippe, and Elegance - the first three coming mated to a five-slot manual gearbox while Equippe and Elegance models are also available with a six-speed All Shift Automated Manual Transmission which will add a £500 premium to your bill.
All Colt five-door models come generously equipped and, while the entry level Black test car doesn't include air con, which is a £595 option, you do get electrically assisted power steering, one-shot electric front windows, four-speaker sound system with single-slot CD player, remote central locking and deadlocks, plus ABS braking with Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD) as standard - and all for under £8,000.
The steering column manoeuvres for rake only, and you have to notch up a model to the Attivo for height adjust to the driver's seat but even so, most people should be able to find an agreeable high-set driving position in a cabin which provides plenty of space for the driver.
However, while the vast glass area of the rakish windscreen, which is set well forward, provides good vision, the A-pillars are quite wide and may just take a little getting used to for some drivers.
Mitsubishi' designers opted for a funky look to the interior with translucent buttons for the audio and climate controls complementing the squared-effect of the nicely tactile "technical graining" effect on top of the well laid out dashboard and door panels.
There is more headroom than your average adult passenger will require in this small MPV-like vehicle while spaciousness and flexibility prevail in a cabin in which the 40:60 split rear seats do most of the people carrier tricks. They slide, recline, tumble, fold flat and can also be taken out to store in the garage.
With the rear seats removed the limited 315-litres of boot space is increased to 614-litre and this box-shaped cargo hold can accommodate awkward-shaped loads while the front passenger seat also folds flat to take on board longer items.
The new Colt's stance on the tarmac looks positive with the bold wheel arches and short overhangs headed by Mitsubishi's three-diamond logo creating a businesslike impression.
While the 1.1-litre engine isn't the paciest around, doing the 0-62mph dash in a conservative 13.4 seconds, this 74bhp unit is pretty responsive to low and mid range revs and that flexibility adds up to just under 50mpg over the combined driving cycle. Further savings can be made thanks to the low CO2 rating of 135g/km.
The five door Colt doesn't have pretensions to be an urban sports car and its tall shape does induce some body lean through corners, but it is fun to drive, gripping the tarmac well when stringing together a series of bends. Ride quality is pretty comfortable over most surfaces with low noise levels and a pleasing exhaust note.
Overall this is a fine effort from Mitsubishi and with the arrival of the sporty Colt three-door version, the Japanese carmaker looks to have made an auspicious start to its four-year new model plan.
FAST FACTS
Mitsubishi Colt 1.1 Black 5dr
Price: £7,999
Mechanical: 74bhp, 1,124cc, 3cyl petrol engine driving front wheels via 5spd manual gearbox
Max speed: 103mph
0-62mph: 13.4 secs
Combined mpg: 49.6
Insurance group: 3
CO2 emissions: 135g/km
BiK rating: 15%
Warranty: 3yrs/ unlimited mileage; 6yrs anti-rust; 6yrs paint