Alfa Romeo MiTo QV Review
What’s hot: Beautiful handling, comfortable, rorty engine, slick shift.
What’s not: Patchy interior, pricey, not enough Alfa exhaust-burble.
X-FACTOR: As much fashion accessory as it is sweet-handling, eager little hot-box.
Vehicle style: Light performance-hatch
Price: $30,500 (plus on-road costs)
Engine/transmission: 125kW/250Nm 1.4 litre turbo | 6spd manual (only)
Fuel consumption listed: 6.0 l/100km | tested: 8.7 l/100km
OVERVIEW
There’s this word panache; it’s to do with style and flash charm. It’s not very useful, except in seduction, but it’s something most of us wish we had more of.
Interestingly, or not, some cars have it - and some haven’t.
Take the Tarago and Colorado 7; these two have all the panache of a root vegetable. Like a parsnip. But it’s harder to recognise panache in a large car, much easier in a small one.
A bit tragically however, even some small cars have the panache-bypass. Personality-less, anonymous, not much going on that sets them apart.
This is not the Alfa MiTo. It apes no other car - its individual lines are all its own. And now there’s a new 'QV' in town: the rorty MiTo Quadrifoglio Verde, and it's $4k less than the outgoing model.
The QV comes with a potent 125kW turbo up front and sits on fat 18-inch wheels. It is a beautifully balanced little belter.
Panache? This thing is dripping with it. That’s why it’s so easy to forgive it its shortcomings; and it has a few, but it more than compensates with latin charm and on-road dash.
So, what’s it like, driving around in all this panache?
THE INTERIOR | RATING: 3/5
- Uconnect five-inch touchscreen
- Multimedia system with Bluetooth (and audio streaming), text-message reader and voice control
- High-end audio system with MP3, USB and aux-in connectivity
- Flat-bottomed leather-trimmed sports steering wheel (with white stitching)
- ‘Competizione’ carbon-look dashboard
- Monogrammed floor mats and aluminium kick plate (with Quadrifoglio Verde logos)
- Quadrifoglio Verde fabric-trimmed sports seats, height adjustable (driver) and lumbar adjustment for driver and passenger
- Cruise control, trip-computer and air-con climate control