Alfa Romeo is being upfront and honest in saying the Mito’s styling has been inspired by its flagship 8C Competizione, and there’s nothing wrong in that. The hope is clear: that Mito buyers, even those who opt for the lower-powered models, will get just a little of the supercar experience. Whether you buy into that, or whether the Mito shape proves appealing, is entirely subjective, but from our experience it’s at least an eye-catching car.
The response from people who saw it was almost universally positive; women preferred the front, men the rear. Should you wish, there is scope to personalise your Mito, either by specifying different-coloured lamp surrounds and mirrors, or by adding an array of cloverleaf or Italian flag stickers, á la Fiat 500.
Underneath the unmistakably Alfa styling, the Mito is based on Fiat’s Punto platform, co-developed with General Motors and used in the Vauxhall Corsa. Although the basic suspension configuration of MacPherson struts up front and a torsion beam at the back is unchanged, the Mito runs a wider track front and back, and employs adjustable dampers with coil-over springs (see Under the Skin). Although Alfa offers five engine options, all petrol Mitos use the same basic 1.4-litre, four-cylinder engine, producing 94bhp in naturally aspirated form and 118bhp or 153bhp with the addition of a turbocharger. Diesels come in a choice of capacity: a 1.3 with 89bhp or a 1.6 with 118bhp.
Alfa’s marketing men also make their presence felt in what Alfa refers to as a ‘DNA’ system. A toggle switch gives the Mito driver a choice of three modes: Dynamic, Normal and All-weather, each changing the electric power steering, dampers, throttle map, traction control and, on turbocharged models, the boost pressure.
