Mighty Mito a winner

There is no doubting the fact, an Alfa Romeo stirs emotions and this small member of the family certainly gets the thumbs up from many. For Alfa Romeo it is proving to be a resounding success.

Already a global success story sold in 34 countries and on five different continents and it has won wide acclaim for its unprecedented fusion of head-turning high end style, engineering flair, dynamic performance and driving pleasure.

Nothing ever stands still in the motoring world and Alfa Romeo has moved the game on again, bringing revolutionary MultiAir technology and a raft of technical innovations to the world's sportiest compact car.

The evolution underlines the company's on-going commitment to reconcile lower emissions and fuel consumption with higher performance and driver satisfaction for an increasingly extensive, smart and environmentally aware audience.

The new Euro 5-ready 1.4-litre MultiAir engine, developed and patented by Fiat Powertrain Technologies, made its international debut in the MiTo late last year, and is initially offered in two turbocharged forms for the UK market.

The 135bhp version of the unit powers the 15,165 Lusso and 16,135 Veloce, while the range-topping 17,895 Cloverleaf, an auspicious return for the iconic badge close to every Alfista's heart, boasts 170bhp and a 0-62mph time of just 7.5 seconds, but a combined fuel consumption of 47.1 mpg. So why MultiAir? The Holy Grail for any engineering endeavour is to have your cake and eat it, to unify seemingly incompatible goals. For the Fiat Group's engine designers, the quest has been clear cut: how to deliver high performance and driveablity while, at the same time, significantly reducing emissions and fuel consumption.

The key to achieving this is well understood. It requires taking more precise control of the quantity and characteristics of the air drawn into the cylinders in the combustion cycle.

There are numerous electro-mechanical variable valve timing systems in production today that seek to achieve this, but MultiAir eliminates these compromises by metering the direct air charge at the cylinder inlet ports with an advanced electro-hydraulic actuation and control system that has no fewer than five basic parameters, and the ability to optimally adjust valve timing and lift between them to exactly suit different engine speeds and loads, ensuring strong low- and mid-range torque and vigorous top-end power, combined with good economy and low emissions.

The end result is C02 figures reduced by more than 10%, maximum power up by 12.5%, acceleration time is improved, fuel consumption down by 10%. There is more, better throttle response and much less turbo lag. Positioned just in front of the gear lever is a three position switch. This offers three distinct vehicle personalities tailored to driving style and the prevailing road characteristics and conditions; Dynamic (sporting), Normal (suburban/town driving) and All weather (maximum safety, especially in low-grip conditions). By using this switch you can alter the throttle response and steering set-up for the different driving environments. In Dynamic mode, the throttle response is quicker, the steering is sharper and the handling is more direct. For icy and loose surface environments the All Weather mode provides a more gentle response.

Certainly I was impressed with the 1.4 litre MiTo which I had on test, driven on familiar roads, it proved to be the perfect driving partner.

MiTo is without doubt the first Alfa Romeo to have wide spread appeal; it has hit the market at just the right time.