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ALFA MITO
January 22, 2009
Words by Glen Smale
(Photos supplied by Alfa Romeo UK)
Brighton’s magnificent Grand Hotel was the site of the worst political assassination attempt since the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. On the morning of October 12, 1984, an IRA bomb ripped through the hotel killing five people and injuring a further 30. The incident had clearly been an attack on the Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher and the Conservative Party members during their annual Conference held there.
Twenty five years later and this time a little further up town, Alfa Romeo arranged the launch of the new MiTo to take place in the Library Square, an important route used daily by university students and young professionals. Fortunately on this occasion, there were no fireworks or unpleasant disruptions, but the newcomer did attract a lot of attention.
Alfa have always been known for their strong styling and their eager engines, and their newcomer was no exception. The name ‘MiTo’ is made up of the first two letters of the two Italian towns of Milan and Torino, MI-TO, as the new car was designed in Milan and manufactured in Torino.
The new MiTo has borrowed heavily on design cues taken from the flagship 8C, sharing elements of its stylish grille and nose section, the signature side window shape and the short tail section with round lights. With this heritage, the MiTo displays good presence and has loads of style.
Christopher Nicoll, managing director of Alfa Romeo UK, says: “The moment is right to introduce a new sporty compact.” Alfa’s first entrant into the B-segment for many years, this model is the spiritual successor to the Alfasud of the 1980s, and is not intended to replace the 147 which many may suspect to be the case. For starters, the MiTo is Alfa’s attempt to lower the target age group considerably, as it is designed to appeal to the ‘now’ set. With the entry-level 1.4 Turismo priced at below £11,000 and available only in three-door format, the MiTo has created some space between itself and its previous, higher-priced predecessors.
Marketing
In positioning the new MiTo, the marketing team analysed what characteristics and attributes would appeal to their younger target market, which makes for an interesting feature all on its own. In brief however, these market triggers include the 24/7 lifestyle of the young buyers with special attention being given to modern necessities such as iPods, mobile phone connectivity and other funky features.
Research has shown that 86 per cent of current Alfa buyers are male with 58 per cent between the ages of 36-55 years which left a large untapped market in the 35 and under age group. As a result, the MiTo marketing team have targeted this sub-35 year age group and have identified several key characteristics which identify this segment which include: they are influenced by and dependent on the internet for communicating, personal shopping and decision-making; they are modern and want to be noticed and therefore these individuals spend more money on themselves than previous generations did. This means that a significant slice of the ad budget will be spent on internet advertising, admittedly a non-conventional approach.
The launch campaign will be split 50/50 between male and female customers as the MiTo is intended to appeal to modern urban professionals of both sexes.
Technology
The MiTo carries some innovative new technology with its electronic systems, ensuring on-board comfort to add major new features so aid musical enjoyment in this new model. Standard equipment on Veloce versions (optional on Turismo and Lusso), is the Blue&Me option, the result of a result of a joint venture between Fiat and Microsoft. This system changes the dynamics of in-car communication, information and entertainment, improving comfort and quality of time spent in the car.
Because the voice control system is fully integrated with keys on the steering wheel and information on the instrument panel display, customers equipped with Bluetooth mobile phones can use them even when left in a jacket pocket or handbag, without taking their hands off the steering wheel, while ‘advanced voice recognition’ allows immediate interactivity. By connecting a digital system to the USB port, it is possible to listen to hours of digital music in MP3, WMA and WAV format recorded on mobile phones, MP3 players and USB pen drives. For greater compatibility with an iPod, it is now possible in a MiTo to listen to music tracks with an AAC extension in addition to the above formats. These attributes are just further evidence of the MiTo’s careful market positioning and appeal – especially on long motorway, autobahn or auto strada drives.
