Alfa MiTo on special mission

Jan 26 2009 Steve Hughes

Alfa MiTo on special mission

THE eagerly-awaited Alfa Romeo MiTo has finally reached showrooms with a mission to drive the Italian sporting brand back to its glory days.

It is Alfa's first sports compact model since the Alfasud of the 1970s and aims to rekindle the spirit of those heady days when Alfa Romeo was among the world's most aspirational marques.

Expected to attract younger drivers in their droves, the MiTo features a choice of Turismo, Lusso and Veloce trim and equipment levels and five engines comprising three petrol units and two diesels.

Prices start at £10,745 for the entry level 1.4-litre MiTo Turismo and rise to £14,745 for flagship 1.4-litre 155bhp turbodiesel Veloce.

Styling cues taken from the Alfa 8C Competizione supercar give the MiTo an unusually upmarket appearance for such a small car.

At the front there is a very distinctive retro Alfa corporate identity with a pronounced grille and wide-apart teardrop headlamps whilst at the rear there are LED lights, which are unique in the sector.

Inside, the designers have gone to the most extraordinary lengths to emphasise the MiTo's sportiness with a carbon fibre-look dashboard, sports instrumentation and a satin-finish centre console.

A three-position switch beside the gearlever alters the throttle response and steering set-up for different driving styles so that in Dynamic mode the throttle response is quicker, the steering is sharper and the handling is more direct. For icy and loose surface conditions the all-weather mode has a gentler response.

A limited slip differential is included in the list of dynamic driver aids, which also incorporates several safety systems.

Four of the five available engines are linked to a six-speed manual gearbox and even the entry-level 95bhp 1.4 16V Turismo will accelerate from 0-60mph in just 11seconds with a top speed of 112mph.

The turbocharged 155bhp 1.4 Lusso model reaches 60mph in eight seconds and has a top speed of 135mph.

In recognition of its superior safety credentials the MiTo has already been awarded a five-star Euro NCAP crash test rating.

There are seven airbags including window bags, side bags and a driver's knee bag and during emergency braking the car automatically operates its hazard lights.

The MiTo is being launched into a segment dominated by the MINI and comes only in three-door hatchback guise with a choice of unusual dashboard, door panel and seat colours of red or blue in addition to black.

All versions come with air conditioning as standard plus the option of automatic dual-zone climate control and there is a sophisticated RDS sound system with CD and MP3 file player and a double-antennae tuner fitted with a twin aerial for up to 80% better reception.

And the curious name of MiTo? It comes from the Italian towns of Milan and Torino (Turin) where the car is designed and made.