Mitsubishi always understood its market, presenting spot-on examples that had all the right content but often lacked in the refinement that brought accolades to others of its class.
This radical hatchback arrived to dispel crudeness and elevate the Colt to a supeior position. For improved driving feel, engine and suspension response and ease of operation earned the Colt the highest marks. It was vastly better than it was and a lot more powerful than its Honda Civic competition and, to compete with other Japanese carmakers, the Colt offered a three-year/36,000 mile front-to-back warranty.
The colt’s organic form was rife with visibility and good humor. it was, however, heavier than the Civic, but turned this into an advantage, with substantial, solid feeling. The interior was much larger than before. The cargo hold gained another 8 cubic feet and there was more rear passenger room and more glass for them to look through.
A refined MacPherson strut suspension included an anti-roll bar, MacPherson struts and coil springs. The rear suspension was a new three-link type with semi-trailing arms and coil springs.
colt whinnied through the base model, E and GT and turned thoroughbred as the red-hot GT DOHC Turbo. Without an intercooler, its 1.6-liter, 16-valve engine produced 141 lb-ft of torque at 3000 rpm and 30 more horsepower than the 8-valve turbo engine.
Reduction of internal friction, more valve surface area and 10 psi boost was why. Mitsubishi revised its turbo to give an immediate but very linear response for very snappy acceleration in the low-, and mid-range, where 95 percent of driving occurs.
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