Technical and safety
In recognition of its safety credentials, the Alfa MiTo has already collected a 5-star Euro NCAP safety rating. Driver and occupant safety is paramount for Alfa, as evidenced by the specification of seven airbags including front airbags, window bags, sidebags and driver’s kneebag work with Alfa Romeo’s Self Aligning Head Restraint – a system that moves the head restraints closer to the neck of the front seat occupants to lessen the effect of whiplash in the event of an impact. During emergency braking, the Alfa MiTo automatically operates its hazard lights to alert other road users.
The MiTo is available in three trim levels – Turismo, Lusso and Veloce. However, even with the Turismo trim option, the spec and list of standard features is impressive. For instance, the DNA feature is standard across the range as is the Q2 system (that improves the transfer of drive torque to the wheels and, in particular, is claimed to guarantee excellent cornering behaviour, thus making the car safer and more entertaining during a sporty drive or when grip is poor – effectively, this electronically simulates the presence of a self-locking differential) and electric power assisted steering. In addition, this model is fitted with Vehicle Dynamic Control – an amalgamation of ABS, anti slip and Brake Assistant – plus Hill Holder as standard.
A three-position DNA switch located beside the gearlever, alters throttle response and steering set-up for different driving conditions – Dynamic, Normal and All Weather. With Normal being the default position, the driver can select Dynamic mode where the throttle response is quicker, the steering sharper and the handling more direct – this is the ‘fun’ mode and there is a marked difference between this and Normal. For icy and loose surface environments the All Weather mode provides a more gentle response allowing more measured driving inputs.
The MiTo will be available with five different engines, three petrol and two on diesel, which supports Alfa’s estimates of a 70/30 split in petrol to diesel sales. The petrol engines include: 1.4-litre giving 95 bhp; 1.4-litre TB giving 120 bhp; and, 1.4-litre TB giving 155 bhp. The diesel models include: 1.3-litre JTDm giving 90 bhp; and, 1.6-litre JTDm giving 120 bhp.
Four of the five available engines are mated to a six speed gearbox. The entry level 95bhp 1.4 16V Turismo will sprint from 0-62mph in a respectable 11.2 seconds and deliver a top speed of 112mph. The turbocharged 155bhp 1.4 Lusso model delivers the type of power normally associated with a significantly larger engine as it accelerates from 0-62mph in 8 seconds, and continues to a top speed of 134mph.
Driving
However with heavy rain falling, there was unfortunately little time to hang around admiring the exterior of the 28 MiTo ’s lined up for testing, and so the journalists were quick to saddle up and head out in the cars. First up was the 1.4-litre turbocharged Veloce offering a stoncking 155 bhp.
The test route took us through the magnificent countryside of East Sussex, offering a combination of motorway, narrow village lanes and rolling country lanes. The sometimes uneven road surfaces around Beachy Head provided a good opportunity to test the MiTo’s suspension and roadholding, both of which were very impressive, but then you might expect that from a car with such a rich sporting heritage.
What did impress, was the quality of finish within the cabin, which felt solid and well ‘nailed’ together as one journalist put it. Gone are the rather delicate control stalks of old, being replaced by strong and well-placed units. The main instruments were typical for Alfa, with large twin dials for the speedo and rev counter. The only negative aspect perhaps were the rather small and illegible digital milometer, trip meter and other details which were placed too close together and rather confusing to read.
Sales
By his own admission, MD Christopher Nicoll agreed that historically Alfa has suffered from poor product quality, poor dealer network and poor residual values. However, due to a concerted and very focussed effort by the company over the last two years, Alfa can now boast vehicle residuals equal to segment leader Mini and a vastly improved dealer network. On this latter point, a large portion of their launch budget will be spent on ‘de-training’ their dealer network, before retraining can take place.
Contrary to general industry trends, Alfa claim that their decision to stay out of the vehicle discounting dogfight that was splashed across every newspaper in the land during the final quarter of 2008, has stood them in good stead and they expect to sell more cars in 2009 that they did last year.
Prices range from £10,745.00 to £14,464.36 OTR.
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