Mitsubishi Cordia
Reviewed by Unique Cars and Parts
Our Rating: 1
Introduction
The Mitsubishi Cordia is fondly remembered by many who owned one in the 1980's, although the ownership experience soured somewhat over time, as most were punished by their youthful owners. In standard guise, the Cordia was somewhat of a big brother to the Colt, and was available only as a two-door hatchback with 1.6 litre Saturn engine mated to the Colt's dual range style
transmission or optional 3 speed automatic.
Importantly, the Cordia handled and went reasonably well - at least by the standards of the day. The
steering was rack and pinion, with MacPherson struts up front and fully independent trailing arms connected by Mitsubishi's U-shaped rear
suspension crossover at the rear.
This setup certainly improved stability, - although the ever-present understeer found on the Colt managed to also find its (unwanted) way to the Cordia also. Braking was sure and constant with a reasonably good disc/drum combination safeguarded by tandem master cylinders and a dual cross line system.
Inside the Cordia was well appointed and very comfortable as a four seater, although it was rather tight when trying to shoehorn 5 inside the cabin. The luxury "GSL" pack added to the appointments list with power steering, power windows, headlamp washer/wipers and remote mirrors.
There was excellent vision courtesy of the low waistline and slim A, B and C pillars.
Mitsubishi Cordia Turbo
While the standard Cordia looked a whole lot better than the Colt, it didn't exactly set hearts racing for those who enjoyed a spirited punt from time to time. But there was one model that went a long way to remedying the perceived lack of mumbo under the bonnet - the Cordia
Turbo.
Under the bonnet of the Cordia Turbo was a 1.8 litre 4 cylinder engine mated to a
turbo that had been carefully set-up to provide good useable torque throughout the rev range with no appreciable
turbo "snatch".
The sweet 1.8 was tractable and smooth, giving the
turbo version sparkling performance combined with exceptional fuel economy - provided you resisted the temptation to sink the boot. The Cordia Turbo was particularly popular with young drivers, and it was that very temptation that so often proved too hard to resist. Over the years, finding an example that had not been thrashed and trashed proved increasingly difficult.
