Alfa Romeo MiTo 2009 review

If there's a car-buying group called SINKs, then this car fits the bill. ‘Single Income No Kids’ - perhaps the target market for Alfa Romeo's latest bambino, the MiTo (pronounced me-tow).

Despite the company's efforts to distance the new little Alfa from its Alfasud ancestor, the comparison is easy to make.

A cute, lightweight, spunky little three-door Italian upstart - but the Alfa jokes of old (you can hear it rusting, etc) don't appear to have much currency now.

The looks are distinctive - inspired by the raucous 8C Competizione ? it appears startled from the front but taut and lithe from the rear. However, but there's no doubt as to its heritage.

Drivetrain

This is the base-model and there's a flexibility that belies the size of the powerplant - the lower-pressure turbocharged 1.4-litre engine, which provides 88kW and 206Nm to haul 1145kg.

As the revs rise there's not quite the hair-raising note that some might expect from a fiery little Euro-hatch, but the MiTo gets along at a decent clip.

The $31,490 MiTo does the job with admirable vigour, even before we've started playing with the Alfa Romeo DNA system.

No, we're not cloning little Italian hatchbacks - it's a three-position (Dynamic, Normal and All Weather) switch that sharpens throttle and steering.

There's some difference to be experienced by the changing of the settings but it's not a massive change in character. Alfa Romeo has also fitted the MiTo with an electronic Q2 limited slip differential, one of several active safety systems. Whatever the acronyms, the MiTo is a pert and entertaining little machine, but there are still things not to like.

Safety

For a little car, the crashworthiness is good - it gets a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating, with seven airbags (front, side, curtain and driver's knee), with anti-lock brakes and stability control to help avoid the impact in the first place.

Equipment

The features list also includes a trip computer, airconditioning (Sport has dual-zone climate control), remote locking and boot release, steering wheel audio controls, cruise control, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, hill holder, front power windows and a premium six-speaker sound system.

Driving

Despite the clever drivetrain there's still some torque steer to be conquered - not as much as some more powerful front-drivers but it can still dart off and be wayward on tighter corners.

The beauty of the little Italian upstart is that it's light - just over 1.1 tonnes - and that number translates to it being light on its feet. Darting through traffic, the little powerplant has enough punch to put the little three-door through gaps without thinking twice.

It is also easy to park, being light in the steering at parking speeds.

The gearshift is not the sharpest cog-swap on offer in the segment either; the MiTo feels a little rubbery, with first sometimes tough to engage, as well as the odd mis-selected cog. You would think the lack of an automatic variant in the Australian market - which seems to love automatics - would have slowed sales.

But the little Alfa has a two-month wait if you ask for something specific in colour and equipment; a double-clutch transmission is on the cards for early next year.

The ride quality is a little crashy on some broken surfaces as well - it's not that bad that you can't live with it, but perhaps the standard car with 16in alloys could have had a little more compliance, leaving the $37,490 Sport model (shod with 17in alloys) to go harder.

Taller drivers are going to have issues, because despite reach'n'rake adjustable steering and a height-adjustable seat, anyone over 180cm is going to succumb to the short-leg, long-arm set-up behind the wheel.

The other driving position issue is the rear-vision mirror, which sits low on the windscreen and can't be raised because of the - admittedly-worthwhile - seatbelt monitor.

The result is a stooped driving position that eventually resulted in a crook neck from trying to look under the mirror at traffic on the left.

The SINKs acronym could also refer to the boot, which is not bad for the segment but won't take a folded stroller and nappybag without removing the parcel shelf/boot cover.

For all the ergonomic complaints, the little MiTo has some character about it - more than a few small car drivers (behind the wheel of Japanese, Korean and European machines) craned for a better view of the spunky little Italian, which speaks volumes for the MiTo's appeal for the fashionably-chic.

Alfa Romeo MiTo
Price: from $31,490 plus on-road costs
Engine: 1.4-litre 16-valve turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: five-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Power: 88kW @ 5000rpm
Torque: 206Nm @ 1750rpm
Performance: 0-100km/h 8.8 seconds. Top speed 198km/h
Fuel consumption: 6.1litres/100km, on test 8litres/100km
Emissions: 145g/km
Rivals:
Mini Cooper, from $33,450.