Car Statistics: Alfa Romeo - Mito Series 09 (4 stars)

Styling (5 stars)

The MiTo is effortlessly stylish inside and out, and although it might not be to quite everyone's taste, there's few who will deny that the MiTo is a very cool car.

Handling (4 stars)

It's agile and fluid through corners although lacks some of the poise of the Mini Cooper. In 'Dynamic' mode the MiTo provides a sharp and entertaining drive, whilst on a motorway it emerges as a decent long-distance cruiser.

Comfort (3 stars)

Sadly, the one aspect that lets the MiTo down is its ride, which is on the firm side. We've yet to try the smaller 16-inch alloys, which should help soften the blow a bit. Road and wind noise are minimal thanks to the MiTo's excellent build quality. Sculpted sport seats come as standard and offer decent support and comfort.

Quality (4 stars)

Alfa is keen to emphasis the quality aspect of the MiTo, something which is clear from the excellent use of materials and build quality. Reliability issues that have plagued previous Alfa's should be in the past now too.

Performance (4 stars)

There's a decent range of engines and a good spread of power outputs too. The quickest is the 1.4 TB in 155bhp form which will shift the little MiTo to 62mph in 8 seconds, whilst it can achieve a top speed of 134mph. If that isnt enough power for you, Alfa is likely to introduce a GTA version of the MiTo in the near future with 230bhp on tap.

Roominess (3 stars)

Only available in a 3-door, the MiTo has quite an enclosed feel to the cabin, without feeling cramped. It is possible to sit two six-footers in the rear although climbing in isn't too civilised and headroom is a little sparse. Shorter journeys will be no problem for four.

Costs (4 stars)

The MiTo isn't cheap by B-segment standards, but is marginally cheaper than its rival, the Mini. While the diesel units offer 62.8mpg and 58.9mpg, the quickest of the petrol engines will offer around 43.5mpg so it shouldn't need refilling too often. Residuals of around 48% after 60k mean the MiTo should hold its value second hand too.

Value (3 stars)

There's a decent amount of equipment with the MiTo. Turismo entry-level spec gets Alfa's DNA function with Vehicle Dynamic Control plus Hill Holder as standard, 16

Stereo (3 stars)

The basic stereo is decent and includes MP3 reader and CD player, whilst the optional Bose sound system is superb with eight speakers and sub-woofer. Top of the range Veloce models come with the Blue&Me hands-free system with voice recognition as standard (it can be specified on other trim levels), and media player with USB port.