For A cracking engine makes the Colt Ralliart fast and flexible. It's even pretty practical for its size.
Against It doesn't handle as well as its key competitors due to sloppy body control and inconsistently weighted steering. It's also pricey to insure, which will dent its appeal for younger drivers.
What Car? says
There's lots of fun to be had in the Ralliart, but it isn't nearly as polished to drive as some of its major rivals.
Reader review rating
4.101124
advertisement
Mitsubishi Colt Hatchback 1.5 Ralliart 3dr full review
-
Performance
The Ralliart's turbocharged 1.5-litre engine produces 147bhp, which is plenty for a car as small as the Colt. It's pacier than rivals such as the Renaultsport Twingo and Fiat 500 Abarth, picking up quickly from standstill and giving plenty of mid-range pull, too.
-
Ride & Handling
This is where the Ralliart can't match its competitors. The Colt's handling is sloppier than it should be due to its excessive body roll. That, along with the car's inconsistently weighted steering, is enough to unsettle the car as it enters corners. The ride is firm, but not as unforgiving as some rivals'.
-
Refinement
The hottest Colt is quieter than you'd expect a hot hatch to be. There's a bit of road noise at motorway speeds, but the engine settles down to nothing more than a faint hum. It sounds good when you're giving it a footful of throttle, too.
-
Buying & Owning
Compare the Ralliart to other small hot hatches and you'll see that it's competitively priced. There are also some good discounts to be had, and it will hold its value pretty well, too. Drive it carefully and you will easily manage more than 40mpg, and Mitsubishi will take care of routine servicing for the first three years/30,000 miles if you pay a few hundred pounds upfront. However, young drivers may find it pricey to insure.
-
Quality & Reliability
Being a Japanese manufacturer, Mitsubishi is never far from the top in our reliability surveys. That means the Colt should never leave you stuck at the roadside. Quality is a different proposition, though. The plastics in the cabin are pretty nasty, with hard surfaces and rough textures.
-
Safety & Security
Mitsubishi has provided stability control and a sophisticated braking system as standard. If you do find yourself in a spot of bother, though, six airbags are on hand to help cushion you from harm. An alarm and an engine immobiliser should keep thieves at bay.
-
Behind The Wheel
The Colt's steering wheel adjusts for height but not reach. However, there's two-way movement for the seat and lots of space, so most drivers should find it easy to get comfortable. The dashboard's plain design makes all the controls easy to locate, but awkwardly placed windscreen pillars reduce your forward visibility. Rear visibility is fine.
-
Space & Practicality
The Colt has the sort of rear legroom that puts many family cars to shame, and there's good rear headroom, too. The boot is on the small side, but capacity can be improved by dropping the split-folding rear seats.
-
Equipment
The Ralliart comes with a range of skirts and spoilers to set it apart from the rest of the Colt range, and it rides on chunky 16-inch alloy wheels. The inside has more luxury toys than you get in most small cars, too: included as standard are cruise control, electric front windows, sports seats and a CD player with steering wheel-mounted controls, plus an MP3 connector.
What Car?
is brought to you by
Haymarket Consumer MediaWhat Car? is part of Haymarket Motoring
© Haymarket Media Group 2012
