Mito has arrived
Discussion
Personally I thought it looked even better. So much more exciting than the average eurobox, drives pretty well too.
BTW, it's got to be veloce spec, the lower models I saw in Italy lacked some of the nicer and neater detailing of the cooking versions.
BTW, it's got to be veloce spec, the lower models I saw in Italy lacked some of the nicer and neater detailing of the cooking versions.
Edited by AndyWoodall on Sunday 2nd November 16:14
AndyWoodall said:
Personally I thought it looked even better. So much more exciting than the average eurobox, drives pretty well too.
BTW, it's got to be veloce spec, the lower models I saw in Italy lacked some of the nicer and neater detailing of the cooking versions.
I'm with you on that Andy and the build quality was very good indeed.BTW, it's got to be veloce spec, the lower models I saw in Italy lacked some of the nicer and neater detailing of the cooking versions.
Edited by AndyWoodall on Sunday 2nd November 16:14
The only seriously negative thing I thought about the car with our time with it was the highly reflective 'carbon weave' effect on the dash. On our car it was red and in the Italian sunshine I couldn't see where I was going for much of the holiday! This was a problem as it was the 1.4T and so fairly nippy.
We went and had a look at the MiTo on Saturday, with a view to replacing the 147 - mixed feelings, to be honest.
I think it's definitely a lot better looking in real life than the pictures, but there are a few things that I just didn't like.
The gearlever bling is a bit cheap and nasty looking (reminded me of the Octavia vRS) and I didn't like the acres of shiny smooth silver plastic on the steering wheel and around the stereo. The interior door pulls are just hard-ish plastic, not the rubberised plastic in the 147. Also the heater vents are nicely stylised, but they open with a really cheap-feeling 'click'.
I think it's a mistake to have the Blue&Me socket where it is - in the 159 it's in the glovebox, so no-one can see you've got a memory stick in it, but in the MiTo it's in plain view.
The standard 17" wheels are much too small, and I'm not sure the 18" would be much better - part of the problem is that the wheels look to be recessed too far within the arches, as if the body of the car is half-a-size bigger than the chassis.
It's no big deal, but the bonnet strut is a bit cheap too, given that the car itself isn't a bargain-basement price. I kind of got the feeling that the car was built down to a price, even though it was the current top-spec car we were looking at.
So although the overall look of the car is far better than I thought it might be, there are enough silly little things wrong with it ('wrong' is too strong a word, but you know what I mean) that I think we might hang on to the 147 for a while yet.
In fact, when we were leaving the showroom we both felt that the 147 Ducati parked beside it was a better-looking car (the MiTo looks newer, but not better) regardless of the fact that the 147 isn't as well built and is at least a generation out of date...
It's a shame - I was worried I might hate it, and I definitely don't. But at the same time, I wanted to think it was great, and again I definitely don't. Maybe it's a great drive and none of the above will seem important, time will tell.
So far, though - it's not awful, it's just OK, and I'm not sure that's enough.
I think it's definitely a lot better looking in real life than the pictures, but there are a few things that I just didn't like.
The gearlever bling is a bit cheap and nasty looking (reminded me of the Octavia vRS) and I didn't like the acres of shiny smooth silver plastic on the steering wheel and around the stereo. The interior door pulls are just hard-ish plastic, not the rubberised plastic in the 147. Also the heater vents are nicely stylised, but they open with a really cheap-feeling 'click'.
I think it's a mistake to have the Blue&Me socket where it is - in the 159 it's in the glovebox, so no-one can see you've got a memory stick in it, but in the MiTo it's in plain view.
The standard 17" wheels are much too small, and I'm not sure the 18" would be much better - part of the problem is that the wheels look to be recessed too far within the arches, as if the body of the car is half-a-size bigger than the chassis.
It's no big deal, but the bonnet strut is a bit cheap too, given that the car itself isn't a bargain-basement price. I kind of got the feeling that the car was built down to a price, even though it was the current top-spec car we were looking at.
So although the overall look of the car is far better than I thought it might be, there are enough silly little things wrong with it ('wrong' is too strong a word, but you know what I mean) that I think we might hang on to the 147 for a while yet.
In fact, when we were leaving the showroom we both felt that the 147 Ducati parked beside it was a better-looking car (the MiTo looks newer, but not better) regardless of the fact that the 147 isn't as well built and is at least a generation out of date...
It's a shame - I was worried I might hate it, and I definitely don't. But at the same time, I wanted to think it was great, and again I definitely don't. Maybe it's a great drive and none of the above will seem important, time will tell.
So far, though - it's not awful, it's just OK, and I'm not sure that's enough.
RicksAlfas said:
Jamie, I think the Mito is intended for a younger audience than you.
You're probably right* - in my day it was all just fields, jumpers for goalposts etc. It's a shame Alfa doesn't have a small car for grown-ups, though. The 149 is apparently going to be about the size of the 156, and we just don't need something that big - not since I replaced the GTV with the postbus.
*sickening realisation that I'll be 38 on Thursday
jamieboy said:
It's a shame Alfa doesn't have a small car for grown-ups, though. The 149 is apparently going to be about the size of the 156, and we just don't need something that big - not since I replaced the GTV with the postbus.
*sickening realisation that I'll be 38 on Thursday
The 149 is looking very promising - at least in these recent pictures. What do others think?*sickening realisation that I'll be 38 on Thursday
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/...
harry miller said:
The 149 is looking very promising - at least in these recent pictures. What do others think?
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/...
Those renders look good, not sure if it'll look much like that though.http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/...
Also, that article says 3- and 5-door, but pretty much everything else I've read / been told suggests that it's only going to be a 5-door - same as the Bravo and the Delta that are based on the same platform.
Had a look at one today at AMC in Chelmsford. 'tis a good looking car that really needs to be seen in the metal: it doesn't photograph well at all.
The only thing that troubles me is the ergonomics: I didn't get on with the Grande Punto, and given they're virtually identical inside, I can't see it being any better
'tis also rather expensive. Spec-for-spec, the equally-handsome and supposedly excellent-to-drive Ford Fiesta is cheaper to buy, cheaper to tax and more economical. Not really a consideration for an Alfisti, but that aside, still matters in the small car market.
The only thing that troubles me is the ergonomics: I didn't get on with the Grande Punto, and given they're virtually identical inside, I can't see it being any better
'tis also rather expensive. Spec-for-spec, the equally-handsome and supposedly excellent-to-drive Ford Fiesta is cheaper to buy, cheaper to tax and more economical. Not really a consideration for an Alfisti, but that aside, still matters in the small car market.Edited by Jimbo. on Sunday 9th November 13:38
Edited by Jimbo. on Sunday 9th November 13:39
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