Colt covers new hatch territory

The current Mitsubishi Colt range has all bases covered and is a far cry from the Colt of the 80s. This is helped by a folding hard-top convertible and Ralliart Turbo variants.
The small car market is huge and there is little separating each model so it really comes down to the brand you know or package versus price. The manual ES Colt starts at $15,990 and the Auto LS starts at $18,990.
The Colt as a base model is very easy to drive, has excellent storage (folding rear seats give a minivan effect) and fuel economy is an amazing 5.9L/100km.
But what makes the Colt range exciting are two specific models, the convertible and the Ralliart Turbo. These two cars blew us away and would have to be the biggest surprise of the past 12 months.
The hard-top convertible which is designed by Pininfarina, the same mob that put the style into Ferrari, has done a fantastic job both inside and out. The folding hard-top works a treat and, in typical Italian style, the back seats are useless but do make a handy spot for bags etc.
Open-top cruising is addictive in the manual-only convertible. Prices start at $32,990 and climb to a rich $37,990 for the turbo. Buy the turbo and be prepared to hang on – this is one hell of a pocket rocket convertible.
Fans of the Lancer EVO dynasty not willing to lay $60k on the table will be happy to hear they can pay half that for a Ralliart Colt with more than half the fun still intact.
When you see the new Ralliart Colt you will love its aggressive looks, flared wheel arches and 16-inch wheels; then you’ll probably question its performance. As soon as you open the door and sit in the perfectly shaped Recaro seats, you realise you’re in something special.
Turn the key and you hear a slight rumble from its exhaust, pop it into first and you notice the throw is a little shorter, then take off, snap second, turn a corner and you will be instantly impressed. Mitsubishi has done a fantastic job with the dynamics of this car. Considering the punch you get when putting the right foot down, the car copes with it really well. At $29,990, there isn’t much that will make you smile every time you grab your keys like the Ralliart Colt.
AUTO FACTS
Price: $15,990-$37,990
Engines: 1.5L MIVEC, 1.5L MIVEC Turbo
Transmissions: 5-speed manual, CVT auto