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| Road Test Mitsubishi Colt 1.3 CZ2 ClearTec Three-Door |
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The Eco Option
Other safety features of the Colt include ABS, ESP, EBD, Brake Assist and the automatic use of the hazard flashers under heavy braking, and Mitsubishi has also gone to some lengths to reduce interior noise levels. On top of all that, the cargo floor height is now adjustable, and maximum load volume up to roof level has increased from 854 to 1032 litres. At the same time as making all these revisions, Mitsubishi has also launched the ClearTec model tested here. Based on the mid-range CZ2 trim level, it's the low-CO2 Colt, and unlike other cars of this type it doesn't have a diesel engine because, despite the obvious fuel economy benefits of diesel, Mitsubishi reckons that people who buy cars of this size don't generally attain high enough mileages to compensate for the higher initial price. So the ClearTec uses a 1.3-litre petrol engine instead. It costs £500 more than an equivalent CZ2, and for that you get (in approximate order of effectiveness at improving economy and CO2 emissions) an automatic stop/go system which turns off the engine when it isn't needed, low-rolling resistance tyres, higher gear ratios, a more efficient alternator, a few changes to the engine and low-viscosity engine oil.
According to the official test figures, these modifications make quite a difference. Combined fuel economy, for example, improves from 48.7mpg to 56.5mpg, which seems pretty good, though it does suggest that you would have to drive for nearly 40,000 miles to save the £500 extra you had spent buying a ClearTec instead of a standard CZ2. However, the official CO2 figure has also improved, from 143g/km to 119g/km, and the good news about that is that it brings the Colt down by three VED bands and makes it £90 cheaper per year to tax, assuming that you buy one before April 2010. If you wait until after then, the difference rises to £95, and CZ2 owners will have to pay £125 for a first-year tax from which the ClearTec will be exempt. At that point the ClearTec will become a much more sensible option, but even if you take both tax and lower fuel costs into account you will still have to wait a couple of years to get your £500 back. So there is a case, though not a hugely convincing one, to buy a ClearTec rather than a CZ2, and if you're more interested in performance you might be impressed to learn that the ClearTec is also slightly quicker (though of course not nearly to the same extent as the 147bhp Ralliart version).
But none of this matters the slightest jot or tittle if you don't intend to buy a Mitsubishi Colt at all, and frankly there are reasons to wonder why you should do this. You may or may not agree with me that it's not as good-looking as the older model, and I'll accept your decision either way, but I would argue strongly that the Colt feels pretty cheap for a car costing, in this form, around £10,000. For example, the doors shut with a clang rather than a clunk, and the interior plastic feels very flimsy. Back in 2004, when it was first launched, the Colt generally felt slightly better than an equivalent Hyundai or Kia, but the Koreans have raised their game enormously in the last five years and the Mitsubishi now feels very much like the budget alternative to their products. But the biggest issue is visibility. The Colt has had a problem with this since day one, and since all the revisions are detail ones which do not affect the basic structure of the car Mitsubishi has not been able to attend to it. The very small rear windows and the ludicrously obstructive windscreen pillars (which once prevented me from seeing a pickup at a T-junction) are exactly the same as they were before, and remain the principal reasons why I would personally avoid buying a Colt. Price: £9599
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