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2006 Mitsubishi i iPlay Edition Road Test

I have driven the future of transportation. It is called the Mitsubishi i (or iCar),

You can think of the Mitsubishi i as a sort of Japanese four-door, four-seat smart fortwo. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

and without a doubt it is absolutely brilliant.

None other than the Japanese could design a car like the i, which has been at the center of motoring attention in its home country for two years now. And it isn't just its size that is intriguing, as vehicles of such tiny proportions are nothing new. Overcrowded cities like Tokyo and Osaka dictate certain laws that would be unheard of here in our (relatively) wide and open cities, such as LA or NYC. Imagine not being able to purchase a car without proof of ownership of a parking spot. It sounds strange, but without validation of this sort, the only sort of four-wheeled car a person can buy is a Kei car, a vehicle that fits in to a space no larger than 3.4 x 1.48 x 2 metres, with an engine no larger than 660 cc and no more powerful than 63 horsepower. Strange as it may seem, it's true and the Japanese have adapted to this very well. Half of all vehicles sold in Japan on a yearly basis fit into the "kei" category.

With such a limited amount of physical size to work with and a primary goal of maximizing interior room, almost all vehicles that fit into the kei category

Not just by nature but by law, kei cars must be small. Laws don't say, however, where the engine can be put. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

look the same. I hate to apply broad, sweeping generalizations, but they are narrow, tall, upright transportation appliances. Washing machines and ovens on wheels. Sure, there have been a few whimsical models, like the mid-engine Honda Beat and the Daihatsu Copen folding hardtop roadster, or the Mitsubishi Pajero Mini micro-SUV, but they are few and far between. The i, mind you, is different in that it draws as much attention and curiosity on this continent as it did when it was first launched at home.

It looks like an alien, a friendly mechanical monster from some far away planet. At the same time it's endearingly cute with its little bucktooth intercooler, single, oversized windshield wiper and forward-perched fenders. The conventions and design limitations of a front-engine car don't apply to the i either, as it doesn't have a high hood line and its wheelbase is lengthier than most, including Mitsubishi's own Colt subcompact hatchback. From any angle - front, back or side - the i looks like the sort of car you'd almost expect to see future civilizations zipping around in; it's a surprise to see something like this not merely as a concept. At the same time, the i is so small that you'll want to stuff it in your pocket (or purse)

Legroom isn't a problem, and neither is headroom. And because it only seats four, shoulder room isn't that big of a deal either. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

and carry it around with you wherever you go.

Open what would conventionally be a hood to an engine compartment and you won't find much, except the battery, some wiring and a bit of empty space, but no motor or trunk. For that you'll have to walk around and open the hatchback, and then pull up the trunk's floor section. It isn't placed back there for performance reasons, as it is in a Porsche, but instead the engine's mounted in the back to maximize human space. Wedging four people inside a modern subcompact car is a pretty big accomplishment, but the tiny i will easily swallow up four adult bodies without trouble. This can be confusing to put into perspective, especially when seen from a distance it looks like two people could barely stand side by side within its width. How can something that's smaller than and three quarters as wide as most subcompacts accommodate the same number of people with ease? It all has to do with packaging. An engine in the back of the car allows for the all-important 100.4-inch long wheelbase and sloping hood, not to mention it makes the car safer as the whole area is a deformable crumple zone. To keep things neat and tidy, the engine is tilted at 45 degrees, which makes the trunk floor a little lower. The trunk itself is small but useable, and the

Mitsubishi's risk of a more daring interior color scheme works well with the i. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

rear seats fold down flat, 50/50.

As with a growing number of cars, you're not supposed to see much or do much when it comes to the i's engine, which is why it's kept under lock and key, or rather a heavy metal floor set in place by four sturdy wing nuts. It's related to the new smart's engine, but is smaller at 660 cc. The triple is boosted by a turbocharger to make a measly 63 horsepower and 61 lb-ft of torque, the limit dictated by those aforementioned Japanese tax laws. Without the forced cap, I would imagine the engine could make more power as it's got four valves per cylinder, MIVEC variable valve timing and so on so forth. The specifications don't tell half the story about how the i actually feels, either. It will take the better of 15 seconds for the tiniest Mitsu to hit 60 mph from a dead stop, but in town it feels alive and eager. Eventually the i will make its way to a top speed of 84 mph, but this is difficult to do without locking up your mechanical sympathy in the glovebox. At these speeds, the sounds of the engine and the wind mean things can get quite noisy.

With less than 660 ccs of engine, the i may not be quick, but it's more than plenty in the city. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

Overseas, Mitsubishi claims that the i will get about 45 mpg in the city and 47 on the highway, but comparatively our 36 mpg was atrocious. Some of this could be blamed on our fuel, which isn't quite up to the standards of its home country, and the fact that a few of us testing the vehicle felt the urge to stay ahead or fear being booted to the side by aggressive motorists, but we didn't expect it to be so far off the pace. With extremely short gearing from its four-speed automatic gearbox, highway cruising is on the buzzy side and there's more wind and road noise than most people would be used to. Having an extra ratio in the transmission, or better yet a CVT would cut back on the buzz, lowering the hyperactive engine speed of just over 4,000 rpm at 70 mph.

