1990-1992 Dodge Colt: Overview

Vehicle Highlights

The 4-door body style had disappeared in 1989, as the Dodge/Plymouth Colt duo took on a new Mitsubishi-built 2-door hatchback form: rounder, longer, wider, and taller. Rear leg room and cargo space grew, and three trim levels were available: base, mid-level GL, and GT. Colts were sold in identical form under the Dodge and Plymouth badges. The closely-related Eagle Summit came only in a 4-door body style, while the Mitsubishi Mirage came as both a 2-door and 4-door. Standard engine on base 2-doors was a 1.5-liter 4-cylinder, making 81 horsepower, with a 4-speed manual gearbox. Colt Gts got a 113-horsepower, 1.6-liter four with a standard 5-speed. All but the base Colt might have an automatic transmission, either 3- or 4-speed, depending on engine. Carried over largely unchanged from the prior generation, the 4-door Colt DL station wagon could have full-time 4-wheel drive. 4WD wagons carried a bigger, 87-horsepower engine (manual shift only), while 2WD wagons had the same 1.5-liter four as the hatchback--but producing 75 horsepower instead of 81. The permanently engaged 4WD system used a center differential with a viscous coupling to split power between front and rear axles as needed to maintain traction. 4WD wagon bodies were raised about two inches to provide additional ground clearance.