Click image for a high-res gallery of the turbocharged Mitsubishi i
I'm the resident kei car obsessive here at Autoblog. That means I'm the guy who actually thinks, "That is awesome," when he reads the (Google translated) announcement of yet another Suzuki Wagon R variant. Hell, I did two posts on the one-off Hello Kitty Mitsubishi i. Keis are cool. So, you can imagine how happy I was to see that Mitsubishi brought along a small fleet of its i minicars to the New York Auto Show this year.
Mitsubishi's focus at the show was squarely on the the all-electric i MiEV, which goes on sale in Japan next year and will be tested in North America this fall. The gasoline-powered version was on hand, too, though. I drove the i MiEV for AutoblogGreen, and was a passenger in a black i Turbo. Head over to AutoblogGreen for driving impressions of the i MiEV, and note that many of the observations there apply to both the electric and gasoline-powered cars. The i Turbo you see here is powered by a 660cc 3-cylinder that delivers around 64 horsepower. It's got around half the torque of the electric i MiEV and it's buzzier-sounding (obviously), but it felt just as well-suited to city driving in New York as its battery-powered counterpart. It can comfortably transport four adults and a bit of cargo, too. Try doing that in a smart.
Mitsubishi is monitoring public reaction to the cars this week, so if you go to the show and like what you see, make sure to let them know. Me? I'll happily take one in black -- with a DAMD kit for optimum not-exactly-badassedness.
Head to AutoblogGreen for a full i MiEV review and video.
All photos Copyright © 2008 Alex Núñez / Weblogs, Inc.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Philip @ Mar 22nd 2008 1:24PM
I LOVE Kei Cars, the shape of this car is excellent, I hope they bring it to the USA, this would make a Great second car for many small families, The gas version would still be the way to go.
Many American's would love Kei cars if they just gave them a chance, Its what we need, forget the 2nd gas guzzler in the household, buy something cute and functional. Perfect for singles in the city too.
User @ Mar 22nd 2008 5:22PM
I would NEVER drive my family in this American market Tata Nano death trap. I'll take a Honda Fit... Thanks!
racer01 @ Mar 22nd 2008 9:33PM
You won't have to worry about the 4 ton suburban driving soccer moms for long - the US market is changing -FAST. This would be a great commuter car / daily driver.
User @ Mar 23rd 2008 2:45AM
Oh, and not to mention: The Honda Fit was ranked as the most reliable car of 2007.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/AUTOS/11/08/cr_most_reliable/index.html
Red @ Mar 22nd 2008 1:25PM
I've actually liked the Mitsu i for awhile now. I'd definitely take one. They're funky, but cool little cars and they're almost cute. Except in black, thank goodness. I wouldn't call it "aggressive" by any stretch of the word, but it looks nice either way.
Kotse @ Mar 22nd 2008 1:34PM
This Mitsu must be the inspiration for the Tata Nano...
If this Mitsu makes it in the US, it would be close to owning a...Tata Nano.
If Tata brings the Nano..."Tata,...NONO!"
toronado455 @ Mar 22nd 2008 9:56PM
so this ISN'T just a rebadged Tata Nano? lol
CUBSWILLWIN @ Mar 23rd 2008 9:48AM
Do remember, about a year ago there was a car called the smart car that was sold in Europe and still pending release for USA. It was a 2 seater and needed no gas. Well I'm pretty sure the nano's inspiration was the smart car. They really look the same:
Smart car:http://images.motortrend.com/features/auto_news/2006/112_news060628_01z+daimler_chrysler_smart_car+passenger_side_view.jpg
Nano:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/graphics/2008/01/12/mftat2.jpg
CUBSWILLWIN @ Mar 23rd 2008 9:50AM
This mitsubishi looks more like the smart car than the nano too
jeffzekas @ Mar 22nd 2008 2:25PM
I agree with Alex: Kei cars ARE cool! I remember years ago, looking at the original Mini... roomy, small, cute. And later, my brother and I sat in Fiat 500's, BMW 700's, and stared with amazement at my math teacher's Isetta. It's too bad the U.S. government couldn't give a special tax exemption to these amazing, efficient vehicles! With gas approaching $4 a gallon (and soon to rise to $5), we should be promoting these vehicles!
jeffzekas @ Mar 22nd 2008 2:29PM
Quick question for Alex Nunez: Is there a Kei car blog-- in english-- which I could visit for current info on these "small wonders"? Thanks, Jeff.
Alex Nunez @ Mar 22nd 2008 3:49PM
I wish there was, Jeff. I'm not aware of any right now.
mdesigner @ Mar 22nd 2008 3:30PM
In person this car is unbelievably impressive. Mitsubishi used this vehicle for transport at a car show many months ago in SoCal.
The packaging is incredible...even by today's standards.
The vehicle is actually rear-engined with the engine neatly tucked away under a cover in the rear.
It's also unexpectedly roomy and quiet.
It reminded me of a contemporary/modified adaptation of a classic VW van (more than VW's own).
That's a comparison that may not flatter Mitsubishi (perhaps it would), but the car had that "feeling".
It's weird ;-)
It would be easy to imagine it's success in Japan. But, here...
Well, I guess time will tell.
Jeff Banks @ Mar 22nd 2008 3:35PM
Do they have a 1-liter version of the Mitsubishi i? I'm actually considering buying a SMART, as I am a college student in SoCal with a long commute. Not sure how high dealers are marking prices up yet as I haven't visited one yet.
Alex Nunez @ Mar 22nd 2008 3:49PM
Not that I'm aware of. It's sold in the UK, but it has the JDM-spec turbo motor there, too.
Everett @ Mar 22nd 2008 4:02PM
Praise Xenu! A set of comments that doesn't include the requisite "They're trying to rip-off a smart car!" comment. Shhhh...maybe the red-necks won't notice this story and will go back to 'F350-luvers.com'
I love this car...I hope we see it in Canada, too, which is likely since the smaller eurasian cars are popular here.
Hank @ Mar 22nd 2008 4:12PM
I've always liked this Mitsu. It strikes me as the smarter Smart.
Judy Zik @ Mar 22nd 2008 4:33PM
This is what Mitsubishi needs to do. Talk about a halo car. Capture some of the cool urban hip vibe of the Smart with a car that is more practical. This is a great way to get people shopping Mitsubishi dealerships and talking about the brand.
A7C4 @ Mar 23rd 2008 12:56AM
HAHAHAHA,
Honda fit, Side impact you say? Three stars for the people sitting in the back, the children mostly, yeah GIVE ME TWO Honda fits!
The answer to My childrens death, the fit is Go!
HAHAHAAHAHAHAHA
HAHAHHAHAHAHHAHA
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
Don't be so ignorant.
User @ Mar 23rd 2008 2:37AM
The Honda Fit's rear passenger side impact rating is the HIGHEST POSSIBLE in the IIHS rating. IIHS is tested at higher speeds and with a shorter dummy which much more closely represents a child. (The NHTSA test which is three stars is done with a large, tall dummy.)
http://www.iihs.org/ratings/rating.aspx?id=737
... And IIHS tests side impact ratings with the equivalent of an SUV hitting the vehicle.
And what's up with your strange random capitalization and your weird laughing?
Not to mention that you don't know the crash test rating of this Mitsubishi which is much smaller than the fit.
So who's ignorant now? Honestly, do you think this Mitsubishi is going to do better than the much larger Honda Fit? When you think about vehicles of this size for a family, the Honda Fit outscores and outperforms the competition.