Alfa Romeo

MiTo

 

It’s a supermini with supercar qualities and the Alfa Romeo designers have succeeded in their quest to build a car to rival the Mini. The name is a tad unusual but derives from Mi for Milan, where it was created, and To for Torino, where it was built.

Test Drive

Alfa Romeo MiTo 1.4 MultiAir TB 135 bhp Veloce

There’s something surprisingly unique about the Alfa Romeo MiTo – it has three different personalities to suit your changing moods and they are wrapped up in its DNA system.

But unlike the deoxyribonucleic acid that makes up a human’s DNA the MiTo has Dynamic, Normal and All-weather and these three driving modes are perfectly tailored to suit the changing driving conditions we face on our roads today.

Normal is for the general city centre driving and all-weather offers maximum safety in more demanding conditions, but it’s the Dynamic that really adds a bit of zip to an otherwise drab day. Switch into that mode and it’s like being fired out of a canon – the acceleration is much quicker, the steering sharper and the handling far more direct. It’s only when you switch back to Normal that you truly appreciate the Dynamic mode’s qualities.

So that’s the MiTo’s DNA sorted what about the rest of the car?

Pretty impressive I have to say. It has eye-catching good looks with the distinctive Alfa Romeo classic shield grille suspended between the air vents and headlights with the number plate positioned to the side. The streamlining is very sleek and the two large doors give the vehicle a substantial feel.

Inside, the vehicle boasts typical Italian chic and flair throughout with supportive sports seats and classy touches everywhere. Features include air conditioning with pollen filter, electric windows, a media player with USB port, a leather steering wheel and very snazzy sports dials with white illumination.

The dashboard has a unique carbon fibre look which seems to have a real marmite effect on people – you either love it or hate it. At first, I thought the design was really different, but after a week behind the wheel and particularly on sunnier days, the pattern really got on my nerves.

Although the MiTo has rear seats, there honestly isn’t that much space in the back. But there is plenty of storage facilities throughout with a generously-sized boot for all your luggage requirements.

In and around town, the MiTo handled exceptionally well and the driver certainly benefits from great all-round visibility.

Then out on the faster roads, it cruised through the five-speed manual transmission and the 1.4-litre engine delivered plenty of power… especially in Dynamic mode!

As one would expect from Alfa Romeo, the MiTo has plenty of safety features including vehicle dynamic control, anti slip regulation, cornering brake control, dynamic steering torque and plenty more besides.

All in all the MiTo (named after Milan and Torino) is great fun, boasts dazzling designs and delivers a comfortable but exhilarating ride at the flick of a switch.