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TALK ABOUT JIVE! Talk about wild! The folks at Mitsubishi Motors Corp. say they designed the 1987 Conquest TSi for Chrysler Corp. Baloney. This car was sketched by a committee of rappers and go-go artists on their way to a rock concert in Detroit.

Look at that body: excessively flared front and rear fenders, a wedged and creased front end with hidden headlamps, an up-swooped rear that is nothing short of disrespectful.

The exterior of the test model is bright red. The interior is black and wrapped in leather. When the TSi’s intrument panels light up, have mercy! The cabin becomes a flickering nightclub strip.

Some genius added a final touch to this madcap styling — a blackened aluminum, louvred, rear-window sunscreen that does a good job of keeping out the sun — and obscuring rear vision.

Chrysler describes the TSi’s design as “mean and low down.” But it’s more lip than hip, more flash than sizzle.

Still, the TSi is lots of fun on the road — a quality that compensates for many of its shortcomings.

Outstanding complaint: Mitsubishi is to be commended for installing automatically closing shoulder straps for front-seat occupants in the TSi. But the system has a boo-boo: The shoulder straps automatically draw back over front occupants when the car’s front doors are closed and the ignition is turned on. But the accompanying lap belts are manual and easily forgotten.

Front occupants repeatedly climbed into this one, marveled at the efficiency of the shoulder harnesses, and then settled down for a ride or drive — without ever buckling the lap belts.

Outstanding praise: The TSi’s zoomy metalwork gives the image of cheapness, but the craftsmanship really is a class act. The test model is put together well — the one rattle emanating from the rear turned out to be a loosely connected license plate.

Social note: The TSi takes self-conscious aim at what auto makers call the “youth market,” which seems to be distinguished from the “yuppie market” in terms of education, income and taste. The yuppies, according to market demographers, tend to have more in each of those three categories.

The TSi’s “youth market,” then, is perceived to be made up of men and women in their 20s and early 30s — smart, but not Ivy League; more West Coast than East Coast; people who know how to party. In that context, I think the TSi is on target. This is not a car for snobs.

Ride, acceleration and handling: As good as the ride, acceleration and handling of the entry-level BMW 3-series and Porsche 924 S models I drove. If money is a prime consideration, and styling doesn’t matter too much, I’d recommend a look at the TSi.

Power comes from an intercooled, turbocharged, fuel-injected, 2.6-liter, 4-cylinder gasoline engine that churns out 145 horsepower at 5,000 rpm.

Sound system: AM/FM electronically tuned radio, with cassette, graphic equalizer and six speake rs, by Mitsubishi. Terrific.

Mileage: About 20 to the gallon (19.8-gallon tank), combined city-highway, running driver only and using climate control system most of the time.

Price-as-tested: $17,319.31, including $2,288.31 TSi option package, which includes an anti-lock braking system.