This might be useful for anyone thinking of a 'city-size' car.
My B-class is in to have the results of a small prang taken out, and the courtesy car provided by the repairers is a Colt 'Red'. I know that as it says 'RED' on each flank: I had thought this was to aid the colour-blind, but it seems that this is a special edition of the basic 3-door 1.1.
It's a frisky little Colt - very lively and nippy around town although the 3-cylinder (petrol) engine is no less noisy than the diesel Mercedes, although it's a more pleasant whirring noise than the diesel drone. Not bad on motorways - still some oomph left at 70 mph.
Ride, handling and steering very good - not quite an instantly responsive as a Ford Ka but getting that way, and the seats are more comfortable. It's well-equipped for a basic model too - remote central locking, one-touch electric windows both sides, a CD player and a trip computer.
Personally I wouldn't have the 3-door - the big doors are a pain in car parks and garages and the seat-belt is an almighty stretch. The 5-door version wouldn't have this problem and is well worth a look - the main recommendation being that although I'm used to bigger and more powerful cars, I'm really enjoying driving this one - as I do every time I drive a Ford Ka.
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We considered on of these as a 5 door version as we have a good Mitsubishi dealer nearby. Well my wife did not like the interior styling or the miniscule boot. After a quick look in the showroom we could not be bothered to speak to a salesman or pick up any litrature we were so unimpressed. My wife finally decided on a Kia Rio, but the Suzuki Swift was seriously considered.
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Roger
I read frequently, but only post when I have something useful to say.
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I managed to get a Colt for the best part of day when helping my sister choose a new car almost a year ago.
It has a lot in its favour, but I didn't care too much for the handling, it can feel a little 'top heavy' on slow-medium speed sharp corners and on the twisty roads I drove it on it did provoke a few nervous moments. All of these small cheap cars can feel a bit flimsy inside, but on the Colt some of the dash controls and components feel just a bit too lightweight. Also, I'm 6'4" and over 17st and I felt a bit cramped in the front, but this would not have been a problem for my sister (a fair bit shorter and slimmer!).
For ride, handling and roominess the Swift wins hands-down, but you do pay for it in higher insurance and not such good mpg, especially if you enjoy the 'sportiness' of the car. The Rio's a good motor, but really in the next sector up from the Colt and Swift.
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The boot of the 5 door is bigger than that of the 3 door. The rear seats slide, so that in the rearmost position, the rear legrooom on the 5 door is very generous (HJ commented that it was more than in an Audi A6 - which is a lot bigger car). If the generous legroom is not required, the can be slid forward to give a lot more boot space. They also fold up, or can be removed altogether. We have a diesel, which goes very well, but the economy is not as good as I would expect from the official figures.
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I found, too late, that with the back seats fully folded down and locked (as they will) the driver's seat can't be pushed all the way back. 5 doors better but I believe the Red only comes with 3. I would have prefered the Panda but the boot is just too small. Quality control not what it was. To find what sounded like a large ball bearing rolling around somewhere, the dealer had to pull out the entire dash, without finding it. The sound was finally tracked down to a spare bolt someone had left in a generally inaccessible space below the passeneger seat. The self-cancelling indicators sometimes fail to self-cancel. Parking sensors advised.
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"So, are you going to keep the Colt, Avant? Sounds like you´re enjoying it more than the B-class ;-)"
No - it belongs to the bodyshop (not the Body Shop, you understand.... :)
But it's good at the job it was meant to do - which of course is the criterion we all use to judge a car, or any piece of equipment for that matter. The difference with cars is that the enjoyment of use, or fun factor, is part of that job, unlike, say a TV or washing machine. At least it is for people on this forum who are here because we enjoy driving (despite the Government's efforts).
I think we've had a thread before about which cars do their job best, taking reliability, performance, handling and fun into consideration. I'd say the Colt joins the Ka, Jazz and Swift among small cars, whereas I wouldn't have included it before driving this one.
Perhaps I'm a little unkind to the B-class: it's the right size for me - not too big or too small, and does well as both a comfortable saloon and a biggish van; build quality and (so far) reliability have been excellent; ride and handling are good if not exceptional; and performance is quite lively. It's just the engine's lack of refinement and the shuddering to a halt every time (due to the unalterable low idling speed) that I thought I could get used to but can't.
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Roughly in the same class is the Fiesta. How would the contributors on this thread compare them to the Swift and the Colt?.
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Roughly in the same class is the Fiesta. How would the contributors on this thread compare them to the Swift and the Colt?.
I had a Fiesta on hire before I got my Colt, and to be honest although people on here say one car is much better than another, but I find all are quite similar in most ways. The Fiesta was an ok car, nicely packaged but with a few flaws for me, the seat belt mountings don't move up very high and the dashboard plastic just wasn't good (new facelift is better). No clutch rest, which to me is one of the most import parts of a car! Swift and Colt have better engines than the Fiesta which seems to suffer because of weight.
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I got a Colt 1.1 three door for my wife last year. Her daughter liked it so much that she got one too. I have to say that the 3 door looks much better than the 5 door (yes, I know it is not as practical) The 1.1 engine thrums along very nicely indeed. Neither car rattles in any way and are very well put together. My wife has ditched the rear parcel shelf as it is an irritation (as mentioned here elsewhere in this thread) Also, the seat never seems to return to its original position when slid forward to allow entry/exit. There was also a recall on the pump action device to raise/lower the drivers seat. The seat slowly sunk to its lowest setting over a period of days.. I told her she needed to get some lard off her backside and it would all be better. I look forward to driving again when I come out of hospital !!!!
The inside feels much bigger than the car looks from the outside. Looks really good in gun metal metalic with alloys. As a bloke, I don't mind being seen to drive it
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I had a Colt 1.1 paid £6500 and really liked the car. Its fairly sporty for a 1.1 and could be quick and fun on twisty roads. However it is very noisy, I suppose you either like the whine or not, it certainly is not a refined car. Do not pay more than 6K for one, the Yaris Swift etc are much more refined cars and just as much fun.
It does have a very spacious interior and I can understand why owners like them, as Ive said just dont pay 8.5K cos ther are better cars at that price.
I eventually sold mine and bought a Panda which believe it or not feels a much better car, refined , quick and thank goodness a normal 4 cyl engine nice and quiet.
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So the Colt's gone back to the stable and I have my B-class back, dent-free. I have to confess that the Mercedes is just slightly quieter than the Colt - so Dodge is right, the Colt is NOISY, and it's a petrol.
So the order - least noisy first but with not a lot to choose between them, is
- Colt 1.1
- Mercedes diesel B-class
- 1950s Commer lorry.
The Colt has cheapness, 3-cylinder economy and liveliness as an excuse; the Commer has antiquity and probably quite a lot of pulling power (the engine, not necessarily the driver....). Mercedes just has an arrogant stuff-the-customer attitude.
I suppose one should add the diesel Maestro somewhere in there - but its saving grace was that the Perkins engine would last forever, still starting instantly when the rest of the Maestro was fit for scrap.
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For consistency with what I said above, the Colt should come in the middle of that order!
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