Alfa Romeo MiTo 2014 Review
A car like the MiTo, though updated, does nothing to nuture Alfa Romeo's iconic marquee statusRoad Test
The latest Alfa Romeo MiTo is proof positive that there is much to fix with the iconic Italian brand. For, at least in the form I drove it, this diminutive $28,000 (plus on-road costs) three-door is a thoroughly unconvincing automobile.
And I’m not talking about its weird Harold styling –that’s subjective and therefore essentially beside the point. Although updated for the 2014 model year, the fact is the MiTo Series II still lags behind the run of the mill in the Light car class – let alone the premium and performance offerings from the likes of MINI and Audi against which it should be compared.
The least convincing aspects of the MiTo are its chassis and drivetrain. As tested, the latter borders on unacceptable.
It’s not that the turbocharged 99kW and 206Nm 1.4-litre MultiAir engine is particularly problematic – the Fiat group’s small four packs good punch for its capacity and in cars like the Abarth 500 Esseesse can be a lot of fun. No, it’s largely the fault of the automated manual TCT gearbox which is clumsy and far below the twin-clutch par established by Volkswagen Group and Ford’s PowerShift units.
From stationary, take-off is a ‘nothing or all’ affair thanks to a combination of the dry twin-clutch transmission’s slow wits, some turbo lag and, at times, the idle stop-start system now standard on the MiTo.
Once rolling, response is little better – even when the DNA transmission mode is switched to Dynamic mode. At anything but wide throttle openings, the transmission is over-eager to grab taller gears – leaving the car feeling dull and, in traffic, often caught flat footed. Hardly the spritely, sporting and nimble hatch you’d expect would wear an Alfa badge.
Alas at the Distinctive trim level, the MiTo’s top-spec, there is no manual transmission offered. Thus during much of my relatively short stint in the MiTo, I found myself resorting to using the TCT’s manual mode –at least possible thanks to the standard steering wheel paddles fitted.
Overall, I have no doubt the five-speed manual fitted to the midrange MiTo ‘Progression’ would be a much nicer package… Except for the fact that across the range the MiTo’s suspension performance is hardly at the prize-winning end of the segment...
Although no harder in terms of ride than, say, the latest MINI Cooper models (or the above-mentioned Abarth), there’s a disconcerting and annoying mismatch in the way the front and rear ends of the MiTo react to even mildly pockmarked urban road surfaces.
Most of my driving was limited to the suburbs but a quick blast on a nearby ‘secret test track’ (it’s okay, the factories were shut – it was early in the morning) reminded me of the at times unforgiving nature of the MiTo’s chassis in extremis. This is not a car possessed of chuckable playfulness of a Cooper or Clio – and it should be!
Steering can be also be heavy at times (the DNA system also varies assistance, but my comment stands for all modes) and there’s never the sort of feedback you’re gifted in the likes of, for example, the abovementioned Renault or Ford’s excellent Fiesta ST.
Our Distinctive was fitted with optional leather upholstery – a worthwhile addition to a cockpit that is worthy of the car’s premium positioning and price tag. Although it’s not enough to forgive the car its poor driving characteristics, the top-of-the-range MiTo gives good cabin.
The seats themselves are well-shaped and supportive – and they look like they belong in an Alfa.
Although the dash plastics are a little chintzy, the organic shapes the designers penned in the original MiTo remain attractive. Ergonomics are reasonable too – and there are goodies not always present in this class of car including cruise control and folding electric exterior mirrors.
Shame the dual-zone climate control system is only just up to the demands of an Australian summer.
This may in part be the fault of the electric glass sunroof fitted to our tester. The shade is light mesh rather the ‘block-out’ style sliders offered on many vehicles. And there was an additional slip twixt cup and lip here too. Such is the ‘drumming’ [resonance] that results when you open the sunroof with the windows closed at urban speeds that my eardrums cried enough in a few hundred metres.
What the..? Didn’t anybody check this at the design stage?
Having lived with an Abarth 500 for the last couple of months (in the lead up to our Bathurst 12 Hour drive) and once an owner of a much flawed but much loved Alfa 75, I really wanted to like the MiTo – I’m even a fan of the car’s standout styling.
The reality was, I couldn’t wait to hand it back…
2014 Alfa Romeo MiTo Series II Distinctive pricing and specifications:
Price: $28,000 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 99kW/206Nm
Transmission: Six-speed dual-clutch
Fuel: 5.8L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 123g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP
What we liked:
>> Gorgeous front seats
>> Well-presented cabin
>> Unique exterior styling
>> Handling and ride unresolved
>> Sunroof resonance (see text)
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