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Mitsubishi Colt CZC - Cute, Well-Equipped Convertible With Steel Roof |
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 Now
that the wettest drought in history has ended, it’s time to
think about buying a topless car for the summer.
Presenting the Mitsubishi Colt CZC; this has a powered steel
roof just like a Mercedes two-seater, not to mention the little
Peugeot 206CC, Nissan Micra and Vauxhall Tigra.
The Mitsubishi is exceptionally cute, as long as you view it
from the front, or with the roof down. Otherwise, like its
competitors big and small, the engineering required to raise and
lower the roof and stuff it into the boot plays havoc with its
looks. Just look at the Lexus SC430 – with the roof down its
poetry, beauty. With the roof up, you have to avert your eyes it
is so awful to behold, just like the Renault Megane CC and the
Peugeot 307CC.
But of course you won’t buy the Mitsubishi Colt CZC car for its
roof-up capabilities and looks. You will be lusting after that
wind-in-the-hair feeling, and according to Mitsubishi, you are
likely to be female – 4 out of 5 buyers of this car will be
women. So it is clearly a girlie market; which means that it
must be easy to remove the roof and put it back, and the Colt
CZC does a fine job.
When you are caught in the rain, it takes 22 seconds to replace
the roof. You undo a couple of clips, then push a button until a
bleep tells you that the mission has been completed. I can tell
you that if it is raining seriously, you can get soaking wet in
22 seconds.
More security
 For
those of us with a nervous and depressive disposition, the idea
of a coupe cabriolet – where the roof is steel rather than
canvass – scores on two points; greater security in a roll-over
crash (if the roof is up), and more protection from underclass
opportunists who would steal our stuff if not protected by
steel.
But it is the ambience of top-less driving which will sell this
car. With the roof down, and the optional rear wind-deflector in
place, the experience will be pretty serene, at least as far as
your hairstyle is concerned. The car’s ride is quite noticeably
affected by the dreaded so-called “scuttle-shake” – the flexing
and twisting that takes place in the body because the roof’s
contribution to stiffness isn’t there; noticeable, but not
worrying.
Nippy enough
Apart from the shaking, the driving experience is good, with
sharp steering and a terrific five-speed manual gearbox. The
base model, powered by a 1.5 litre petrol engine developing 80
bhp costs £14,000 (€20,400), and the Turbo version £16,000
(€23,300). The lesser powered version is nippy enough so don’t
waste your money on a turbo.
 Mitsubishi
says the CZC will carry two occasional rear passengers. That’s
what the company says, but try as I might, I can’t imagine the
shape of a person that would fit; the top half of Theo Walcott
perhaps? Just think of it as more space for stuff. As for the
boot, there’s precious little room with the roof stowed.
According to Mitsubishi, this drops to 190 litres when the roof
is down, from 460 litres with it up. It must surely make sense
to dump the pretence of room in the back for two people, and
make this into a proper storage area.
Prices don’t look particularly keen compared with the opposition
– the Nissan Micra CC starts at £13,150 (€19,150), the Peugeot
206 CC at £13,495 (€19,650), and the Vauxhall Tigra is also
£14,000. But compare the content offered carefully.
Well equipped
 The
CZC is well equipped, with the base model including front and
side airbags, ABS and EBD brakes, air conditioning, remote
central locking, and MP3 compatible CD stereo. The Turbo, as
well as more poke, adds heated seats, part leather trim, more
computerised safety stuff, sports suspension, and better brakes.
The dashboard is comprehensive but the quality of materials is
tacky.
The CZC is clearly a Colt mini-MPV with the roof off, but this
version of the car was designed and developed by Italy’s
Pininfarina, which also assembles the car in Bairo near Turin,
mainly from bits sent from the Colt factory at Born in Holland.
There surely couldn’t be a better car than a coupe convertible
if the torrential drought continues this summer.
Mitsubishi Colt CZC 1.5
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Engine:
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1,499 cc 4-cylinder
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Power:
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107 bhp
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Gearbox:
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5-speed manual
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Drive:
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front wheels
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Acceleration: 0-62/100 km/h
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0-62 mph-100 km/h – 10.5 seconds
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Top Speed:
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114 mph-183 km/h
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Fuel Consumption:
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claimed combined – 42.8 mpg-6.6 l/km
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CO2 Emissions:
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157g/km
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Length:
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3,875
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Width:
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1,695
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Height:
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1,453
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Price:
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£14,000-€20,400
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Competition:
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Peugeot 206CC, Nissan MicraCC, Vauxhall TigraCC
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Would I buy one?
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No. Too girlie.
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Rating:
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*** out of 5
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For:
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cute, drives well, roof efficient
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Against:
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ugly with roof up, limited storage
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