Besides the novelty of driving a right hand drive vehicle on a left hand drive continent, and dealing with a couple of foibles (turn signal stalk on the right, not the left; inexplicable sat-nav system that constantly told me I was in the Pacific Ocean, etc), the i is fairly straightforward to drive. Given the creativity of the styling, you almost expect more from the interior. It's simple, almost to the point of disappointment, but it's admirable. Although the materials are nothing to write home about, the i manages to feel special thanks to its blend of colors and fabrics that convey a look that could've been designed by Apple, and detailed touches like the sprouting automatic gearshift lever or the digital instruments, arranged in an H2O-shaped molecule. Although the i is one of the cheapest cars Mitsubishi makes, it comes across as not feeling it.

Depending on how much you want to spend, the i can be a very well equipped vehicle, with power windows, air conditioning, and even Mitsubishi's proximity sensing FAST key with keyless start. The standard stereo system is a four-speaker unit with a CD player that's integrated into the upper dashboard with an unusual consideration for visual pleasantness. Or, you

Forget aux-in cables, just plug your iPod in. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

can opt for a navigation system, which takes its place. This particular version, dubbed iPlay, features a loading dock for an iPod Nano. You simply plug it in and full access is granted on the touchscreen display. The names of tracks and albums were just about the only thing on the car in English!

As you would expect, the i is a little wonder in traffic. It has plenty of room in our jumbo-sized North American lanes, to the point where you can easily drift back and forth without ever going across any broken lines, and it's an absolute dandy to park thanks to having next to no overhangs. The most clogged, congested urban cores do not pose a problem to the i... except for the air conditioning which is underpowered. As I moved out of the city, I got the feeling that the i is a touch agoraphobic; its 63 horsepower just struggles to keep up to speed. With a long wheelbase plus soft-ish springs and dampers, the i, I am told, rides like a cloud as far as keis are concerned. I found it to be a bit on the bouncy side, bucking around over really pitted pavement, even delivering the impression that it's got a live rear axle at its tail. In a way, it sort of does, as it uses a 3-link DeDion axle,

A touch of whimsy is added to the instrument cluster. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

the same sort of setup you'd find in a smart fortwo. Like the smart fortwo, the i wasn't designed for fun, with bicycle-thin front tires, dead steering, low grip and a terminal propensity to understeer. It is still very easy to have fun and derive satisfaction from driving it, as you get a sense of tremendous wellbeing, not to mention it grabs absolutely everyone's eyeballs. People seem happier and friendlier when you're in an i.

For a city car in this day and age, it's therefore surprising that the i only comes with front airbags and there's no option for side or curtain airbags. Instead, it relies on its aluminum spaceframe construction to take the brunt of the impact and distribute it throughout, yielding a safer car. It is true that an airbag is only as safe as the car it's attached to, but the concept of security is all in peoples' minds. A set of very strong ABS and EBD-enhanced brakes do come standard, and are more than adept at bringing the lightweight i to a speedy halt.

Mitsubishi has big plans for the i. Yeah, yeah, there have already been countless silly special edition models (Hello Kitty, one with a jean-trimmed

Being able to transport four plus luggage in comfort with as little waste as possible? This is the true "smart". (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

interior, etc.), but the real big news is that there's an electric version currently undergoing testing in Japan with various power supply companies, and Mitsubishi wants it on the road sometime in 2009. Yes, it'll be a pure electric car that Japanese people can buy in a little over a year, which sounds completely reasonable given the recent announcement of Subaru's electric production vehicle. Electric power is the perfect match for the i, and perhaps is its guaranteed route to long-term success.

A week and four hundred plus miles later, nobody had anything bad to say about Mitsubishi's little i, and with genuine praise, some even offered to give up their own wasteful automobiles to get in on the action. Despite the flattering compliments, I fear that Americans, on the whole, are too set in their ways to switch over to something as small as the i. Although the smart fortwo is finally available clear across North America and indeed there's a general demand for cleaner more efficient cars, there is a dissatisfying lack of enthusiasm towards downsizing to this degree. Indeed, here is a car that builds on the principles of moving four with the least amount of energy possible. As gas prices rise, it's true that minds are starting to open, but it'll take one heck of a jump to loosen the grip on regular cars to the point consumers buy into something this tiny en masse. And that's too bad, as the i deserves a chance here in North America. The sad thing is that like many very clever Mitsubishi products, it won't get that chance. Not at least until people are willing to accept a car that is literally no bigger and no more powerful than it absolutely needs to be.

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