Today's courtesy car is a Mitsubishi Colt 1.1 Attivo which appears to have been some kind of fairly basic special edition.

That said it has alloys , remote central locking and electric windows but no air-con so not too bad a spec.

First impressions are ok - it's a bit of a wedge shaped tiny MPV style but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

It makes for a nice spacious interior with good visibility of traffic around you but it is awkward to see where the bonnet ends when parking. No such problems going backwards. The boot is a decent size as well.

When you close the door or tailgate it feels a bit tinny and lightweight which isn't a good sign , but once you get inside everything feels very well screwed together.

Some of the design is a bit too modern and trendy for my liking with a bit of a plasticky feel to it , but all the switchgear has a very good quality feel to it.

Unlike the C2 I had a while back you don't have any worries about bits dropping off.

It has a nice dashboard mounted screen for the trip computer and stereo with a decent range of information , but it does sound a bit weedy when you turn it on.

That would have to go if you liked your music.

On the move it's quite a decent car to drive. The 1.1 litre engine feels more powerful than I expected and certainly manages the 12.9 second 0-60 time that they claim. It does sound a bit noisy and harsh though with quite a throaty sound that's more intrusive than my octy TDI.

On my drive to work it was happy to cruise at an indicated 80 mph and managed 45 mpg which is pretty good for a car of this size.

The gear change worked well with a nice well sprung positive action.

It didn't handle quite as nimbly as the C2 when chucked around enthusiastically but it did feel more solidly planted on the road and less likely to skip around over bumps. For the typical user I don't think there would be any cause for complaint , and the seats aren't all that supportive so you slide around a lot anyway.

The brakes are adequate though nothing special like the ones on the C2 which were excellent.

One thing that I found very annoying is the centre seat belt in the rear - it's got a mounting point up on the ceiling and is there dangling in the rear view mirror. I keep spotting it there out of the corner of my eye and having to make a proper check to see what it is.

Overall there is a lot to like about it and no major drawbacks. It would certainly be worth a look if you wanted a small car and I'd be more likely to buy one of these than the C2.

Nice little review Dr Z.

Again , thought I may as well type something up after discussing it with people in the office.

Not the sort of car I'm after at the moment but we get all sorts of people reading Briskoda and someone may find it handy

I find the 3 door is prettier to my eye , and if you like your engine notes you will love the 3 cyl petrol engine in these (only the 1.1 is 3 cyl , the 1.3 and 1.5 are 4 cyl 16V) I have driven both 3 and 5 door Colts (including the CZT-which doesnt feel fast at all , I was really dissapointed in it) My preffered spec would be a 1.1 Mirage or 1.1 Blue special edition. Oh and I agree with the comments re the stereo - it is pants! Even the top spec set up in the CZT cannot compete with the 8 speaker MS402 Radio Cassette in my Furby!! (really!).

We have a Mitsubishi Blue and its fantastic. Very nippy and great build quality and spec.