I like the Alfa Romeo MiTo, writes Brian Byrne. I also like the 1.3 diesel which was developed by the old GM/Fiat Powertrain partnership some years ago and which has appeared in a number of Fiat and GM products since.
But, like some people who just don’t have the right chemistry and who should never attempt any kind of meaningful relationship, they just don’t work together.
It’s a marriage headed for the rocks, and the kindest thing they could do to future customers is to split right now.
A shame, really. Because I did enjoy the MiTo with the 155hp petrol engine some months ago. Now my view of the model has been tarnished. The 1.3 diesel isn't even frugal ... the 14L/100km which the trip computer registered over mixed driving is frightening.
Let’s go positive now. This particular Alfa is the brand’s attempt to rejuvenate its buyer profile. To recall the halcyon days of the Alfa Junior introduced in the mid-60s and built for an outstanding run of 13 years as entry models to the racing brand. It filled the timeline from the much-loved Giulietta Coupe to the Alfetta GT and offered a range of engine options from a humble but fun 1.3 petrol onwards.
Does the MiTo sit well in this frame? Well, yes. Very well, actually. It has a fun look, unlike the outgoing entry car, the 147. It has style, a sexiness that comes from the genes of the 8c Competizione supercar which the brand has produced in limited and expensive numbers. And it has a cheeky look, too, a bit of adolescence peeking through a typically teenager attempt at sophistication. The lights, front and rear, play a big part in this effect.
The inside is all Alfa, with lots of black, and in fairness is not all to my taste but that’s what Alfistas love and are entitled to. Strong detailing in the dashboard design and furnishing. Sporty instruments and other controls. A spicy steering wheel with the Alfa shield reminding you what you are in. I don’t like the red ancillary information lights and the positioning of the main dials to either side of their binnacle, as the essential speed information gets lost at critical times (just before the blue-and-reds come up behind you).
For those up front there is ample room and excellent comfort. There are a couple of seats in the back, but only for occasional needs of people who don't mind being squeezed a little and are supple enough to climb through this 3-door.
A switch ahead of the gearshift, has three settings - Dynamic, Normal and Allweather. Each has a different engine mapping, traction control, steering response and throttle sharpness. The Dynamic end gives quicker results to accelerator and steering and provides more torque. The Allweather setting makes the car more careful in icy or otherwise slippy and mixed surface conditions. Normal is, well, normal.
And here’s where the 1.3 diesel comes in. In the Normal setting, performance feel isn’t just flat, it almost feels like the car wants to be in reverse. Soggy response where there is any. Clackety sound instead of an Alfa song. The car is simply uninterested in being what it is supposed to be.
So very quickly I got to switching it into Dynamic as soon as I turned on the engine (it reverts to Normal when the engine is turned off) because it was the only way I could get any sense of verve from the car.
And even at that, the sound offered nothing like what Alfa is famous for. It lacks snap and crackle. All you get is a dull 'pop'.
All in all, it just kills the experience which I know is the life’s-blood of the Alfa Romeo brand. And, God knows, the company needs all the life it can get at the moment, as owner Fiat’s boss is looking very hard at why it isn’t performing as he would like.
Help yourselves guys. Drop this 1.3. Before the car, and maybe even the heritage, gets fitted with concrete boots and is fed to the fishes.
Brian Byrne.
