Mitsubishi Colt 1.3 Juro 3dr Car Review - February 2012

Inside the cabin, the dash has clear instrumentation, the controls are easy to find and it’s well laid out. While the plastics used for trim are hard, they’re stylish and feel durable. Visibility is good all round, and finding a good driving position shouldn’t be a problem for most people, although the steering column only has adjustment for height – not reach.

The 1.3-litre, 4 cylinder, 16 valve unit is potent enough producing 92lb-ft of torque, getting you from 0-62mph in 11.8 seconds, and with a maximum speed of 112mph it’s no slouch. Fuel economy is good at 51.4 mpg on average and it only gets noisy at high speed – otherwise it’s very smooth and competent.

The Colt handles cornering without fuss and there’s plenty of grip too. However, you’ll experience some body lean due to the Colt’s tall shape and the steering doesn’t really give you much feedback. Most surfaces don’t trouble it and it’s a reasonably smooth ride but bumps or poor road surfaces can be felt through the suspension.

Road noise is well isolated from the cabin, and while wind noise increases at speed, it isn’t overly intrusive.

The Colt’s overall styling is quite handsome making the most of its taller than average design, and while it may be no ‘head-turner’ it has a lot to offer for a city car.

This Juro 1.3-litre version comes well equipped with alloy wheels, air conditioning, electric door mirrors, electric front windows, cruise control, leather seats, immobiliser, CD & MP3 connectivity, satellite navigation system and Bluetooth.

Metallic paint is available for £399.

This three-door model has sufficient headroom and legroom to accommodate four tall adults in comfort, which is better than some of its rivals. The rear seats which split 60/40 and slide to balance passenger legroom and luggage space (160-litres with seats in place) can also be folded down increasing load space available to 568 litres. This is by no means class beating capacity but it’s enough for your shopping bags or other regular luggage.

Euro NCAP gave ratings of 4 for occupants, 3 for children and 1 for pedestrians in their crash test of the Mitsubishi Colt Juro. All models have ‘assisted emergency braking’. However, only front airbags are fitted as standard. Theft is deterred by remote central locking, deadlocks and immobilizer as standard kit.

The Colt is a well built car and Mitsubishi in general has scored well in customer surveys relating to reliability. It comes with Mitsubishi’s 3-year, unlimited mileage warranty and service intervals of 12,500 miles.

The Colt is competitively priced at £10,499 with its level of equipment. Running costs are helped by decent fuel economy of 51.4mpg, and CO2 emissions 127g/km putting it in VED band D for Road Tax and group 16 for insurance.

The Colt, similar to other Mitsubishis, will hold its value pretty well and is attractive as a used car buy as they are less common than the Fiesta or Corsa.

If you're looking for a good value substitute to the more established mainstream options like a Ford Fiesta and Vauxhall Corsa, then the Mitsubishi Colt is worth seriously considering.