Alfa Romeo MiTo Quadrifoglio Verde: Less fun than it should be Harsh, uncompromising and not as much fun as it should be, this Alfa Romeo MiTo needs a special kind of driver: one for whom the Alfa brand is special but who can’t stretch to a 4C. It certainly looks good. The matt paint has a very special sheen – especially at dusk – and the carbon fibre effect seat backs and dash are the …
"but being able to change up as you exit a roundabout means even Milton Keynes can be fun."
Eh? Those roundabouts always seemed to be designed by someone who had engineered them to be able to be taken at speed - once you find the right line it's the same for most of them.
Changing up as you exit - Are you sure you've only just found this?
Blimey, kids these days . . . .
"Changing up as you exit"
You should still be accelerating as you exit ... Brake into the corner, find the correct gear along the way, then once in the corner, hit the loud pedal as hard as you can without destroying your tires. Change up once all your wheels are pointed in the correct direction ...
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First it was VW now it's AR. Why do these stylists get away with putting stupidly small rear lights on their vehicles?\
I thought the US was bad enough with indicators that were nowt more than flashing brake lights but now we get tiny indicators built into only slighly larger rear light clusters.\
I wonder if the Insurance companies have any stats on the increased number of rear end crashed with cars like this?
I agree and maybe it is more than coincidence that the same problem existed on a Fiat Strada I owned for a couple of months between real cars back in the '80s. It had small rear light clusters above the grey plastic back bumper but the brake lights were sunk into the bumper itself and looked more like rear fog lights than anything else. In those days it was permissible to have two rear fog lights on a car. During the short period I owned the car I was rear-ended twice, a feat that I have only managed once in total on all the other cars I have owned in 50 years of driving.
I test drove the MiTo QV when looking for a car a few years ago (In addition to the Fabia VRS, Polo GTI, Swift Sport). The ride was very harsh and crashy, the DNA settings made no difference, and it was generally an unpleasurable experience.
The next test drive was a Swift Sport, which might not have the BHP of the rest, but put a great big grin on my face for 7k less. (And still does, especially on a B road)
As a certified (certifiable?) petrol head (Alfa SV pre-family and then Alfa 75 with a FIAT 124 and FIAT X1/9 in between . . . okay, certifiable) I've been waiting for Alfa to reenter the American market. So far we've got the 4C but I'm looking for a daily driver, not a track car, and I was hoping for a hot hatch version of the MiTo to hit our shores. Your review ruined my day.
I've spent the last few weeks hammering around the country in a Fiat 500 manual and it has been a real hoot. Can't fault it other than having to drop a cog when going up hills in fifth. The dash mounted gearbox was really smooth and precise, as was the steering. Interior space wasn't a problem for this 6'2 individual and I found the handling quite neutral with a tendency for it to slightly understeer but not too much. As a former Alfa owner, I just wouldn't bother these days. You're still getting Fiat build quality (i.e. quote fragile and dodgy electrics) but you're paying a premium for it. Might as well just go to the source. Plus, I think the 500 is a cool little car whereas the Mito looks boss eyed and dumb.
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Without fail they've ALL been driven by men in their sixties, seventies or eighties. At a top speed of 35mph, regardless of the road conditions or speed limits. Very strange. It reminds me a bit of the Nissan Almera where the advertising was all WOAARRR RARRR RAAYYY and the buyers were all draylon slippers and campervans.
Which one, exactly, depends on the gear-head.
But all gear-heads grok the fact that "some maintenance is mandatory".
Mine's a Giulietta Spider. She's a complete and total bitch, and I waste entirely to much money on her ... but at least my Wife allows me to have a mistress ;-)
"It’s fashionable to deride paddle gearboxes, but being able to change up as you exit a roundabout means even Milton Keynes can be fun."
It was, when Jeremy Clarkson was a young man.
1) Why would you want to change UP as you exit a roundabout?
2) WTF where you doing testing a car in Milton Keynes?
and
3) Of course its all about the noise, its a bloody Alpha, what else would it be about?
Good luck with finding an Alfasud - they all succumbed to the gods of oxidation years ago.
I had one, lovely car, fast, fun & practical with Porsche designed flat four and a screaming tuned exhaust. Then the paint blisters started to appear... by the time I swapped it for a GT750 at 5 years old there was more filler than metal in the bodywork.
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