The MiTo is a brand-new, two-door hatchback minicar (only 4.06 meters, or 13.3 feet, long) that Alfa Romeo is aiming at young people in an attempt to reconnect the brand to a new generation of buyers. Alfa hopes that the MiTo's evocative Italian styling, its full range of electronic equipment, and its economical but sporty powertrains will set the car apart from the crowded minicar field in Europe and other major world markets where Alfa Romeos are sold. As the first new Alfa Romeo designed and built after the 8C Competizione (a limited-edition supercoupe of which only a few examples will trickle into the United States), the MiTo is a good look at where Alfa Romeo is heading in terms of future products. It is also a car that, in some future iteration, could herald the brand's return to the United States, although Alfa officials continue to be cagey about that matter, as they have been for years. However, Alfa's parent company, Fiat, just announced that it is entering into an agreement with BMW wherein the German company might help market and sell cars for Alfa in the United States. Under such a scenario, the next-generation MiTo could come here.
And as for the name, MiTo? It represents the historic connection between the city where Alfa Romeo was founded, Milan, and the city where Alfas have been designed and manufactured for decades, Torino (Turin).
MiTo styling: very Italian, very modern, but with a definite nod to the past.
The MiTo oozes Italian style and has a prominent shield grille that is instantly identifiable to any Alfa Romeo fan. During our test drive into the Lakes Region north of Milan, our bright red MiTo turned lots of Italian heads. Alfa designers like to point out the MiTo's styling similarities to the 8C, such as the side window profile and the three-lobed motif of the grille, the front bumper, the headlights, and the LED taillights. The MiTo makes the rest of Alfa's mainstream lineup - handsome, well-admired cars all - look a bit staid. But one wonders if the MiTo is overstyled. MiTo buyers can customize their cars endlessly, choosing among ten shades of paint, fourteen finishes for the headlight and taillight surrounds (shiny or satin chrome, opaque black and titanium gray, plus the ten body shades), and five styles of sixteen-inch to eighteen-inch wheels. Two versions of red paint are available: the traditional nonmetallic Alfa Red and a lighter Giulietta red, yet another reminder of Alfa Romeo's past.
MiTo cabin: This is no econocar interior.
Like its exterior, the MiTo's interior is a repository of modern Italian style as expressed through a bewildering array of possible color and trim combinations. Two trim packages, Progression and Distinctive, are offered, and those two styling themes also can be modified with available Sport and Premium packages. The Progression specification provides what Alfa calls a "Sprint" instrument panel finished either in black or red, while the Distinctive trim, which our test car was outfitted with, comes with a "Competizione" fabric with a faux-carbon-fiber weave. It is expertly fitted over the main instrument binnacle surround, around the circular center vents, the dash, and the door inserts. Aluminum, quality black plastics, and high-quality black leather complete the interior trim. Seating comfort in front is excellent, with good lateral support, and the rear seats have surprisingly generous foot-, hip-, and headroom. Seats for four are standard, but a middle seat in the rear, as on our test car, is optional. All seating positions have adjustable head restraints.
The MiTo keeps you connected.
The MiTo offers every conceivable electronic device that the car's young target audience might desire. Blue&Me is an optional telematics system similar to Ford's Sync; like that system, it was developed in conjunction with Microsoft and allows easy use of the BlueTooth and text-messaging capabilities of mobile phones, MP3 players, and the like. Blue&Me Map is a portable navigation system that mounts into a bracket on top of the dash; you can easily pop off the entire unit and carry it with you when you leave the car. If you've ever tried to navigate the narrow, confusingly laid-out streets of an old European city center by foot, you'll understand just how useful the portable nav system could be if you're a 22-year-old trying to find Rome's hottest new nightclub.
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