Italian style for you too

By Ewan Kennedy
ALFA Romeo tells us that MiTo is a contraction of the names of two Italian cities, Milan and Torino, but we reckon it stands for Me Too.
If you have ever driven, or simply had a ride in the passenger seat of this little car, you too will want to relive the experience time and again.
It’s a huge amount of fun to drive, with even everyday trips bringing a smile to the face thanks to the chassis dynamics and engine performance – and then there’s the styling.
The shape of the three-door Alfa Romeo coupe is right out of the ordinary.
The style begins right at the front, with large round headlights sitting outboard of the Alfa shield grille.
The body then flows oh-so smoothly by way of a domed roof that slots neatly over a sharply rising waistline, before it tapers towards the rear to not only look good but also to minimise aerodynamic drag.
At the back the bold shape of the big headlights is repeated in taillights that make a most positive, most Italian statement.
The round lights really are the chief feature of this little Italian stallion (or should that be ‘colt’?), giving it a neat, sporting look with plenty of Latin brio.
On the downside, the slightest nudge on that protruding front end in a car park or in the slightest of traffic touches is going to seriously hurt someone’s budget.
The bold Italian shapes of the 2010 Alfa Romeo MiTo continue on the interior.
There’s plenty of oomph to the colours and shapes and this cabin really is a great place to be.
Interior room in this smallish car is fine in the front seats but the back seat is very limited for legroom unless the front occupants are willing to give up some of their space.
Though kids will be fine for legroom, the upsweep of the body sides means that their view outwards is restricted.
So take the junior road testers along on your test drive and try to work out the boredom factor this can create.
Headroom in the smallest Alfa isn’t too bad but, again, it might be worth checking for yourself if you are of a large Aussie stature.
A fascinating feature of the MiTo Sport is the DNA (Dynamic, Normal, All-weather) system.
This gives the MiTo the ability to run in three different driving modes.
Electronic changes to the throttle, steering and suspension systems give the baby Alfa quite a different feel on the road depending on the surface and/or the driver’s mood at the time.
This system really does work and you can feel the MiTo become more alive as you advance through the sporting options.
Handling is very sharp in the dynamic mode and the little Italian zips its way around challenging bends with all the liveliness we have loved from Italian cars over the decades.
Two versions of the latest Alfa to hit Australia are on offer here, the MiTo and the MiTo Sport. Both are powered by a 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine.
This is a new design four-cylinder engine and comes in two stages of tune, producing 88 kW / 206 Nm in the standard version, and 114 kW / 230 Nm in the Sport.
These torque figures are most impressive and naturally aspirated engines with the same output would need to have capacities of about 2.1 and 2.4 litres.
Low fuel consumption is very much an area of expertise with Italian engineers, with those at Fiat / Alfa Romeo leading the world in many ways.
Our test car had the 114 kW engine and we had no trouble getting the petrol usage under six litres per 100 kilometres in the country and motorway sections of our drive route. Even around town it seldom used a lot more than seven to eight litres per 100km.
Normally you need a turbo-diesel engine to get fuel consumption as low as that but if you buy a petrol MiTo you don’t have to put up with the noise and harshness of a diesel.
The 114 kW Sport engine is happy to rev to the top end of the tacho, though it displays its Fiat heritage in not being quite as sweet in its nature as the old-style Alfa Romeo powerplants.
All-in-all Alfa Romeo MiTo is a brilliant little sporty car when you look at how much Italian brio you get and how few Aussie dollars it costs to put one in your garage.
Model range is: Alfa Romeo MiTo 1.4-litre three-door hatch: $31,490 (five-speed manual). Alfa Romeo MiTo Sport 1.4-litre three-door hatch: $37,490 (six-speed manual).