Mitsubishi SPACE STAR
Whether You View Mitsubishis Space Star As A Kind Of Shrunken
Mini-MPV Or a More Versatile Family hatchback, It Certainly Offers Something A Little Different. June Neary Checks It Out
All the advantages of a family hatchback with something extra. Sounds good doesnt it, if youve a growing family. But then, weve heard that kind of marketing spin before. Time to put Mitsubishis little Space Star to the test.
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This latest version has been restyled and is much improved inside. The upholstery is markedly superior to the old Space Star, as is the quality of the plastics used about the cabin. The centre console has been redesigned to bring it into the here and now, as has the steering wheel. There are even cup holders for rear passengers.
A quick glance might lead you to believe it to be one of those
mini-MPV People Carriers. Then again, you might see it as a slightly bigger family hatchback. More likely, you wont be able to make up your mind which is exactly the way
Mitsubishi want it. The Space Star sits just above the Colt hatchback in the companys line-up, bringing the versatility that the Colt lacks.
Dont imagine supermini standards of space however. On the contrary, the Space Star offers all the advantages of that larger Focus or Astra-sized family hatchback you were thinking of allied to a dash more versatility. So far so good.
Comparing the Space Star to a mini-MPV People Carrier is rather unrealistic since the seats dont remove, spin or magically materialise into picnic tables: all are things my family would appreciate. Having said that, the split-folding rear bench does slide and the seating position, if not as high as, say, a
Renault Scenic, offers a loftier perch than that of a conventional family hatch. To be fair, Mitsubishi arent marketing the car to be a player in this sector a more honest approach than that employed by rivals whose supermini-based models pretend to be something they are not. Instead, with prices ranging from £8,999 to £12,245, they hope to steal Focus, Astra and
Peugeot 307 business by appealing to buyers looking for something a little different.
Three engines are on offer, the first being the familiar 84bhp 1.3-litre unit already used in the smaller Colt. Its relatively frugal, but unremarkable against the clock. Much better, if funds permit, to go for either the 1.
6 or one of the 1.9-litre DI-D diesel models I tried, powered by the 101bhp motor also used by the larger Carisma five-door. The 1.6-litre-engined models come with the option of Tiptronic-style automatic transmission.
With the diesel, I found the pump performance to be impressive (expect to average 50mpg), yet rest to sixty was dispatched in just 12s. Another driving plus point in my view is the strong low speed pulling power, which I found limits the need to constantly change gears around town a real boon for the kind of driving I do. Not that youd mind doing so, for the five-speed gearbox has a smooth, quality feel to the shift. Around tight carparks, a turning circle of just 4.
8 metres is a boon, while out on the road, the slippery 0.33Cd figure means that wind noise is kept to a minimum.
As weve said, prices in the £9,000-£13,000 bracket are reasonable enough, a little below what youd pay for an average family hatch and several thousand less than the cost of a fully-fledged mini-MPV. Still, as Ive said, you get what you dont pay for. Having said that, Mitsubishis tend to realise slightly higher resale values than the established norm.
If I was after a mini-MPV but couldnt quite afford one, Id consider the Space Star.
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