Alfa Romeo's sporty new compact, the MiTo, has arrived in the U.K. Set to go on sale in from 24 January, Alfa's MINI Cooper rival will be available from launch with three petrol engines, 1.4 16V 95HP, 1.4 TB 120HP and 1.4TB 155HP, plus two diesel engines, 1.3 JTDM 90HP and 1.6 JTDM 120HP. With the exception of the 1.4TB that oddly enough, is matted to a 5-speed manual gearbox, all the other units are coupled to a 6-speed manual gearbox. There are three available trims, Turismo, Lusso and Veloce, with prices starting at £10,745 for the entry level 1.4 16V MiTo Turismo, and rising to £14,745 for the top of the range 1.4 TB 155 HP Veloce.
The standard specification Veloce comes equipped with standard electric power assisted steering; ABS, Vehicle Dynamic Control – an amalgamation of ABS, Anti Slip Regulation and Brake Assistant – plus Hill Holder; driver, passenger, front side, window and driver's knee airbags; electrically adjustable and heated colour-coded door mirrors and bumpers; 16" wheels with 195/55 tires; manual air conditioning; electric one-touch window operation plus an RDS radio with CD and MP3 reader.
Drivers can choose between two different cabin colors; a Sprint Black dashboard complemented by black / grey cloth and a Sprint Red dashboard with a black / red cloth combination.
From the outside, Lusso versions can be distinguished from Turismo by their fog lights, chrome headlamp surrounds, chrome-effect window surrounds, chrome exhaust pipes and 16" alloy wheels. The interior of Lusso models can feature a choice of three different interior colour combinations - Competizione Blue, Red or Black dashboards that can be complemented by the inclusion of five different cloth seat colour combinations. A leather steering wheel with remote audio controls, a leather gear knob and floor mats complete the look.
The top of the range MiTo Veloce versions are fitted with 17" alloy wheels along with satin effect headlamp surrounds and door mirrors. This version also features a rear spoiler and sports rear bumper with extractor and red painted brake callipers.
Inside, the Veloce features the same dashboard options as the Lusso version, but with an upgraded Veloce sports cloth, front armrest with storage compartment and sports dials with white illumination. Finally, all Veloce models come with the Blue&Me hands-free system with voice recognition, and media player with USB port.
PRICING
ALFA MiTo | Total OTR |
1.4 16V Turismo | £10,745.00 |
1.4 16V Lusso | £11,545.00 |
1.4 16V Veloce | £12,311.17 |
1.4 TB 120 bhp Turismo | £11,919.68 |
1.4 TB 120 bhp Lusso | £12,702.66 |
1.4 TB 120 bhp Veloce | £13,485.64 |
1.4 TB 155 bhp Lusso | £13,877.66 |
1.4 TB 155 bhp Veloce | £14,745.00 |
1.3 JTDM Turismo | £11,917.97 |
1.3 JTDM Lusso | £12,700.95 |
1.3 JTDM Veloce | £13,483.93 |
1.6 JTDM Lusso | £13,681.38 |
1.6 JTDM Veloce | £14,464.36 |
If you've ever driven a lowered sports car - or any lowered car for that matter- then at some point you will have definitely faced a problem 'negotiating' obstacles such as car park ramps, speed humps, high curbs etc. Cargraphic, a specialized Porsche tuner, has come up with a solution for this problem in the form of the "Airlift Suspension System". Available for the Porsche 996/997 and in the near future, the Audi R8, patented automatic level control system enables the car's front suspension to rise by 55mm.
As with other systems of this sort, the "Airlift Suspension" will automatically lower the car back down to normal ride height once it has reached a speed of 50 km/h (31mph).
