Alfa Romeo MiTo Range Car Review

Facts At A Glance
Car: Alfa Romeo MiTo range
Prices: £11, 935-£17,885 – on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 3-10
Emissions: 112-153g/km
Performance: [1.4 MultiAir 135bhp] 0-60mph 8.4s Max Speed 126mph
Fuel Consumption: [1.4 MultiAir 135bhp] (urban) 38mpg / (extra urban) 62.7mpg / (combined) 50.4mpg
Safety: Seven airbags, ABS, EBD
Dimensions: Length/Width/Height, 4063/1721/1446mm

LITTLE ITALY

Our Rating: 7.9 / 10

Alfa’s smallest model in a long while could be its biggest hit. Steve Walker reports.

The Alfa MiTo is based on rock solid underpinnings that it shares with the Vauxhall Corsa and Fiat Punto. It adds a sleek shape and some well-judged detailing inside and out plus an impressively economical engine range. Alfa Romeos used to be cars you bought with your heart not your head. Perhaps times have changed.

It’s a mark of the strength of the Alfa Romeo brand that it still generates warm, fuzzy emotions in people who care about cars. That the firm has been going through a rocky patch of Himalayan proportions for a number of years is common knowledge. Profits have been tough to come by while gripes concerning reliability and dealer support haven’t helped the Alfa brand’s perception in the UK. Despite all this, Alfa Romeo cars are still in possession of that quality which other manufacturers would commit multiple homicide for - they make you smile. The style, the flair, the passion, it’s all very much intact in the best Alfa Romeos but converting that emotional involvement into big sales is the challenge. The MiTo supermini could be the car to pull it off.

The Alfa MiTo rides on the same underpinnings as the Fiat Punto and Vauxhall’s Corsa. On the one hand, this could dissuade some potential buyers from paying the premium that Alfa wants for its MiTo but on the other it might serve as reassurance of the MiTo’s underlying qualities. After all, modern superminis don’t come much better than the Fiat and the Vauxhall so the MiTo could do a lot worse than inheriting a little of their build quality and ergonomics. This car is built on solid, if mainstream foundations but Alfa’s designers have taken steps to ensure that it looks and feels anything but run-of-the-mill.

So, to what an Alfa should be about – the driving experience. This car was launched with a 78bhp 1.4-litre petrol engine to offer buyers an affordable lead-in price point (and to make MINIs look expensive) but where the MiTo really takes off is where its turbocharged MultiAir petrol models start. They offer 105, 135 and 170bhp performance but combined cycle fuel returns of around 50mpg. If you’re in the 135bhp version, sixty from rest occupies only 8.4s – and only slightly longer if you go for the 6-speed TCT twin-clutch semi-automatic gearbox rather than the standard 5-speed manual. Pulling power through the gearbox – a short-shifting six-speed manual in the case of this Cloverleaf - is even better, all delivered in a manner so torquey, smooth and lag-free that you’d swear a normally aspirated six cylinder engine rather than a little turbo four lay under the bonnet.

In its own way, this car’s diesel technology is almost as eye-catching, thanks to the use of clever Multijet II technology. The engineers have developed both 1.3 and 1.6-litre JTDm-2 units, with the lower-powered 95bhp 1.3 being especially impressive. Thanks to a meaty 200Nm of torque, it pulls like a train from lower speeds, with overtaking capability more potent than the 11.6s 0-60mph sprint time would suggest.

Alfa Romeos are supposed to be entertaining to drive and the MiTo seeks to underline its sporting intentions with its DNA (Dynamic – Normal – All Weather) system. The technology can adapt the MiTo’s steering, throttle response and stability control according to the conditions and the driver’s preferences. It can be set in Normal, Dynamic or All-Weather modes to help drivers get the most out of their vehicle. Also offered are a hill hold function and Alfa’s Q2 technology that acts like a limited slip differential to divert engine torque to the wheel that has the grip to use it.

Alfa Romeos are supposed to be pretty and they’re supposed to be red, very red. The MiTo is certainly available in