Mitsubishi – a Century of Motoring Expertise!

 Late summer 2017, Iain Robertson was privileged to be asked to drive the very first press test car that Mitsubishi registered in the UK, in the company’s very special Centennial Tour around The Cotswolds, culminating at Shelsley Walsh hillclimb.

Mitsubishi handed me the keys to ‘SDG 1N’, a white Colt Lancer. A car introduced to compete with the Triumph Toledo and the Ford Escort Mark Two, in two-door, ‘basic’ trim, it was a country-mile ahead of its British rivals, at a time (1975) when Japanese cars were just starting to make an impression on UK car buyers. With its standard MW/LW radio, tilt-adjustable steering column, reclining and perforated-plastic trimmed seats and a decent heater, it promised c.90bhp performance, 40mpg fuel economy and a modestly stylish, part-US, mostly-Oriental design stance, at around £1,100 on the road.

Mitsubishi Motors was celebrating 100 years of motor manufacturing. The Lancer was joined on the tour by a beautiful Cordia coupe (complete with its innovative twin-final-drive gearbox), of which just two examples remain UK road-registered, and a pretty Celeste coupe, both owned proudly by brand enthusiasts. The elegant Sapporo model was well-represented in both coupe and saloon forms, while a selection of Galant models from all decades enjoyed a presence.

The excellent driving route commenced at Cirencester (Mitsubishi’s UK headquarters), coursed into the Cotswolds and then across to the Shelsley Walsh Hillclimb course in the Malvern Hills. The former UK boss of the company, Lance Bradley, piloted the firm’s own 1988 wide-body Starion coupe, which was a personal favourite of mine from that era. TV celebrities, Tim Shaw and Fuzz Townsend drove a 1975 Galant saloon, while Conor Twomey and Amanda Gibson (of Mitsubishi’s PR office) enjoyed the business-like luxury of the 2006 Grandis MPV, also from the car company’s private collection. A 1999 L300 van had made the trip down from Aberdeen, while a Lancer Evo V from Holland added to the international flair.

Shelsley Walsh, with its various attractions, including a working watermill and a wooden church, alongside the historic and competitive hillclimb track, is home to the Bugatti sportscar club among others. Lunch was a massive picnic laid on by Mitsubishi for all visitors.

The original Colt Lancer I was driving proved to be a centre of attention for many of the attendees, mostly for its sparkling condition. We elected not to tackle the speed hillclimb course, with due deference to the car’s age and status, although it provided 70mph open road performance and energetic handling on the delightful driving route (before the rains attempted to blight the day!).

As a company, Mitsubishi’s recent tie-up with the Renault-Nissan organisation will provide it with a positive means to an end. As far as the event was concerned, Mitsubishi has fans from around the world and Mitsubishi UK benefits from a management team that respects the brand’s past and recognises its importance to its future. I hope that the company will not wait for another landmark date, before hosting a re-run of this excellent, fun and well-attended event.

Luscombe’s summary:   We love the history of the remarkable Mitsubishi brand and recognise the reputation it has for total dependability, which is carried into every model that we sell today.

Next week:  Iain highlights the hatchback that nobody wanted.

Keyless entry is a practical convenience

Several Mitsubishi models benefit from ‘keyless entry and go’, highlights Iain Robertson, which is a safe, secure and programmable feature that makes cabin access easier, while stop-starting becomes an effortless pushbutton matter.

We can all recall the days of car keys rattling in our jacket pockets. After a while, they would wear out the lining and probably fall out, often in the most inconvenient spots. I can still recall sitting on ‘The Maid of the Loch’, cruising gently across a Highland lake, when the keys to my car of that period, which included a different one for the hatchback, as well as a separate key for the alarm system, plopped casually into ‘bottomless’ loch water. The only saving grace was that my wife had the spare set in her shoulder bag.

Today, an ergonomic key-fob serves purpose. It is no less readily lost, if you are careless, but it is lighter, nicer to hold and is less likely to rip away at material. Within its compact fob, it is packed with up-to-date technology. You can use it as you might any electronic key-fob, by depressing its door-open/close and boot-open buttons, as you approach the car. The electronic ‘tumblers’ inside it make the latest phenomenon of ‘fob identity theft’ almost impossible, as an added security feature.

Alternatively, secreting the fob about your person means that, as you approach the car, all you need to do is depress the small touch section on the door pull to be recognised. While the opening priorities can be altered by accessing the on-board computer, one depression of the button will open the driver’s door only, depress it twice in close succession and all doors and the boot will be unlocked. When departing the car, a single depression deadlocks the car securely.

Central locking has posed some issues for carmakers, especially when accessing the boot but not desiring to unlock the rest of the car. It has not been unknown for car thieves to watch for people returning to their parked cars and to gain access to the cabin, sometimes without the owner being aware! With your Mitsubishi fob concealed in your preferred pocket, it is possible to crack open the hatchback-lid, without unlocking the rest of the car. You will be able to feel the raised area that is not dissimilar to those touch-sensors fitted to the door pulls. Depress it once and only the boot can be opened. Depress it twice and your passengers can enter the cabin. It is a neat touch that provides you with enhanced security, especially in poorly-lit urban car parks.

Naturally, if a keyless system is fitted to your Mitsubishi, both starting and stopping the engine demands no more than the depression of a button that is illuminated at night-time. A safety interlock ensures that the car will not start, unless your feet also depress the clutch and brake pedals. There is no fiddling about blindly, looking for a place to position an ignition key, which makes the ‘keyless-go’ situation both convenient and speedier.

Luscombe’s summary:   If you are unfamiliar with Mitsubishi’s ‘keyless-go’ technology, a member of our team will guide you through the process, until it becomes second-nature.

Next week: Iain takes a closer look at Mitsu’s ‘Three Diamonds’.