Category: Superminis 
Price Range: £7,999 to £12,849
Energetic and refined engine, cheap to buy, well equipped.
Obtrusive A-pillars, small boot, fidgety ride, poor attention to detail.
Irritating foibles ruin an otherwise cheap and cheerful alternative to the usual superminis.
Japanese manufacturers are usually regarded as builders of bulletproof cars, but Mitsubishi has performed badly in recent surveys. In the 2008 JD Power customer satisfaction survey, Mitsubishi finished 27th out of 28 in the manufacturers league table.
The previous-generation Colt got a more favourable response from owners, finishing 51st out of 100 models in the survey. Since this new model is based on the same platform and has many similar features, there's little to suggest things will improve quality-wise.
Colt owners said the exterior was mostly trouble-free, but the oily bits weren't quite as robust: they reported problems with the transmission, suspension, steering and brakes.
Inside the cabin the story was largely the same, with more than half of those surveyed experiencing glitches or bits falling off.
The car we tested was poorly finished, with little attention to detail. The stitching on the gearknob was too notchy and it started to grate against our palms after an hour in busy traffic and constant gearchanges. The dashboard looks cheap and the silver-painted interior door handles seem fragile.
Even the exterior grab handles are poorly made - they simply don't have enough of a lip underneath to allow any purchase. It's all too easy to lose your grip and inadvertently punch yourself in the ear.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Mitsubishi Colt
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