A really spacious 'supermini' (Mitsubishi Colt Hatchback 1.3 CZ2 5dr)

Member Name: markos9

Product:	Mitsubishi Colt Hatchback 1.3 CZ2 5dr
Date:	19/02/09 (229 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Nice to drive, interior space, economy

Disadvantages: Front pillars obscure view

I've owned my Mitsubishi Colt 1.3CZ2 for about 8 months now (I sold my 2004 MX-5 due to the massive petrol price increases, not realising the prices would come down again...) and am really pleased with it.

Most cars these days appear to look similar to each other, but I think the Colt looks a bit different. It has a very tall, 'upright' design and is styled as a mini MPV. There are worse looking cars out there. The CZ2 comes with alloy wheels and body coloured mirrors and bumpers which improve the appearance a bit, too. It's never been a big seller, so it's not a common sight on our roads.

The car appears to have been designed to maximise internal space. There is a huge amount of space inside the car. The back seat can be split and moved back and forward giving either more room in the boot, or in the cabin. Very clever, and very flexible. Although the cabin is cleverly designed, I've got to say, It's not exactly luxurious. The dash and door panels are made of cheap looking plastic (and in my car are a light blue colour (yuk). A 'feature' of the interior is that the centre panel glows a greenish colour when the lights are on. I don't like it.

The shape of the car makes it easy to reverse (as you know exactly where the back of the car is), but bizarrely, it's more difficult to park the car moving forward into a space, as you cannot see any of the front of the car at all from the driver's seat (the bonnet slopes sharply downwards). This can make parking a bit of a guess.

Another problem with the shape is that the back of the car gets really filthy really quickly. I assume it's something to do with airflow, but the back soon collects muck even if the rest of the car looks clean.

The front windscreen is massive and the elevated driving position gives a superb view, BUT, a word of warning, the front windscreen pillars are really thick and can mask the view of other cars especially when turning a corner (I once 'lost' a whole truck when turning a bend, scary!). This is the biggest problem with this car and you soon learn (after a few near misses) to 'look around' the pillars before moving off.

I've found the car to be excellent to drive. There's enough power to overtake, and the car holds the road extremely well. The ride is slightly hard, but not too firm. The steering is accurate and direct, and the gearchance is OK too. The brakes are a bit sharp (for the first couple of days of ownership, slowing down was occasionally converted into an emergency stop!), but the presence of ABS is reassuring.

Fuel economy has been excellent. I've achieved over 50mpg on a long run and never less than 40 around town. Insurance and tax are pretty cheap too.

Overall, I've been really pleased with this car. It's economical, nice to drive and cheap to run. There's a new Colt out now, so the 'old shape' should be available at knock down prices.

Summary: Definitely worth a look if you're in the market for this type of car

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