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TAKING ON THE MINI: Alfa Romeo has big plans for its sporty new compact.
I can't help having a love-hate relationship with Alfa Romeos. This must be down to their Italian heritage and their brilliant pedigree. They look so good, usually drive brilliantly and have so much class.
Unfortunately while many Alfas are design classics, their reputations haven't stood the test of time. Rust and reliability issues have stripped the goodness out of the marque in recent years so while our hearts would often push us towards a love affair with an Alfa, our heads would prevail and take us to safer ground.
The pulse rate went up again when I was told of the launch of the Alfa Romeo MiTo - due in South Africa in a couple of weeks.
There's nothing one likes better than a thing of beauty in a small but perfectly formed package. And the MiTo, which is named after its joint Milan and Turin (Torino) heritage, didn't disappoint. It's a very well-shaped small car.
It is also surprisingly roomy inside for four people and in this regard has definite advantages over the Mini although it doesn't have that icon's idiosyncratic class.
The MiTo is based on the platform of the Fiat Grande Punto and has some resemblance to a blown-up Fiat 500. It aims to be a very sporty contender for the Mini's title as the car of choice for the urban cool.
There are lovely little touches around the car that may tempt people who want some real Italian chic but unfortunately the driving is a somewhat lifeless experience. It's rather like making love to a bored model.
You can switch between dynamic, normal and all-weather settings for the car, which does improve things a bit, but the suspension is never less than awful and I dreaded going over bumps at any speed.
The noisy 1.6-litre diesel is, however, relatively clean and very economical - 4.8 litres/100km is achievable. Eventually the engine does pack a punch but it takes a lot of effort through the six-speed box.
Its handling is skittish at best and the take-off around town doesn't do justice to those aggressive curves and cute, head-turning tail. For all its looks, it seems that once again Alfa designers forgot about the number-plate until the last minute and then just flung it at the car where it attached itself where it hit.
There was more thought spent inside. The attractively-stitched, figure-hugging front seats are incredibly comfortable and have oodles of adjustment. In the back, things aren't so good but despite having cramped head-room, it's better than many.
Alfa Romeo sees itself as a premium brand and has some incredibly loyal fans whose patience must have been severely tested over the years.
ALFA DEBATE
While prices start at just under €19 000 (R220 000) they very quickly increase by a couple of thousand or so. The well-equipped 1.6-litre diesel I was driving costs €23 695 (R275 000) - which means that the MiTo is priced almost exactly same as the Mini Cooper here.
However, unless pigs start flying, the latter will depreciate at about half the speed.
The Alfa debate always enlivens this office. One colleague will tell me that "I just don't get them" while another will say "remember that Alfas are just Fiats and Fiat has never built a good car".
Both are being a bit harsh. The office 'just-call-me-metrosexual', who likes strutting his stuff, certainly noticed the cute attractiveness of the car - but he would - and added that people who like Italian shoes like Alfas.
That's probably why I go to Clark's. But good luck to the MiTo. It at least gets talked about. That's more than can be said for many a marque. - Irish Independent