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By EWAN
KENNEDY
13 July 2009
The just released Alfa Romeo MiTo isn't so much a hot hatch as a
stylish coupe, though there's plenty of heat in the equation as we
will describe in a moment.
Fresh on the roads of Europe early in 2009, the new small Alfa is
positively stunning in appearance and we were intrigued by them
when we visited Italy on a business/holiday trip a few weeks ago.
They are already starting to become a common sight and many are
being dressed up in interesting packages. And watchers of Moto GP
races will have seen Alfa Romeo MiTo's strong presence as track
cars.
Styling of the three-door Alfa coupe – there is no other body
shape – was done by a design group at Alfa Romeo Centro Stile,
where the guys and gals were given complete freedom to come up
with something right out of the ordinary. They have produced an
excellent body dominated by big round lights front and rear, a
domed roof, sharply rising waistline and a cabin that tapers
significantly in width as it approaches its rearwards extremities
to give a neat, sporting look.
Of course, the front has a large Alfa ‘shield’ radiator
grille, as well as wide lower grilles to give a funky/sporty look.
However, while the front generally looks great, the number-plate
holder seems to have been an afterthought and is awkwardly offset
to one side of the grille. And the slightest touch in a car park
is going to cause expensive damage to those beautifully sculpted,
but protruding, front lines.
Now the Alfa Romeo MiTo is in Australia and we have had our first
test drive, courtesy of a press-launch program organised by the
Italian marque out of Sydney.
Both models sold in this country; the MiTo and the MiTo Sport are
powered by a 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine. This is a new design
four-cylinder engine that's powerful yet very fuel efficient. It
comes in two stages of tune, producing 88 kW / 206 Nm in the
standard version, and 114 kW / 230 Nm in the Sport. The torque
figures are most impressive and naturally aspirated engines with
the same output would need to have capacities of around 2.1 and
2.4 litres respectively.
Fuel consumption is rated at just 6.1 litres per hundred
kilometres for the 88 kW engine and 6.5 litres in the 114 kW
Sport. These numbers are getting down to the diesel end of the
economy scale, yet you don’t have to put up with the noise and
harshness of a diesel.
On the road the lower powered of the Alfa engines is adequate in
the way it performs, though longtime Alfistas will miss its sweet
nature and willingness to rev. On the other hand, the 114 kW Sport
engine is far more satisfying to sit behind and seems sure to
bring a smile to the face of those who love to drive, and drive
and...
A fascinating feature is the DNA system. (In Alfa Romeo speak DNA
doesn't stand for Deoxyribonucleic Acid, but rather for Dynamic,
Normal, All-weather) and refers to the ability of the car to run
in three different driving modes. Electronic changes to the
throttle, steering and suspension systems give the MiTo quite a
different feel on the road depending on the surface and/or the
driver’s mood at the moment. This system really does work and
you can feel the MiTo become more alive as you advance through the
sporting options.
Interior room is fine in the front seats as Alfa Romeo has wisely
chosen to put space priority into this area. The back seat is
rather limited for legroom unless the front occupants are willing
to give up some room, headroom isn't two bad. Children will be
fine for legroom, but the upsweep of the body side is such that
the windows are high and their view out is restricted. Get any
potential junior travellers to go along with you on your own road
test.
The best news of all about the new Alfa Romeo MiTo is that it is
priced from just $31,490 for the standard version and the Sport
isn't a lot more expensive at $37,490. Statutory and delivery
charges have to be added, contact your Alfa Romeo dealer for a
driveaway price.
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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