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our test drives or view them all

Alfa Romeo MiTo 1.4 TB Veloce (155bhp)

FORGET the obvious. Alfa Romeo’s fun-packed MiTo hatch may owe much of its existence to Fiat’s Grande Punto – but the two siblings are a gulf apart in character.

The MiTo is the extrovert of the family by a mile – stylish, brash and memorable.

It may be the cheapest entry to Alfa Romeo ownership, but that does not mean you’ll be short-changed. It’s affordable fun in an iconic Italian sporting suit that’s not exactly the shrinking violet and sensible shoes epitomised by the Grande Punto.

Alfa Romeo has successfully breathed chutzpah into this three-door hatch. It comes with a choice of just two basic engines – a 1.4 litre petrol and a pair of MultiJet turbodiesels with 1.3 or 1.6 litres.

Frankly I’d forget the 90bhp MultiJet. This fuel miser may average 63mpg but it robs the MiTo of verve. The 1.6 with 120bhp is quicker and averages 58mpg but is not what the badge demands. Leave the oil burners to MiTo’s Fiat sisters and make your selection from the eight-strong petrol range.

You can pick a 95bhp entry level Turismo model for £11,495, a chipped and blown mid-range TB Turismo 120bhp version from £12,475 or throw caution to the wind and put your money down for a 155bhp 1.4 TB Lusso at £14,495 or the model I had on test, a £15,495 top of the range Veloce.

The appeal of the romantic-sounding Veloce model designation is all part of the Alfa Romeo experience. It means “fast” and suits the MiTo perfectly.

Buying an Alfa Romeo is still something that comes from the heart, not the head.

Buyers of this Italian sporting marque are unfazed by its history of unreliability, poor assembly and dodgy electrics. They can see through the earthbound foibles of the badge and can bask in the glow of its glorious competition past, its outstanding design innovations, its wonderful engines and an exhaust note that eclipses anything else in the mass-production world.

Attitudes are sometimes hard to shift, but times change.

Today’s Alfa Romeo cars are no longer the reliability nightmares of the past. Parent company Fiat has got its act together and quality has soared – not before time. That includes Alfa Romeo, and the MiTo is a perfect example.

It’s no heavyweight. But at just over 1.1 tonnes its lively little 1.4 litre blown and chipped heart turns in a sparkling performance.

It’s also quite frugal. In the cruise on a boring traffic-logged A9 trip to Edinburgh I spent most of my time at 60mph in sixth gear – a relaxed trundle at 2300rpm that saw 50mpg on the trip computer.

Mind you a few days later, back in God’s country on the west coast and things were different.

My drive to Edinburgh and back to join the global launch of Land Rover’s new Discovery 4, was made with the MiTo’s electronic DNA system in "normal" mode. This is the default setting that clearly spared the horses and boosted economy.

Pull the three-position DNA switch in front of the gear-lever back for two seconds and it drops into "all weather" mode to maximise grip in icy or muddy conditions – but hold it forward for two seconds and jump through "normal" to "dynamic" and the MiTo Veloce comes alive.

On the demanding twists and turns of Applecross and on to Torridon it was a sheer delight.

The "dynamic" setting gives you access to all 155bhp and sharpens both throttle response and steering. The transformation is instant and the fuel economy dropped to an average 33mpg.

But this is what driving an Alfa Romeo is all about.

You don’t need to hit legally threatening high speed, just using the rather disappointingly imprecise six-speed manual gearbox, the powerful brakes and the direct electric steering to suck up open swathes of the best in west coast tarmac is guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

There’s even an urgent exhaust note to add pleasure and drown out depressing BBC news bulletins.

Although MiTo comes in various power guises I cannot think why anyone who loves driving would want anything other than the Veloce. It captures the spirit of the badge and at £15,495 represents pretty good value.

The only other possible reason for buying this small three-door hatch with its tight back seats, small boot and poor rearward visibility is style.

It’s an undeniable headturner.

From its large googily-eyed headlamps to its classic V-Alfa grille splitting wide, low-set air intakes and offset front number plate, MiTo is as much a style statement as the rest of the Alfa Romeo family.

That makes it appeal to the style brigade who might be perfectly at home with less power and save a few thousand pounds into the bargain. Which is fine, provided you stick to petrol and avoid the turbodiesel.

It’s a bit of affordable hatchback fun among a raft of dull family three-doors that has one of the most emotive badges in the world on its nose and tailgate.

Beautiful? No. But memorable? Yes.

The interior is well trimmed – modern and youthful. Instruments are clear and highlighted in a unique Alfa Romeo way although some switchgear is haphazard and difficult to see from the driver’s position.

The chunky steering column adjusts for reach and rake and the front seats have plenty of scope to get you perfectly comfortable.

The boot is accessed by pressing a large Alfa badge on the tailgate. Sadly it reveals a high loading lip with a luggage capacity of 270 litres that’s slightly less than the Fiat Grande Punto. I was surprised that the test car only had a one-piece folding rear seat back – a split and fold seat is an expensive £450 option.

But with it down and the rear seat squab tipped forward it boosts cargo space to 450 litres, although the loading floor is compromised by a three-inch lip where the rear seat back meets the boot floor.

But as I said at the start, forget the obvious. The MiTo Veloce is a fun-packed car for the affordable sporting car buyer with passion in his or her heart.

Of course, if you wanted something similar and still to be driving a sporting Italian, you could spend less and get a 153bhp Abarth Grande Punto. Once again, great fun and all for £13,500. But it doesn’t have the "class" of the MiTo and with only a handful of Abarth dealers in the UK, ownership of this feisty Scorpion is a lot more challenging.

Personally I’d recommend the 1.4 TB 155 MiTo Veloce – and leave it in "dynamic" mode!

Rating: 7/10

FINAL THOUGHT: An affordable Alfa Romeo with brio and a realistic price. Great fun to drive, especially in Dynamic mode and a practical everyday hatch in the best traditions of a family Fiat, on which it is based.

Alfa Romeo MiTo 1.4 TB Veloce (155bhp)

• Price: £15,495
• Capacity: 1368cc
• Power: 155bhp
• 0-62mph: 8.0 seconds
• Maximum speed: 134mph
• Economy: Combined 43.5mpg; Urban 33.2mpg
• CO2 emissions: 153g/km
• ESP: Standard (Alfa Romeo VDC)
• Insurance: Group 10