Mitsubishi Colt Ralliart: PH Carpool
Baby Evo vibe makes for perfect starter hot hatch for one young PHer
Car: Mitsubishi Colt Ralliart
Owned since: October 2013
Previously owned: Kia Picanto
David's car a little camera-shy - rest are press pics!
"I used to work for Mitsubishi as a salesman and I had the normal Colt as a company car. I really liked the styling and amazing spec that it came with, the only issue was a lack of any real power. As we weren't a Ralliart dealer I never had the chance to drive the Ralliart variant, a beefed up turbocharged version. A few years after our dealership shut down I came across a low-mileage three-door Ralliart for sale at my local dealership and the rest is history."
What I wish I'd known:
"The rarity of these cars was one of the reasons I bought it, however I should have realised that it would also be its Achilles heel! The parts can be rather expensive if they are the Ralliart only parts and can't be sourced from the regular car. Also if you are wanting to turn one of these into a mini Evo rival (it can be done) then you will be searching for aftermarket parts for a while."
Things I love:
"It may sound corny but it really puts a smile on your face! Around any B-road you can really throw it into the corners and floor it on the exit, and unlike a lot of cars it's very responsive so every little blip of the throttle or turn on the steering wheel feels like it should! Plus I love the look on the faces of anyone with a VXR or ST when they try to leave you standing and you do it to them! Priceless!"
Things I hate:
"There are two things that I don't like about this car, the clutch and the gearbox! The clutch is very clunky and doesn't flow as well as it should, and it's only a five-speed box; for motorway journeys it could do with a sixth gear to lower the revs below the point where the turbo kicks in."
Rare, affordable to run and fun to drive - win!
"I was actually very surprised how cheap it is to run this car! On a day to day run it gets 40-42mpg and costs just over £50 to fill up (V-Power of course!). And insurance wise it isn't too bad, £600 a year for a 22-year-old lad wasn't as costly as I expected! The only real cost are the tyres; Because of the car's speed rating you'll be lucky to get change back on £400 for all four corners."
Where I've been:
"The car is mainly used up and down the dual-carriageway from Herne Bay to Broadstairs, however it has been to Wales and back enjoying a thrash around the roads of Denbigh, a must for any true petrolhead; some of the best roads I've ever seen!"
What next?
"I haven't decided, I plan to upgrade it slightly by lowering the suspension, adding a de-cat exhaust system and remapping it with the aim of achieving 220+ hp. However as I previously stated it is an expensive car to get the parts for so I may chop it in for its bigger brother, the Lancer Ralliart, or calm down slightly and get an Audi A5 3.0 Quattro. Who knows?"
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I remember when these first came out, I always thought Mitsubishi got the 'shrunken Evo' vibe just right. Can't remember why, but the press didn't go mad for them at the time. Perhaps the full-on Evo was too hard an act to follow and the mags expected too much?
Unless you are ofcourse talking about the last gen Fiesta ST. That would be a closer match.
Dont get me wrong I like the Colt turbo and enjoyed reading about Banzai tuning one very many moons ago. Its a shame they didnt drop in the Brabus Smart Four Four version in from the off.
I have seen a couple of Ralliart ones around and they dont really do it for me, and to be honest seem a little underpowered when compared to other Ralliart derivatives and also other contenders in the same fast-small-hatch marketplace.
I too used to work for a dealer group with Mitsubishi in its portfolio (not any more): sales were comically low apart from "lifestyle" pickups and just about every other model they offered was comprehensively outdone / outsold by other manufacturers* - I was selling Suzukis, for example, and the Swift outsold the Colt by about 7:1 and not because it was cheaper (it wasn't).
Good, left-field choice for a first hot hatch, though.
- Lancer Evolution excepted.
The Colt should very much be compared to those not the Fiesta, Corsa etc.
I too used to work for a dealer group with Mitsubishi in its portfolio (not any more): sales were comically low apart from "lifestyle" pickups and just about every other model they offered was comprehensively outdone / outsold by other manufacturers* - I was selling Suzukis, for example, and the Swift outsold the Colt by about 7:1 and not because it was cheaper (it wasn't).
Good, left-field choice for a first hot hatch, though.
- Lancer Evolution excepted.
Those are massive selling points in this country so no wonder they flop
I hated that the whole Mitsubishi range was "outdone" by its competitors but it only makes my car that little bit rarer and I quite like that aspect of owning it!
0-60 7.5
0-100 22.3
Similar performance and top speed to 106Gti/VTS
That being said it's fast, spacious, rare and good value used and i'd have one again probably, although the Brabus ForFour is the car i really want.
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