Alfa Romeo has launched a sporty high fuel mileage car to challenge the
Mini Cooper. Its called the MiTo and the two models available are a direct
price rival to the two Mini Cooper models. The base model MiTo will compete
with the base Mini Cooper while the MiTo Sport will compete with the Mini
Cooper S. Since its 2001 launch the Mini has been very successful and Alfa
Romeo plan to steal some customers with its own blend of
high fuel
mileage, stylish design and sports handling.
Alfa Romeo have not produced a car as small as the MiTo to date and the
new high fuel mileage car will sit below the current 147 in terms of size.
The MiTo shares its chassis with parent company Fiat's Grande Punto. Whereas
the Mini is based on a car of the past, the MiTo is not but it is supposed
to be a spiritual successor to the Alfasud of the 70's and 80's. Its a very
pretty car, combining classic Alfa Romeo design elements with hints of Alfa's
limited edition sports car, the 8C Competizione.
BMW say that half of Mini purchases are by females while the 30-45 age group
are the largest buyers of the high fuel mileage car. Alfa Romeo are therefore
also aiming the MiTo directly at these groups. Alfa Romeo's current owners
are typically between 45-60 and male. By tapping into new demographics with
the MiTo, Alfa is hoping to double its global sales to about 300,000. Therefore
the success of the MiTo is incredibly important to the company. It will
probably be their most important new model for several years. On the subject
of sales of the MiTo, Alfa Romeo said 'We anticipate 80 per cent of MiTo
buyers will be new to the Alfa brand, while female buyers are expected to
account for 12 per cent of MiTo sales compared with 1.5 per cent for the
brand overall currently.'
So, is the car any good? Lets take a closer look at the top model MiTo Sport
and compare it to the Mini Cooper S.
The MiTo Sport is powered by a 1.4 litre turbocharged 4 cylinder engine
producing 114kW. This is enough to get you from 0-60 mph in 8.0 seconds.
Its a good engine, revs to 6500 rpm and feels quite powerful and eager.
The Mini's 1.6 litre turbo is slightly more powerful at 128 kW and gets
you to 60 in 7.1 seconds but the Alfa engine certainly doesn't feel underpowered
and is a worthy competitor. The Alfa returns slightly higher fuel mileage
than the Mini, with figures of 6.5 litres/100km compared to 6.9 litres/100km
but its not a big difference and both are very high fuel mileage cars. Its
amazing that cars can be this efficient yet still so fun to drive and quick
too. CO2 emissions are similarly lower from the Alfa at only 149 g/km versus
169 g/km from the Mini. Currently only manual gearboxes are available on
the MiTo, but a dual clutch auto is expected soon.
The MiTo has an interesting feature called the 'DNA' switch. It lets drivers
alter engine response, steering weight and stability control sensitivity.
Not surprisingly the cars handling feels at its best when 'Dynamic' mode
is chosen which offers the sharpest throttle response and weightier steering.
The MiTo's steering is ok but not as accurate and reassuring as the Mini's.
Similarly the Mini's suspension is just that bit better too, although the
efficient MiTo is by no means bad to drive. Its a lot of fun on a twisty
road, has minimal body roll and grips really well around tight corners.
It drives really well, its just that the Mini is exceptional in these areas.
Personalisation has been an important feature in the appeal of the Mini,
but customisation options on the MiTo are fairly limited. It will be interesting
to see how that affects its popularity. Mini say that its unlikely two identical
Mini's would ever leave the plant in the same year because of the range
of options available. Alfa Romeo on the other hand will only be offering
a choice of alloy wheels, stickers, mirror colours, light surrounds, sunroof
and leather seats. In their defence, Alfa Romeo say that the company has
a policy of offering a comprehensive equipment list as standard on all their
cars including base models.
Inside the MiTo Sport, the first thing you'll notice is the driving position
isn't ideal. The steering wheel adjustment doesn't allow it to go low enough
so the steering wheel feels a bit high. The interior of the fuel efficient
car is very stylish though with good looking trim, soft touch dash and Italian
instrument dials. You also get dual zone climate control and the optional
leather seats look great. Its all very pleasing to the eye. The Mini's interior
is definitely a lot simpler, though it too is stylish in its own unique
way. There's a good deal more legroom in the back of the MiTo, although
headroom is still tight as you'd expect from an economical car of this size.
Both the MiTo Sport and the Mini Cooper S add great safety to their high
fuel mileage. They both get a 5 star NCAP rating but you do get an extra
airbag with the MiTo. It has a total of seven, to the Mini's six. Both of
these sporty efficient cars also have stability control.
Overall, the MiTo Sport is definitely a good car. It looks great inside
and out, drives well, is sporty yet offers
high fuel mileage.
Its up against tough competition against the excellent Mini Cooper S though
and mechanically the Mini does most things just a little better, resulting
in a car thats a bit more rewarding to drive. This doesn't mean you should
definitely buy the Mini over the MiTo though. If driving dynamics are the
most important thing to you then by all means go for the go kart like Mini.
A good part of the buying decision for these cars though is based around
emotion and fashion and if you love the look of the pretty MiTo then go
for it. Its a great sporty high fuel mileage car.