Despite the name, the Colt Sport is not a sporty car, and it was never intended to be. Don't think of it as the "hot hatch" of the range - that car will be along later, and it will be called the CZT. "Sport", Mitsubishi lost no time in assuring us, is little more than the name of a trim level, though as we'll see later this happens to be by some way the quickest Colt on sale at the moment.With the sixth-generation Colt, Mitsubishi is aiming at providing as much interior space with as little exterior space as it possibly can. The company quotes the Peugeot 206 as a possible rival, but that's an easy target in some ways because, whatever its other claims, the 206 could never be described as a roomy car. By comparing the Colt with the Honda Jazz and the Toyota Yaris, Mitsubishi is giving itself more of a challenge.In terms of passenger space, the Colt is right up there with the Japanese opposition. There's plenty of room in the front, and rear occupants get a decent amount of room too, if they move their adjustable seat as far back as it will go.Luggage space starts at 219 litres, increases to 311 litres with the rear seat in its foremost position, and continues through other options until we reach one of the Colt's selling points, which is the fact that the rear seat can in fact be removed entirely, releasing 641 litres of fresh air. The Honda Jazz does much better than this, but it's still a very good figure for the class.All this applies to the whole of the Colt range. Trim levels start with Classic, move up to Equippe, and then split in two directions; one of these is Elegance, which includes things like leather upholstery and side airbags, and the other is Sport. The Sport is easily recognisable from the outside, since it has 16" alloy wheels (other Colts get 15s), and an itty-bitty rear spoiler.Inside, the difference is even more obvious, since the Sport's steering wheel and gearknob are a rather noticeable red, as is much of the interior trim. Swish-looking pedals and silver rings round the dials complete the package.The 1.5-litre petrol engine (there's a similarly-sized diesel engine elsewhere in the range) is also available in the top-spec Elegance model, and there are no differences between the two applications - a maximum of 107bhp is produced in each case. But the Sport is available only with a genuine manual five-speed gearbox, the Elegance only with an automatic-clutch version. The Sport therefore accelerates substantially more quickly, even if top speed is the same, and it's also very slightly more economical.Mitsubishi says that the Sport's suspension is standard, and that "Colt's ride and handling engineers have fine-tuned this set-up to achieve what they believe is the right balance between passenger ride comfort and driver dynamics". Perhaps because the Sport performs really quite well, my own view is that in this case a little bit of tightening-up wouldn't have gone amiss. It would sharpen up the handling no end, and also remove some of the wallow from the ride.Ironically, for a car which is not meant to provide an exciting driving experience, the Sport becomes more fun the quicker you go. It has wider and lower-profile tyres than the other Colts, so it grips very well when you're pushing on, but overall I'd rather it was more comfortable in gentler motoring conditions.The Sport is one of three Colts with a basic price of £11,499. You can't spend extra on an automatic-clutch transmission, because this is the only car in the range with a 1.3 or 1.5 engine which doesn't have that as an option. As with all other versions, though, you can specify metallic or pearlescent paint at £295 and an electric tilt/slide sunroof at £450.Second opinion: Well, there's another thing which gives the Sport a sporty look, and that's the mean-looking oval tailpipe. It's a nicely presented car - assuming that you like the unusual translucent effect of the rotary controls, the slim central console pillar and the gearlever surround - although I notice that different CARkeys contributors have, over the months, offered diametrically opposed views about the exterior styling. I came to the Sport directly from a three-cylinder 1.1-litre model, and for refinement that was a matter of a quantum leap. The "four" is a much smoother-revving machine, and noticeably quieter in any given running condition. The new range goes on sale on September 1 and, as mentioned previously, it shares its platform with the smart forfour; so there's an automated-clutch transmission available. However, the important thing here is not that the Colt has this transmission as an option, but that - at last - there's a smart with the possibility of a normal manual box. Ross Finlay. Engine 1499cc, 4 cylinders Power 107bhp Transmission 5-speed manual Fuel/CO2 45.6mpg / 148g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 10.0 seconds Top speed 118mph Price £11,499 Details correct at publication date
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