Alfa Romeo MiTo MultiAir review
By Bob Hume, 25th August 2010
The Alfa MiTo has been around for the guts of two years now. My test car was the MultiAir variant; a 135 BHP version of the 1.4 engine in the range-leading Cloverleaf, the essence of which is to improve economy and emissions.
Put simply, the MultiAir system comprises a complicated variable valve-timing arrangement which controls to amount of air allowed into the combustion chamber – the resultant effect is that more torque is produced at lower revs with less fuel used and less carbon emitted during normal driving.
This is Alfa Romeo‘s small car based on the Fiat Punto and takes its aesthetic design cues from Alfa‘s supercar, the 8C Competizione.
Even after a couple of years, this design looks dramatic and still has the power to draw admiring looks.
The interior is neat, friendly and modern and ergonomics are excellent (apart from the difficult reach for the seatbelt). The spongey carbon fibre-patterned covering on the main surface on the dash in my test car wasn‘t to my taste and it was a little too reflective in strong sunlight but all the touch-surfaces are of good quality. There‘s decent room for rear passengers and the boot space is okay but there‘s a fairly high lip at the bottom of the loading area to lift your shopping over.
The stop-start function in the MiTo will always cut in at the lights but unlike most other similar systems, the clutch needs fully depressed rather than just touched before the engine will restart and it resulted in me disabling it on some city journeys.
The ’DNA‘ switch has 3 settings: Dynamic, Normal and All Weather. Arming ’Dynamic‘ mode will see both the engine and road speed increase under constant throttle, alerting you that the car has just become exciting. Suspension stiffens up, steering assistance reduces and throttle response becomes livelier.
On a tight, twisty and empty test area, the MiTo MultiAir was right up there with the MINI Cooper and driven enthusiastically, it‘s great fun. It‘s a bit light in the tail on more enthusiastic bumps and the suspension is firm but still pretty forgiving. Steering feels sporty and weighted and there‘s a satisfying level of communication. The attitude of the little car on corners was superb – a sudden speed-change in mid turn doesn‘t seem to upset it and it will start lifting a wheel before it even thinks about losing grip.
There‘s a surprising amount of torque available all the way through the rev-range in the ’Dynamic‘ setting and once you‘re past 2000 or so RPM, the engine gets nice and buzzy. There’s a distinctive and tuneful growl.
Living with the MiTo for a week was a pleasure; it was fun and economical and I‘d find it very difficult to fault this car for its inherent Italian flair and style (even the name is derived from the letters in the postcodes of the Italian cities of Milan and Turin). This little car has class.
This is exactly the sort of car that people fall in love with; it‘s not the quickest or the most practical of its rivals but Alfa Romeo heritage and passion is difficult to put a price on.
> Vehicle data: Alfa Romeo MiTo 1.4 MultiAir TB 135 bhp Lusso
> Insurance group - 18
> Engine capacity (cc) - 1368
> Power (BHP@RPM) - 135@5250
> Comined MPG - 50.4
> C02 (g/km) - 129
> Driven wheels - front
> Max Speed (MPH) - 129
> 0-62 MPH (secs) - 8.4
