Test drive of the Mitsubishi Space Star, a very city-friendly city car

Simple, versatile, comfortable and technological. Four qualities that the small Mitsubishi Space Star can boast about: a city car of modest size which, with a great equipment pack at a fairly reasonable price, is the entry-level model of the brand with the three diamonds.

Refreshed at the start of 2021, this city car, conceived as an ideal companion for the city, brings an attractive, youthful yet discreet look, especially if we configure it in the Titanium Grey colour that our test unit featured.

At 3.85 metres long, the Space Star sits halfway between its rivals in the A-segment and those in the B-segment, with dimensions larger than the Kia Picanto or the Hyundai i10 (test), similar to the Suzuki Swift (test), and smaller than the Opel Corsa (test) or the Toyota Yaris.

Style and personality

In terms of styling, the small Japanese car sports the characteristic front “Dynamic Shield” of Mitsubishi, which, with a large grille, chrome-coloured mouldings, a subtle front splitter and fairly sharp headlights, albeit limited to halogen technology, gives it a characterful look.

If we turn 90 degrees, we find a line with a certain MPV-like style, a roof with little drop, simple and clean lines, and brushed aluminium and black alloy wheels in 15 inches if we choose the Kaiteki trim, which undoubtedly suit the whole look really well.

At the rear, the Space Star has a fairly bulky rear bumper, LED rear lights and a sporty spoiler which, together with the small diffuser, give it that youthful touch we mentioned.

The interior of the Mitsubishi Space Star

Once we step into the cabin of the Mitsubishi, although a large use of hard plastics can be noticed, the impression is good, with good fit, no creaks and a simple but correct styling.

Furthermore, thanks to the Kaiteki trim fitted to our unit, the Space Star features a multifunction steering wheel wrapped in leather and height-adjustable, very pleasant seats upholstered in mixed fabric that offer great comfort, and an infotainment system headed by a 7-inch touchscreen with DAB radio, Bluetooth and compatibility with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

In addition, the Space Star Kaiteki also features keyless start, keyless door opening and locking and a simple air conditioning system without great luxuries.

Moving to the rear seats, despite being in a car with a wheelbase of just 2.45 metres, the space for the knees as well as between the head and the roof is perfect, allowing four people to travel in it in complete comfort.

It is true that the Mitsubishi Space Star is homologated for 5 seats, although in that case we will notice that we are dealing with a vehicle of quite small dimensions, though to get us out of a tight spot, its central seat will be there.

Just about enough

As for the boot, the Japanese car offers a modest capacity of 209 litres. Somewhat limited if we need to carry luggage for a trip, though more than sufficient for day-to-day use, since, in addition, if we lift the boot cover we find very handy storage compartments for carrying fragile items or simply to keep things from rolling around the boot.

As we have already mentioned, one of the strong points of the Mitsubishi Space Star is its extensive equipment given its price, among which we highlight, in addition to what has already been mentioned, the Start&Stop system, hill start assist, collision warning, automatic lights, cruise control, rain sensor, electric windows, electrically adjustable and heated wing mirrors, and multiple safety airbags.

Our driving impressions

When we get behind the wheel, the response of the 120 MPI 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine and 72 CV are more than sufficient to move the scarcely 880 kilos kerb weight declared by the manufacturer with ease, allowing a 0 to 100 km/h time of 12.6 seconds and a top speed of 180 km/h.

Our unit was paired with a CVT automatic transmission, which, although offering quite a lot of comfort in urban use, burdened the engine with slightly higher consumption (5.9 litres in mixed cycle) and a higher noise level than the 5-speed manual versions.

One of the qualities that surprised us most is the wide turning angle of the car, allowing manoeuvring with complete ease and no effort, something to which its light steering also contributes greatly.

Another of its strong points is the tuning of its suspension, which allows it to absorb road irregularities and speed bumps without any problem, offering a very favourable ride comfort, though, as is logical given the class of vehicle it is, its sporty driving behaviour is not the best.

Its price?

The Mitsubishi Space Star with the 120MPI engine, CVT automatic transmission and the Kaiteki trim exactly like the one in our article starts at a price of €15,850, which, with the brand’s dealer discount of €1,000 and the Promofinance discount of €2,250, results in a price of €12,600. A truly good figure, considering that in return we receive a car with great equipment, versatile, technological and very suitable for day-to-day use.