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Any car enthusiast will recognise that the Mito looks like a shrunken version of the devastatingly beautiful 8C Competizione Supercar. How can you argue otherwise? The rising window lines, the high wheel arches and the sloping nose just screams 8C. Job done then, Alfa’s released a car for £15K that resembles a £200K supercar.
Hmm, maybe not. I love every angle, except the one that matters most, the front. I can’t make head nor tail of it, one minute my heart skips a beat, the next it doesn’t even ‘blip’ on my motoring radar. To say that I’m sitting on the fence is an understatement.
The model I drove was the range-topping 155bhp ‘veloce’, loosely translated as ‘speed’ or ‘sport’, featuring a 1.4 turbo charged power plant. With a 0-60 sprint time of 8 seconds dead, there’s plenty of pulling power from 3,000rpm all the way to the redline. It sounds good too, leaving both an infantile grin and an urge to repeat such antics. Economy is acceptable as well, returning 43mpg on a combined cycle.
Standard on all models is Alfa’s ‘D.N.A’ software which changes the car's suspension, traction control, throttle response and steering depending on which driving experience you’re looking for, whether that be Dynamic, Normal or All Weather, (hence D.N.A).
Luckily, the weather gave me the chance to use all three modes in their respective environments, from dry B-roads to un-gritted back lanes covered in snow and ice.
All performed reasonably well, but my advice would be to leave it in ‘Dynamic’, especially with the 1.4 turbo. The steering and throttle sensitivity is especially responsive in this mode and is most suited to the rev-hungry student that would most likely opt for this engine.
Even so, I found the ride too hard and the gearbox was fairly loose. A short, clunky shift would have been more suited to this car's ‘pocket racer’ appeal.
Driving through slow moving traffic gave me an opportunity to admire the interior. The centre console is simple and elegant, appealing to a more stylish and mature individual. The sport inspired seats and steering wheel are some of the car's best features and will instantly grab your attention. The Mito feels and looks as well built as a Mini and possible trumps it on the style front. Like all Alfas then, it’s a great place to be.
Is it worth an extra two grand over Fiesta Zetec S? Maybe - it is faster and features technology not available in the Ford range such as the D.N.A system. At the same time though, it lacks the precision envisaged in the Fiesta which is a more enjoyable car to drive, even with a less powerful engine.
How does it compare to its main rival then? Well, the Mini Cooper will always be a better car to drive and is king of the B-Road in this price range. Even so, the baby Alfa is easy to fall in love with, and I think that is what will attract most students. For those who can afford it and wishing for something different than the far too popular Mini, it could prove to be a very wise choice.
Thanks to Alexanders Alfa Romeo for lending us the car!
Good article, but there's a couple of things I would point out. Firstly, the price of the 8C is around £100-110K, not £200K stated although I feel safe in assuming this is largely irrelevant for most students' motoring budgets. Of more importance to students is that the Mito is actually available for under £11K. I know that the model you tested was just under £15K, but surely mentioning the fact that there is a model which is more affordable insurance-wise available for £4K cheaper in the first place would help. I know it's not the one you tested, but I'm guessing most of the people who read this are students at York and £4K buys a lot of Ziggys and Efes related fun. 'Rev hungry students' may opt for this engine, but if most of the students that I know at York bought a performance model at this price the only thing they would be left is hungry.
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