2023-06-08 07:00:00
The Mitsubishi Colt is back. Almost 60 years following its first launch in Japan and 45 years following its debut in Germany, the small car classic returns to the local market. And as with the new ASX that was just introduced in April, the Japanese once once more used the French alliance partner Renault for the seventh new edition of their best-selling small car. Before the Polo counterpart rolls out to local dealers in October, we were allowed to take a look at the newcomer in a Dutch film studio.
There is no need to speak of similarities: the car is a Clio clone. Apart from the three-diamond logo in the curved front and the brand lettering on the rear, Renault’s best-selling small car might just as well be there. This is also evident when looking at the interior, which is a reflection of the Frenchman, from the cockpit design with the 10-inch driver’s display to the steering wheel and dashboard to the layout of the keyboard and switches. Which of course isn’t the worst thing. On the other hand, Mitsubishi needed an offer in the sales-boosting B segment as quickly as possible for its comeback as a brand in Europe.
And “Germany, as the largest Colt market, plays an important role in this,” says Frank Krol, President and CEO of Mitsubishi Motors Europe. Of the 1.2 million vehicles that have been sold on the local continent since the introduction of the Colt, 420,000 alone found their buyers here. The fact that the new Colt mutated into a one-to-one copy of the Renault Clio is even a blessing for the German managing director Werner H. Frey. “We leverage our alliance and can work with the existing platforms to make it affordable for the masses.”
Whether it will actually be that, we will probably only find out in September, when Mitsubishi wants to announce the prices. It is to be expected that the Japanese will set itself apart from its French group partner and at the same time its biggest competitor with better value for money equipment. Initially there will be three lines and an introductory model. In addition to air conditioning, electrically adjustable and heated exterior mirrors, light and rain sensors and bi-LED headlights, even the entry-level “Basic” version comes with a whole range of passive and active safety systems as standard. The package includes traffic sign recognition, the active lane departure warning system, automatic cruise control with speed limiter, a speed warning and collision warning system with pedestrian and cyclist detection, and the emergency brake assistant.
In the middle version “Plus” the focus is on comfort, as on
heated leather steering wheel, two-stage seat heating for the front seats and tinted windows from the B-pillar (Privacy Glass) can be seen. Front and rear parking aids, a reversing camera with guide lines and the smart key system including a start/stop button for keyless access are also part of the series. In addition to 17-inch aluminum and other safety systems such as high-beam and blind spot assistants and adaptive cruise control, the “Intro Edition” at the market launch also offers a 3D navigation system that is operated via a 9.3-inch touchscreen, including a smartphone connection and inductive charging function.
The highest equipment line is called “Top” and comes ex works with a 360-degree camera and a parking assistant, which takes over parking semi-automatically if desired. The infotainment range also includes a Bose sound system with nine loudspeakers including a subwoofer and a digital 10.25-inch color display. Mitsubishi gives the Colt a five-year manufacturer’s warranty, which can currently be extended by three years when the contract is signed. There is also an eight-year guarantee for the hybrid drive battery.
You read that right: traction battery. Although the Colt is not (yet) purely electric, it is for the first time available with a full hybrid drive (HEV) right from the start, which combines a 94 hp (69 kW) 1.6-liter petrol engine with two electric motors and a multimode automatic transmission. The top engine develops a system output of 105 kW (143 hp) and comes from the Renault shelf, as does the conventional 1.0-liter three-cylinder petrol engine with 67 hp (49 kW) and five-speed manual transmission, which with turbocharging also puts 91 hp (67 kW) on the road via a six-speed transmission.
Production of the Colt begins in September in Bursa, Turkey. (cen/fw)
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