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Joe Kenwright19 Aug 2006
REVIEW

Mitsubishi Colt Ralliart

The Ralliart Colt can make its Clio Sport or Polo GTi rivals feel positively cosseting

2006 Mitsubishi Colt Ralliart

Australian Launch
Sydney, July 2006

What we liked
>> Kart-like feel
>> Strong engine and brakes
>> Spacious, versatile cabin

And not so much
>> Harsh ride and rattles
>> Tall gearing
>> Less than the sum of its parts

Presented as a tough little brother to Mitsubishi's Lancer EVO icons, the Ralliart Colt is a hot turbocharged version of the front-drive Colt with a special variation of the five-door hatch body. Not only does it look a little feral, it has a bad attitude and won't tolerate armchair drivers.

Expectations for the Ralliart Colt are high when almost every part is re-engineered for its high performance role. It starts with a re-worked bodyshell that is 30 per cent more rigid with extra welds, bracing, thicker structural sections and extra cross-members for a weight increase of 60kg. Not your base Colt shell stretched to the limit, it's well on its way to a proper rally shell!

Suspension is stiffened with bushes, springs, dampers, front anti-roll bar and rear torsion beam all upgraded. A rebound spring is added to the front struts. Brakes are upgraded with larger ventilated front discs and rear solids activated by a larger master-cylinder bore for similar fade resistance to the EVO. 

The Ralliart engine is the twin overhead cam 4G15 version of the MIVEC 1.5-litre with high 10.0:1 compression ratio, turbocharger, intercooler, hollow camshafts, cylinder block baffle plate, low-friction pistons, stronger engine and gearbox mountings and a 27 per cent reduction in exhaust back pressure. It runs on Premium Unleaded fuel only for a 6.7lt/100km fuel figure.

The hi-po Colt delivers 113kW/6000rpm and 210Nm/3500 for some serious mumbo if you can get the right combo of turbo, clutch and gears all happening together.

The Gertrag five-speed manual is combined with a ZF-Sachs clutch with taller third-through-fifth and final drive ratios. This is the last thing Australians need when it leaves a first gear ratio of 3.308:1 and a big gap to second's 1.913:1. The rest flow nicely but more of that initial gap shortly…

Alloy wheels and tyres are upgraded to a whopping 205/45R 16 which Mitsubishi claims is a first for this class. Turning circle climbs to 10.8m over the standard 9.4 but the steering ratio is quickened. The Active Stability Control incorporates an Active Traction Control which can replicate the function LSD. Together they keep it all in shape but again, more of that shortly.

Inside, there are aggressive Recaro front seats straight from the EVO VIII MR with a 30mm lower hip point. Seat contouring is pronounced and the distance between head and head restraint is dictated by helmet dimensions, not comfort.  The matching leather-wrapped steering wheel and gear lever knob, white faced instruments, EVO IX sports pedals, premium six-stacker sound and climate control air-conditioning are standard fare.

Outside, however, the Colt Ralliart makes a statement -- and then some! A deep front airdam filled with mesh and foglights, mesh sports grille and giant bonnet vent feeding the intercooler should remove any Colt daintiness but presents more like a kid who has been face-painted like Darth Maul! Front spoiler extensions, wheel arch flares, side skirts, high-mounted rear spoiler, extended rear skirt with diffuser and large chrome exhaust outlet complete the package.

Start adding all these cabin and body bits to a $19,990 Colt VR-X and it won't be long before you starting nudging the Ralliart's $29,990 purchase price.

But would you want one?

That depends on what you do with it. It is a tough, harsh little urchin that is so tight in the body and suspension that it will find noises in various cabin fittings that Mitsubishi didn't even think about. And if you are not a super-waif, it could end up finding a squeak or two in you as well!

It has been some time since a car screwed down as tight as this one has been unleashed from the showroom. The cabin, seats and controls are set up for fast weekend gymkhanas and sprints and if trackside precision is what you want, then $29,990 for this level of preparedness is cheap.

Whether you can live with it between sprints is the issue. On smooth roads, the grip is outstanding. On broken surfaces, it is almost too stiff and gets fidgety as it darts around. It feels slower in these conditions than a Colt VR-X. Everyday over a daily commute, it could prove to be too busy. Once on the move, the engine is a force to be reckoned with, providing the driver can keep everything happening within the upper four ratios.

The gearbox allows rapid shifting so it is a welcome part of the equation even if its ratios are less than ideal.

On steep, tight mountain corners, second gear is too high to get the engine above its turbo lag and into its sweet spot. A quick downshift back to first will have it storming out of an apex only to die as you hit second. It's at this point that some controlled wheelspin would be welcome to keep the turbo on-song. Instead, a giant electronic hand says no and hoses out the fires for a subdued first to second shift that sends you back to lag land again.

It doesn't happen often but it is annoying when it kills the beautiful flow of power available in the upper four gears. And when you need the ASC system activated to maximize grip from the Active Traction Control, there is no way around it.

And that sums up the Ralliart Colt. All the credentials are there for a great drive. Younger drivers will embrace the hard-edged competition feel when others would be happier to find the extra money for something smoother like the Ford Focus XR5 Turbo.

We liked the hard-edged feel but only if the drivetrain could match it. At lower Australian speeds, the Ralliart Colt is just not willing and thrilling enough. It reminded me of the previous Focus ST170 which didn't come together until beyond 100km/h.

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Written byJoe Kenwright
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