Mitsubishi i

Model/Engine size:0.7 MIVEC Turbo i Automatic 5DR
Fuel: Petrol
Fuel economy combined: 54.6 mpg

If you’re overheard talking about a car with a turbo rear-mid-engined layout with rear wheel drive, you’re likely to get people conjuring up images of exotic performance cars. However this visualisation would not be appropriate for the Mitsubishi i – although its engine is slung just to the front of the rear wheels, it’s only a 660cc 3 cylinder unit developing 57bhp. Rather than this configuration being designed for ultimate handling on the limit, its main purpose is to deliver well-packaged, economical city driving. And maximising interior space within the smallest possible exterior size - its wheel-at-each-corner design means it has a relatively very long wheelbase, and so more space for passengers - is what the i-car really does do best.

And with four doors and four seats, it does this more practically than its main competitor, the two door Smart fortwo. You even get some boot space with the i, and the split rear seats can fold flat. It’s very narrow, has an excellent turning circle, and comes with a 4 speed automatic gearbox – again, all good for a city car. It even comes with good basic equipment such as air con and alloys.

The i is in a class called a ‘K-car’ in Japan – this means it has to have a maximum length of 3.4m, a width of 1.48m, an engine capacity of 660cc and a maximum power output of 64bhp. This unique category of car has become a cultural phenomenon, which can trace its origins back to the end of the Second World War when, in 1949, the Japanese government started giving tax breaks to cars of certain size and efficiency. In 2006, K-cars accounted for just over 2 million of the 3.7 million cars sold in Japan. The i is the first of the modern K-cars to be imported into Europe.

It has a bespoke aluminium space-frame chassis which weighs 35% less than a traditional steel monocoque, while achieving similar levels of bending and torsional strength - this rigidity is obviously of benefit to both vehicle dynamics and occupant protection. The rear-mid-engined configuration allows a large crumple zone in the nose of the car, offering excellent occupant protection in a frontal impact and it’s also kinder to pedestrians. The aluminium space-frame structure also has an important role to play in absorbing the impact energy.

On the inside, Mitsubishi has made an effort with the design of the dashboard, although it’s maybe not as ground-breaking as the exterior. There’s lots of (small) storage spaces for modern city motoring junk type stuff. The interior also includes features such as hypoallergenic seat fabric and a deodorant roof lining – to help reduce unwanted body odours - presumably with the aim of making those city trips that bit more appealing than taking the trains on the underground, which have neither of these features.

Acceleration from standstill to around 30mph is actually quite nippy, and the i is fairly good fun to weave around town, and not too bad on the flowing open road. The i features electrically-assisted power steering, which benefits fuel consumption – there is none of the power loss associated with traditional hydraulic assistance – and it helps reduce the car’s complexity and overall mass.

So what are its faults? Well, in stop-start city driving the engine always seems to be revving away far too much through the four speed automatic gearbox. You sense that this can’t be good for fuel consumption – and the speed at which the fuel gauge drops seems to support this theory, along with the resultant real world fuel consumption figures which fell well short of the expected 55mpg average. Combined with its small 35 litre fuel tank, it doesn’t get you far between refills. The gearbox can also change gear in a rather jerky way.

The i also feels very unstable on motorways. It tends to be knocked from side to side by factors ranging from undulations in the road surface to side winds. We appreciate that a city car is primarily designed for use in cities rather than motorways, however even the occasional Smart has to venture onto motorways now and again, and the i certainly does not encourage a feeling of stability on such roads – when the noise of the three cylinder engine under the rear seat also intrudes into the car.

This i was also subjected to another experience outside of its comfort zone - the countryside. Being kept overnight at a house in the middle of frosty fields, the i car didn’t inspire confidence in its likely ability to gain forward motion on icy roads, however its traction actually proved better than expected. However don’t expect to be able to speed into greasy roundabouts and not have to be prepared for a mixture of understeer and oversteer; remember you’re in a tall, narrow car with very thin front tyres, so there’s a physical limit to its grip. And there’s no electronic stability control.

So should you buy one? If it’s out and out fuel economy you want, we are yet to be convinced that the high revving engine and automatic gearbox is the best combination for maximum miles per gallon in real life driving. However if you want a car just for the city, with the maximum amount of interior space and doors in the smallest possible exterior footprint, the ease of automatic transmission, and that looks modern and funky, then the i car is the only choice. However at £9000 it’s not the cheapest city car.

Even better, there’s a chance that by 2009/2010 you may be able to get an electric version of the i. The Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle (i MiEV) - powered by a compact, lightweight electric motor and high-energy density lithium-ion batteries - is currently being used for joint research programmes with Japanese power companies. It promises 81mph and a range of up to 160km. Using quick charge technology, it can achieve 80% of its charging capacity in just 25 minutes. With five doors, four seats, and with the looks and engineering of the i, that really will be an appealing electric car.