Mitsubishi is currently one of the largest automobile companies in terms of global unit sales. Founded by Yataro Iwasaki in 1970, the brand actually had its origin as a Japanese shipping company. Yataro also established businesses in mining, shipbuilding, banking and insurance. He thus arranged the foundation for the subsequent growth and development of the Mitsubishi group of companies. The diversity of Mitsubishi products covered so much from paper to steel, electrical equipments, aircrafts, and automobiles.

It was after World War II when the Mitsubishi divisions formally launched themselves as independent companies that utilize their accumulated technical strengths and shared management strategies. Benefiting very well from this convenient set-up, the Mitsubishi Motors Corporation flourished as it cooperated and, sometimes, even competed in some business aspects with its peers. It has become one of the largest automakers in Japan and in the world; hence Mitsubishi parts are now manufactured in various production facilities across the continents.Made without compromising high quality for the price or affordability for the performance, the Mitsubishi parts that compose the different vehicle systems-engine, steering, exhaust, suspension, electrical, cooling, braking, and lighting-are very accurately set-up that it is most unlikely to find substitute components for them. The brand’s exceptional filters, bug shields, lamps, engine fans, mirrors, body kits, cold air intakes, spark plug wires, and shock absorbers are so precisely fit for the particular models they are intended to be used with.

When owners wish to upgrade or need replace certain components, therefore, only the authentic Mitsubishi parts like the wheels, seat covers, airbags, seatbelts, floor mats, and wipers pass to be most suitable for their particular tasks in the Mitsubishi assembly. The key to accomplishing a successful replacement or upgrade is simple. One has to trust his brand in order to discover its performance wonders that are not possible with mere generic components. With realistic yet impressive guarantees from Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), one is bound for the smoothest rides with his Mitsubishi.

Related Posts

• February 20, 2010 — A Look Inside Isuzu (0)
• October 20, 2009 — The Mitsubishi Shogun (0)
• October 15, 2009 — The Car Code Mitsubishi Stereo (0)
• October 7, 2009 — The Mitsubishi L200 (0)
• October 7, 2009 — The Mitsubishi Truck Parts (0)

The Mitsubishi Colt is yet another hatchback that has found itself lumped in with a myriad of others in the saturated supermini market. This market is very much sink or swim recently and to stay afloat your car has got to have something a little different or special to attract interest. So will the Mitsubishi Colt be riding along on the crest of a wave or sinking irretrievably amidst the gloomy waters of supermini failure?

The first impression is suitably impressive as the exterior ticks boxes you wouldn’t expect it to, as it manages to look solid and chunky yet you can be sure that you will be able to fit it into all but the very tightest of parking spaces. It has a tall roof that means that there will be enough room to comfortably seat at least 4 6-foot+ adults; reassuring news if you were ferrying guests to a medical giant’s convention.

The interior is relatively basic, but looks smart enough and appears to be of a high manufacturing standard and all the plastics are rigid and will stand up to ham-fisted testing. The seating is perhaps a little too firm, which makes long journeys a little undesirable, but as these cars are primarily designed for short city driving, this isn’t too much of a pressing concern.The Colt is available in 3 door, 5 door and cabriolet editions and the engines range from 1.1 Litre to 1.5 Litre Petrol, which is proof if any were required that Mitsubishi have no delusions of grandeur about the Colt being adapted into some kind of racing car. No, it is a fairly slow car and you’ll get bored of counting the seconds it takes to get from 0-60. That really isn’t the point of the Mitsubishi Colt though. This car has been designed with practicality in mind, so the evaluation criteria should be more a question of handling, boot space, economy and ecology.

In these terms the Colt does pretty well. The handling isn’t exactly pin-point accurate, but is more than fit for purpose on a car of this ilk. The boot is actually smaller than you would expect, but put the passenger seats down and you have an impressive capacity that will manage to accommodate most shopping trips. Economically speaking the Colt is a triumph on two counts; firstly, with the basic Colt model starting from £7,799, it is very competitively priced for a new car. Secondly, with economical engine, you should find yourself achieving very high and wallet-friendly miles per gallon ratios. Tying in with this, the ecological implications of owning this car are almost negligible; the Colt produces one of the lowest CO2 emissions for its class and will not cause too much damage to the environment.

