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By Anthony ffrench-Constant
27 June 2008 12:41
Judging by its bold front end styling, Alfa would certainly have us believe its new MiTo is the 8C’s little brother. And having one of the best-looking supercars in the family stable certainly won't harm the MiTo’s image. But has it got the dynamism and brio to take on the ubiquitous Mini? Time to head to Turin to find out.
Nor are we. In much the same way that Jaguar made a pig’s ear of the X-Type by cramming every available XJ styling cue they could think of on a much smaller car, the MiTo’s son-of-8C hooter is going to seriously polarise opinion. For my money, both headlamps and foglamps are too far inboard, unfortunately emphasising verticality rather than width. I can’t help thinking of an Austin A40 whenever I see the car head on.
From other angles, though, the MiTo is a tidy piece of work, and the interior certainly offers the levels of quality and finish to take the fight to the Mini, which Alfa see as the car’s main rival. And that’s also why, though not on Mini scale, the MiTo offers a fairly high degree of personalisation potential through assorted dashboard and upholstery finishes (the soft touch carbon fibre dashboard is a nice touch) and various trims to the headlamp and tail light surrounds.
Certainly, a three trim level model price range of between £10,975 and £14,975 is highly competitive (and, it’s nice to see, very much on a par with European pricing), and there’s a choice of 1.4 16v and 120bhp and 155bhp versions of a 1.4 litre turbocharged petrol engine, as well as 1.3 and 1.6 litre turbodiesels.
Standard equipment and safety levels are suitably high with electric everything and air-conditioning equipping ever the least expensive models, whilst seven airbags fitted as standard signals Alfas intent to garner at least five Euro NCAP stars.
For now, the top of the range 1.4 TB Veloce we drove with 155bhp is a fraction down on the grunt of the most powerful Minis, but there’s a 230bhp GTA MiTo waiting in the wings which, if Alfa can control all that power through the front wheels, should furrow BMW’s brow.
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Alfa Romeo Mito 1.4 TB (155bhp) Veloce CAR review
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LIKALEICA says
RE: Alfa Romeo Mito 1.4 TB (155bhp) Veloce CAR review
Er, you do not mean the Mito front looks like the A40 - which was a very square Pininfarina design nothing like the Mito. You actually mean the previous model - the rounded A35. I think you are being grossly unfair to the Alfa anyway - it's a tidy design, but there's no accounting for taste. Incidentally - the A35 was a hot little car in its day when tuned - driven with great success by none other than Graham Hill... I test drove the Mito today and I find the comments about its uncommunicative steering very puzzling. The car handled brilliantly on a very competent chassis, with nicely weighted steering especially in the "Dynamic" (UGH !) mode - a glorified Sports switch system. For city driving the normal setting provided pleasantly light steering -which you need with the 195 or 205 section tyres unless you are into bodybuilding. Your review was nowhere near as negative as What Car's (which was frankly a disgrace) but still failed to grasp the essence of what I found a great little car at a very reasonable price.
Er, you do not mean the Mito front looks like the A40 - which was a very square Pininfarina design nothing like the Mito. You actually mean the previous model - the rounded A35. I think you are being grossly unfair to the Alfa anyway - it's a tidy design, but there's no accounting for taste. Incidentally - the A35 was a hot little car in its day when tuned - driven with great success by none other than Graham Hill...
I test drove the Mito today and I find the comments about its uncommunicative steering very puzzling. The car handled brilliantly on a very competent chassis, with nicely weighted steering especially in the "Dynamic" (UGH !) mode - a glorified Sports switch system. For city driving the normal setting provided pleasantly light steering -which you need with the 195 or 205 section tyres unless you are into bodybuilding.
Your review was nowhere near as negative as What Car's (which was frankly a disgrace) but still failed to grasp the essence of what I found a great little car at a very reasonable price.
20 September 2009 21:49
rachlegend says
Thanks guys, I would love to start a section about ownership etc, but I have to wait 12 whole weeks for my new car as they haven't built enough! Just in time for a 59 plate though so I'm not complaining!
Thanks guys, I would love to start a section about ownership etc, but I have to wait 12 whole weeks for my new car as they haven't built enough!
Just in time for a 59 plate though so I'm not complaining!
19 June 2009 22:30
ga41 says
That is a great idea car4mh. rachlegend, we'd love to hear a bit more about your new Alfa in the forums. It's real easy to contribute just click on the "COMMUNITY" button above and get posting!
That is a great idea car4mh.
rachlegend, we'd love to hear a bit more about your new Alfa in the forums. It's real easy to contribute just click on the "COMMUNITY" button above and get posting!
19 June 2009 08:05
car4mh says
All the best for the new purchase, rachlegend. Reliability-wise I think it'll be OK, and you'll have new car warranty support and the dealership for any major issues that arise. Alfas are certainly more reliable (if not necessarily more durable longterm) than they've ever been. It'd be good if you could start a thread in the 'your cars' section of the forum, and let us know your thoughts on driving and ownership. There's several Alfa fans and we've had some spirited debates about the merits of the Mito and its styling (I'm in the 'wanted mini Brera/159, got mini 8c, don't like it' school), but no firsthand commentary from the forum community on driving the Mito.
18 June 2009 23:21
The MiTo is soon to be the first new car I have purchased. I currently drive a rover200 (I know, depressing) so I am obviously very excited about my new buy. Having test drove the MiTo last weekend, I was very impressed with it and fell in love with it immediately. But obviously I knew I would do, it was inevitable. I like to think that I have a fairly sound knowledge of cars compared to other 20 year old women (after endless watching of Top Gear throughtout my teens and being an avid fanof WRC), but I can't help thinking if I should be worried or not in terms of Alfa's not so reputable past in making 'reliable' cars. I have been told they should have improved since the link to Fiat, but I still aren't so sure. In response to some other comments, regarding it being a ladies car, I will admit that it is very attractive to us females, but the extras you can get with the mito, and it's performance etc are something that the average woman wouldn't really be that fussed about. I think it kicks the mini's ass, but if I ever envisioned it to become as common as the mini, then I would never buy one. Where's the fun in having a car that is so common you can almost bet on seeing at least five of them on your 15 minute drive to work? I love the Alfa because it looks very individual (not 'individual' in the way that the mini is, you know, with all the different paint options). But I like it more because I have still only seen one on the road so far. But now I am wondering if it's because everybody elses have broken down!!
The MiTo is soon to be the first new car I have purchased. I currently drive a rover200 (I know, depressing) so I am obviously very excited about my new buy. Having test drove the MiTo last weekend, I was very impressed with it and fell in love with it immediately. But obviously I knew I would do, it was inevitable. I like to think that I have a fairly sound knowledge of cars compared to other 20 year old women (after endless watching of Top Gear throughtout my teens and being an avid fanof WRC), but I can't help thinking if I should be worried or not in terms of Alfa's not so reputable past in making 'reliable' cars. I have been told they should have improved since the link to Fiat, but I still aren't so sure.
In response to some other comments, regarding it being a ladies car, I will admit that it is very attractive to us females, but the extras you can get with the mito, and it's performance etc are something that the average woman wouldn't really be that fussed about. I think it kicks the mini's ass, but if I ever envisioned it to become as common as the mini, then I would never buy one. Where's the fun in having a car that is so common you can almost bet on seeing at least five of them on your 15 minute drive to work? I love the Alfa because it looks very individual (not 'individual' in the way that the mini is, you know, with all the different paint options). But I like it more because I have still only seen one on the road so far. But now I am wondering if it's because everybody elses have broken down!!
18 June 2009 23:01
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