Good to drive and value for money: the Mitsubishi Colt Juro (From Hereford Times)

Good to drive and value for money: the Mitsubishi Colt Juro

7:00am Saturday 8th October 2011 in Road Tests

SMALL cars are so good nowadays that it is no surprise more and more people are driving them.

Despite their small dimensions they are often practical, fun to drive and offer ample performance for most small families with comparatively low running costs.

But what many lack is space. And this is where Mitsubishi’s Colt scores because it is among the best of the superminis that offer room for four adults.

The hatch is spacious in the front and rear with excellent head and shoulder room. And while the car’s boot area is nowhere near as roomy as some rivals the Colt has MPV-like qualities that can turn it into a decent load-lugger.

There are 60/40 split-folding tip-up rear seats while the adjustable front ones slide and recline. And the twin-level boot allows valuable items to be hidden under the lift-out floor.

The Colt may have been around for some time but it has remained fresh and modern-looking thanks to a major facelift and other updates, some of which are incorporated in special offers.

It is reasonably priced, too, with costs going from £9,304 on the road for the 1.1-litre three-door to £14,659 for the racy 125mph 1.5-litre Ralliart five-door.

One of the special offers in the range is the 94bhp 1.3-litre Juro three-door petrol at £10,499 with an appealing kit list that includes leather upholstery, a portable satellite navigation system with Bluetooth phone link, MP3 connection, alloy wheels, air-conditioning, all-electric windows, and a leather-trimmed steering wheel with built-in audio controls. There is no doubt that the car is good value for money.

This 1.3-litre petrol motor is cheap to run, averaging 47.1mpg, and with a decent pace for longer journeys it is a better all-rounder than the entry-level 1.1-litre which is happier around town.

All the Colt motors have an excellent name for reliability and the good performance of the 1.3-litre is reflected in the 0-60mph sprint time of 11 seconds and top speed of 112mph. However, with a CO2 (g/km) figure of 143 the engine is not as clean as some rivals, though the Colt Cleartec 1.3-litre model reduces the CO2 figure to 119.

The Juro is an easy drive with an excellent chassis and well-sorted suspension keeping the body in check during spirited driving on twisty routes. The car also holds the road well with its sharp steering letting the driver know exactly what the front wheels are up to.

The ride is comfortable and quiet while the car also manages to deal fairly competently with all manner of road imperfections.

Safety features are also to the fore with a 4-star Euro NCAP rating and front, side and curtain airbags fitted as standard.

Mitsubishi has continued to improve the build quality and this is particularly evident inside where the dash is more attractively laid out with the controls nicely to hand and easy to use. The much-improved plastics and comfortable soft black leather upholstery help to give the interior a rather classy appearance for a small vehicle.

AT-A-GLANCE

1.3-litre three-door five-speed manual.

Price: £10,499 (on the road).

Top speed: 112mph.

0-60mph: 11 seconds.

Fuel: 47.1mpg (combined figure).

CO2 emissions (g/km): 143.

Verdict: Spacious, practical, comfortable, well built, good to drive and value for money.