So far, so good for the little Japanese Mitsubishi, but there is one small flaw in its conception; the Mitsubishi Colt lacks a gimmick. Whereas the Ford Fiesta, Vauxhall Corsa and Fiat 500 have got stylish good looks in there corner, the Mitsubishi just has fairly bog-standard practicality stamped all over it. The Colt can’t compete in performance terms with the Volkswagen cars so its difficult to see where it can fit in the over-crowded marketplace.

However, if you are looking for a basic, no-frills, reliable and cheap city car, the the Mitsubishi Colt is definitely worth your consideration.

Related Posts

• June 12, 2010 — Mitsubishi – Still a Contender (0)

As I am an only child I have a bit of a problem when it comes to attention – I’m always seeking it. This however is socially accepted as ‘only child syndrome’ so I think I can get away with it. Unfortunately I can’t seem to get away from the fact that I am the most un-photogenic person on the planet, so I won’t be draped over the bonnet of a new Mitsubishi anytime soon. In any crowd, at any party or social occasion you can think of I’m there, in the front gurning uncontrollably in front of the camera.

Just a few years ago this wouldn’t have been much of a problem as the photos would be condemned to the family photo album or remain imprisoned on a friends’ memory card. Nowadays with the advent of social networking sites such as Myspace and Facebook I’m splattered all over the place looking ugly as sin.Short of some drastic facial surgery or being pinned to the ground and forced to remain solemn I’ve been struggling to think of how to get attention whilst maintaining my dignity and not pulling stupid faces in public. The good news is I’ve found the answer, it comes from Japan and is now in its tenth incarnation: the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X (That’s ten in roman numerals to the uninitiated).

The Mitsubishi is undoubtedly a brilliant car as it appears on the showroom floor, but I’m a big fan of history and heritage and the Evolution models have a more extensive and impressive lineage than most. Formula One has always been accused of lacking excitement and being controlled by computers more and more as the years go by. The world of rallying however couldn’t be more of a polar opposite, sheer cliff drops, mud splattered cars and windscreens, sheep causing spectacular crashes and the only navigation the drivers have is a petrified co-driver reading the directions from a clipboard.

This is where the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution models come in. For years the Evo and its arch rival the Subaru Impreza slugged it out on the rally circuits before resuming round two on the public roads. For me though it was always Mitsubishi who I waved the flag for and in particular Tommi Makinen, who won the World Rally Championship four times in 1996, ‘97, ‘98 and ‘99 – every time in his Mitsubishi. It was a time when I was a young teenager developing my love of cars and the sight of Makinen winning the championship in Wales of all places will stick with me forever.

Perhaps now you can see why I’m so passionate about the latest Lancer Evolution, although it’s not purely based on my boyhood memories. In recent years the Mitsubishi/Subaru battle has moved firmly into Mitsubishi’s favour with Subaru’s stylists’ seemingly going blind judging by the exceedingly ugly cars it’s produced. Mitsubishi on the other hand has toned down (ever so slightly) its aggressive styling, made the Evolution one of the best handling cars money can buy and then stuck a price tag on it that undercuts anything that could rival it by at least £40,000.

The Evolution X is pure PlayStation generation styling with big wheels and spoiler, a front grill that could plough through snow and headlights that give the car the look of Mike Tyson in his prime. However it is still a more subtle offering than previous models and the more grown-up feel continues inside. Yes it’s not the most inspiring cabin I’ve ever seen, it’s a typical workmanlike Japanese offering rather than Italian flair, but crucially everything on the X is far better quality than its elders.

Whereas build quality may have been in question previously, performance certainly wasn’t. Needless to say, the latest model doesn’t disappoint, with the snappily titled Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X FQ-360 GSR the one in the range to plump for. In fact it’ll get from 0-60mph in a mere 4.1 seconds, which is a damn sight faster that 99 percent of the competition and much faster than you can say it’s name.

Yet despite this Ferrari beating performance the Mitsubishi’s best feature is how it handles. The most accurate way I can describe it other than that overused word ‘perfection’ is to say it manages to handle like a rally car should but won’t break your spine on the shopping run either. It is a racing car for the everyman (or woman). Well if the everyman (or woman) has £37,999 spare. Yes it’s not cheap initially but when you’re beating Ferrari’s with the wife in the front, two kids in the back and your shopping in the boot having paid at least £70,000 less than Ferrari man you’ll see where I’m coming from.

Besides with the credit crunch I’m hoping the prices will plummet on used versions. I just hope I can cope with all the attention I’ll get.

Related Posts

• June 5, 2010 — 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander Ls 4wd Sets Its Identity (0)
• October 28, 2009 — The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X (0)