Anyone familiar with Barcelona knows that there, style is all. Its people are arguably the most fashionable dressers of the Mediterranean countries, and to this writer's mind, much ahead of the long-vaunted French chic.

But there's a thing about fashion: if you haven't the basic good body, the clothes will be mere dressing. And the bodies in general in Barcelona are not just good, but great. And the legs ...

So it made some kind of logical sense to launch the new Mitsubishi Colt in the capital of Spain's Catalonia province. Because the new B segment hatchback from the company with three diamonds as its badge is right stylish, has a chassis to real European tastes, and I'm convinced it is going to 'have legs' in terms of successful sales.

Mitsubishi think so too. They're forecasting 100,000 units a year across Europe, and the model is expected to account for a full third of its car sales in the course of its lifetime.

In the Irish context, given the fact that the eight-year-old outgoing model has become a rather small seller, the expectation that some 1,500 new Colts will be sold next year is a quantum expansion and will put the three-diamond brand right into contention in the B segment.

Mitsubishi resisted the temptation to build a 'small MPV'. They wanted the Colt to be a 'car'. So it is at launch a 5-door hatchback, and a 3-door will follow. But, benchmarking it against the most successful of the European B cars, the Peugeot 206, they have made it larger, taller, and wider, and yet on first trial, haven't in any way compromised on the fun factor.

In its styling there are some elements familiar from other offerings, which is normal enough. We have seen similar tail-light shapes in Fiat's Punto, Ford's Fiesta and Fusion, for instance. And there's only somany changes that can be rung on the chapes of rear quarter windows. The front, though, while Colt too has acquired the trendy strongly-designed lights style in its own version of a teardrop cover, is highly distinctive, and very strongly current Mitsubishi as reflected in its recent vehicles, Outlander and Grandis.

The various interior measurements are telling. The combined legroom front and rear in the new Colt is far ahead of its direct competitors - 206, Jazz, Yaris. And we can vouch for that being a real advantage after a run with various colleagues in the back. In headroom, front and rear, only the Jazz is higher.

The interior style and trims are completely different from the version of the new Colt launched in Japan. Better seats and translucent detailing on knobs and switches are part of the package.

There have been significant changes to suspension settings too. European drivers are much more push-on than Japanese, and we drive faster averages too, so the roads up in the hills behind Barcelona were in fact used to tune the handling characteristics of the European-market Colt.

The car was also developed as a joint programme with DaimlerChrysler, who used the architecture for their new Smart Forfour. And the engines here are all-new, designed in Japan and built in Europe.

On the European preview event I got to drive the 1.5-litre diesel and 1.1-litre petrol. Both are 3-cylinder units, and highly efficient. There will also be 1.3-litre and 1.5-litre fours also available in initial launches, but the 1.1-litre is key to the Irish market. The diesel won't be here until September.

And on first taste, that 3-pot petrol engine is going to put the fun back into the B segment with a vengeance. It has the distinctive sewing-machine sound of its format, and it simply loves to be revved. Indeed, to get the most out of it, you need to be avove 3000rpm, and it will wind happily all the way beyond the official 6000rpm redline.

The handling as driven was a good compromise, because there's a tendency to go a little too hard on the settings, and that's not great for passengers. In this instance, nobody complained. The steering is an eye-opener: in many cars of this segment it can bee too light, but the Colt's is strong and steady, adding to an overall feeling that this is one tough car.

Irish launch is within the month. We're looking forward to toughing it around on our own turf.