THE most enjoyable cars in the Mitsubishi Colt range are the smallest 1.1 and 1.3 petrol engined models.

Despite only having three cylinders, the 1.1-litre  in the cheapest ‘Red' model is great fun.

It produces a very good 74bhp, making it peppy and full of fun, and it sounds brilliant when pressed up the rev range.

The 94bhp 1.3 next up the range is also excellent but the largest 1.5 is a bit gruff and not much quicker.

The Colt rides reasonably comfortably and handles brilliantly with very strong road-holding and grip and lovely safe balance through the corners.

Economy is excellent - and even better in the eco special 1.3 Cleartec - and performance is even surprisingly good in this one.

All come with Mitsubishi's very strong reliability record backing them up with real peace of mind even if you intend to keep one for a few years.

The power steering is positive and direct with loads of feel, there is very little roll in corners and the front seats hold reasonably well.

The Colt is much bigger than other superminis, giving plenty of interior space and a reasonable boot, and the rear seat slides to make more boot space.

Pay about £4,000 for an ‘05 05-reg Elegance, £6,100 for an '08 58-reg CZ2.

94bhp, 1,332cc, 4cyl petrol engine driving front wheels via 5-speed manual gearbox

  111mph

10.6 seconds

48

5

143g/km

15%

10/10

Ford Fiesta