Okay so it is a sporty version of a decent car and should have a stiff ride, but even on ‘fresh’ motorway passengers’ heads will bobble off their head restraints the ride is that choppy. Similar to piloting an Alfa, the driver will feel grand and enjoy feeling connected to the tarmac, but sadly passengers won’t. My clan was not sad to see the CZT go after a week despite loving the Colt’s impossibly cute and chunky good looks in three-door form.
The standard five-door Colt is pretty nice on the outside but the three-door version has an edge to it that should see it appeal to younger buyers, especially those wanting a little bit of flare. Only the bonnet and front bumper are carried over from the sensible version. It has neater proportions too, being some 60mm shorter and 30mm lower to the road.
Speaking of sensible, I had a brief spin in the excellent 1.5 diesel Colt. It pulls like a train (210 Nm, same as CZT) and only sips juice but the CZT is the Colt you’d park at the front door.
The CZT was designed in Germany for the European market. The 1.5 turbo four-cylinder engine comes from Japan. Incidentally it’s also found in the Forfour ‘Brabus’ from Smart (Colt’s sister car). To make the CZT work Mitsubishi stiffened the suspension, springs and shocks, while strengthening the front anti roll bar. The steering rack was quickened and electronic driving aids added. The under body received some extra reinforcing to keep it stiff while the outer body got the boy racer treatment. The end result is a 210 km/h supermini that can sprint to 100 kph in eight seconds.
On the go the CZT is very lively and can dispatch cars twice its size with ease. The CZT sits on chunky rubber (245/45 R16) and has decent brakes that are reassuring; the front discs brakes are 15” in diameter. On twisty roads it is almost as much fun as a MINI. The traction control light dances at every opportunity.
Inside there is plenty of headroom. I was even able to get a baby seat and two kids in the back. The boot is tiny but wide enough for a buggy and if needed the rear bench slides fore and aft. The dash is youthful with lots of white plastic highlighting dull grey/black hard plastic trim. The steering only adjusts for height so finding an ideal driving position could be a problem. There are nice creature comforts like finger-operated stereo controls on the back of the steering wheel, air conditioning and one touch electric windows.
Mitsubishi globally is still in poor financial shape but if any car can help turn it around it is the Colt.
The CZT is a bit mad so you have to like it!
Michael Sheridan
