Category: Superminis 
Price Range: £11,595 to £15,795
Unique looks, smooth engine, Q2 e-diff's added traction.
Relatively high CO2 emissions, poor steering, limited rear space, possible build issues.
A decent 'alternative' choice and, at present, it is the most competitive car in Alfa's line-up. It's worthy of consideration.
The Mito is based on the Fiat Grande Punto platform that was developed with Vauxhall for its fine-handling Corsa. But don't expect this to simply be a Corsa clone because you can adjust the steering, throttle and dampers to choose a more relaxed, or sporty drive, using the Dynamic, Normal and All Weather settings.
To select each of the settings there's a toggle beside the gear lever. All Weather slackens the throttle off for snowy or icy weather and loosens the dampers for added traction. Normal is the 'default' setting that treads the middle ground while Dynamic adjusts the dampers to their most aggressive state while weighting up the steering and sharpening the throttle.
It's not entirely a success and each setting feels somewhat compromised. Dynamic, for example, has the best throttle response, although few will appreciate the harder suspension on a car that already has an overly-firm and fidgety ride.
The steering in all settings is a weak point. Push on and you get little information about what's going on with the front wheels and all this requires a certain level of trust when cornering. You never feel entirely confident that the car will stick to the road if you enter a bend with gusto.
What is impressive is the Q2 electronic differential that artificially brakes the wheels to maximise traction, much in the same way a mechanical limited slip diff would. Working alongside the standard ESP it means the throttle can also be used far earlier for searing cross-country pace. However, it's still not up to the job on twisty roads: with the extra weight at the front diesel feels considerably less agile than the petrol versions with more of a tendency to push forward rather than turn into a bend when driven hard.
The 1.6-litre is a fine engine, though. It's not particularly quiet, but it revs smoothly and before 4,000rpm sounds more like a petrol engine. It pulls like a mule, delivering its 236lb-ft torque peak at a lowly 1,750rpm - that's 67lb-ft less than the most powerful petrol 1.4 turbo. It's still not as quick as the 153bhp petrol though: the diesel Mito takes 9.9 seconds to get to 60mph, some two seconds slower than the more enthusiastic petrol.
