Chevy Spark and Opel Agila take note - Mitsubishi i coming!

[Bravada]

Europe's city car segment is burgeoning, with ever-increasing competition from the likes of the new Toyota/PSA triplets, Kia Picanto and the bestseller Fiat Panda. GM tries to hold their own with the more or less successful Poland-made Opel Agila and the newly-rehashed Matiz, now called Chevy Spark. In a suprise move, Mitsubishi announced that their unusual "i" minicar (something of a cross between a Smart and a Spark) might be coming to the UK - will it make a dent in Chevy and Opel sales?

As of now, Mitsubishi only mentions a UK launch of the RHD version, but if it proves popular, a LHD is likely to follow.

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Mitsubishi's 'i' on the future



You've seen the iPod and iMac – now you should be able to buy the iCar. Mitsubishi sells the futuristic-looking city car in Japan and is likely to bring it to a dealer near you this autumn. The five-door city car is designed to compete with models such as the Daihatsu Sirion, Peugeot 107 and Toyota Aygo, and whatcar.com is the first to test-drive it in the UK. Mitsubishi will decide in the next few weeks whether to bring the iCar to the UK. If it gets the go-ahead, it could go on sale in September for £8999.

The tiny 660cc engine is positioned under the rear floor, so, with no engine bay up front, the front-seat passengers sit further forward, freeing up more room in the oval-shaped cabin. It's spacious for four passengers and there's plenty of head- and legroom. We haven't yet measured the interior, but it feels bigger than rivals' cabins. However, one drawback of the rear-engine layout is the high boot floor; it's not as deep as other superminis' boots. There is still enough space to stow a few bags of shopping, though, and the rear seats fold individually to increase boot space.

The iCar is designed primarily for the city, where it should excel. Its tiny dimensions make it easy to thread around twisty streets and the upright shape (with no bonnet sticking out) makes it a doddle to park. However, performance from the tiny, Smart-sourced, 64bhp 660cc turbocharged engine is pretty pedestrian. Top speed is 90mph and Mitsubishi doesn't even quote a 0-60mph time, but it should be adequate for nipping around town. The iCar comes with a four-speed automatic gearbox as standard, which changes gear in a slightly jerky fashion. Our brief drive was around an urban circuit, so it's hard to say how the car will handle on cross-country roads. It leans a bit in corners, but not noticeably worse than its city car rivals.

Mitsubishi plans to sell the iCar for £8999 – which is a lot for a city car. However, it argues that typical buyers (many of them older) usually choose higher-specification models, rather than the attention-grabbing entry-level cars. That's why the iCar will come with climate control, alloy wheels, xenon lights and keyless entry and ignition. The windows and mirrors are adjusted electrically, while twin front airbags, anti-lock brakes and ISOFIX child seat mountings will help protect occupants in an accident.

There's no getting away from the iCar's steep initial purchase price, but running bills should prove more affordable. Mitsubishi claims an average fuel economy figure of 55mpg and its carbon dioxide emissions should be less than 120g/km, making it one of the cleanest cars on sale – and one of the cheapest to run as a company car, too.

Source: http://www.whatcar.com/news-special-...112&EL=3160166

See also: http://www.whatcar.com/news-article.aspx?NA=219951

[sgfootball2006]

In my opinion, that is ugly. I cant even imagine what kind of handling it will have.

[Bravada]

I can't help thinking about the Mini Spiritual Too concept car from the 90s when I look at the iCar:

[69Firebird400]

Originally Posted by sgfootball2006

In my opinion, that is ugly. I cant even imagine what kind of handling it will have.

Yeah, probalby not anything to write home about. They did have this quote about the handling - always a good thing in a small car:

It leans a bit in corners, but not noticeably worse than its city car rivals.

It's funny that there is almost a cartoonish lack of front or rear overhang on those things! The anti-Lacrosse!

Having no engine in the front, as well as no crash structure to speak of, makes me worry about how well it could protect its occupants in a frontal collision.

[Bravada]

I would guess it is similar to the Smart with respect to crash tests:

[69Firebird400]

If the front end dosn't have a crash structure, where is all the impact energy diverted to? It has to go somewhere, and if the front end has no "give," then the passenger compartment would have no chance to decelerate more gradually before coming to a stop.

I'm sure the Smart et al are passing crash tests, but I just don't get how they are able to do it. The E-class in the photo above seemed to take more of a hit than the Smart did!

[Bravada]

This is because the larger vehicle (unless it's an armored transporter) has a larger crumple zone and therefore absorbs more of the energy generated in the crash. Besides, the Smart is very well engineered in this respect.

[darndot]

Smart meets Prius and had a kid.

[benroethig]

Originally Posted by 69Firebird400

If the front end dosn't have a crash structure, where is all the impact energy diverted to? It has to go somewhere, and if the front end has no "give," then the passenger compartment would have no chance to decelerate more gradually before coming to a stop.

I'm sure the Smart et al are passing crash tests, but I just don't get how they are able to do it. The E-class in the photo above seemed to take more of a hit than the Smart did!

The passengers. You crash the go kart going over 30mph and you're probably not going to make it out.

[Squachy]

Looks like a stretched smart car (fourtwo).

[Vintalage]

TopGear did a head-on crash test with the smart car. I'll have to find the video, but it's very interesting.