New MiTo

[bridder]

Hi all, first time posting in the motors section, anyway I just wanted to show off my new 'love it or loathe it' Alfa MiTo.

I picked it up on the 3rd of June and so far am liking it. I got this on a scrappage deal, it's the 120HP petrol turbo so it's nippy/pokey if not truly rapid!

Whilst the ride has been panned as too firm, I don't think it is at all, the car feels good/secure on the motorway at speed, no squeaks or rattles and the car generally feels well put together, I do realise that some of those bits are GP bits but I haven't let that put me off, I wanted something a bit different.

It would be nice if the residuals hold up as Alfa expect but to be honest I haven't bought it as an investment, I just preferred it to the others I was looking at, this is my first Alfa so everything is crossed! But sharing the same platform as the GP and Corsa I would expect it to be reliable, I love the thing anyway

(puts tin hat on!)
J.

 

[bridder]

I like it.

Would like to have one with 200bhp under the bonnet though!

Don't think you'll want to say how much and/or what finance deal you got?

The car is pricey compared to competitors, just shy of 14000 as it is the top spec Veloce, being a scrappage deal I didn't get additional discounts but as my old focus was worth nothing I considered it a good deal, I could have gone PCP to protect myself from ugly residuals but I've bought it outright, cash.

Nice car mate I like it!!
It's one of those designs that isn't quite as great from all angles but overall I think it's on the right side of quirky and interesting...just

It does have some ugly angles...

J.

 

[bridder]

This is the big con with scrappage. What discount would you have got without it?



Who told you that your old Focus was worth nothing? A Focus with an MOT is unlikely to be worth less than £1000 at the minimum... this coupled with discounts from not taking part in the scrappage con = more than £2000 surely?

On the face of it it seems rather expensive for a 120bhp small Supermini?

I don't think any single thing swayed me to the deal, I found myself in a situation with the focus where it needed, clutch, tyres, service and mot, it had covered just under 150,000 miles and I needed/wanted to jump into a new car. I realise that without the scrappage I could have sold the focus, made some on that and pushed the price down more effectively but I honestly think I would have ended up with a similar deal, certainly close anyway,

J.

 

[bridder]

I hate this saying its total BS, tbh i'd say you can't call yourself a petrolhead until you've driven or owned an 80's hot hatch.

It will breakdown less than the alfa but be more fun to drive whilst costing less.

Yay, I'm a petrol head, I had an Uno Turbo MK1 and RS Turbo MK2...

J.

 

[bridder]

I had an uno turbo too!

I really like the MiTo - I'd have gone for the slightly pokier one, but can't fault it - but I'm biased

I loved my Uno Turbo, great in a straight line, no lag and it seemed brutal in its delivery at the time...

There isn't much in the performance between the two, the 155HP has a six speed box, mine (120HP) has a five speed box and develops the torque much lower, in the rev range, 206nms at 1750rpm, plus it is nearly as economical as the 95HP normally aspirated version and its 4 insurance groups lower than the 155HP I thought it was win win compared to the top model...

J.

 

[bridder]

Nice looking alloys on your car.

Those arches look overflared though for the size of the car!
http://www.image-upload.net/images/0ouc75yten9z36xu2ng.jpg

What sort of mpg are you getting from that 1.4 T-jet is it?

My sister has a 1.6 TwinSpark 147 which I've driven fairly extensively and that gets about 30mpg from a 120bhp engine. She's thinking about buying of these Mitos despite my advice.

Does it have 6 gears and what sort of rpm does it hit at 80mpg in top gear? Is it noisy on the motorway?

Also what's it like in terms of high speed cornering and what sized wheels/tyres does it have? The Punto Grande I drove was fun but a bit floppy in high speed corners (though admittedly, I drove a base spec version).

Yes its a 1.4T-Jet

I wouldn't like to quote mpg as I'm still running it in, at the moment I am running it in a gear lower than I would otherwise as I want to keep the revs up, I don't want them to drop below 2000rpm as I was warned not to let the engine labour. It's a subject that people could argue about for all time but I 've decided on a tactic and I'm going to stick with it, currently it is averaging 35.2mpg but I know that will reach upwards to the mid 40s once I can relax a little more with the revs, also I've naturally been giving it a tickle or three at times so that will not help, additionally I really pushed it a couple of times in the first 100 miles, again part of the running in recommendations I had been given/found out.

Mine has 5 gears, the 95HP normally aspirated and 155HP models have 6 gears, don't ask I don't know but I would imagine Alfa decided that this engine was better suited to a 5 speed box.

I can't remember off the top of my head re the revs at 80MPH but I'll edit this post tomorrow to let you know, I don't find it noisy on the motorway, certainly quieter than my 1600 Focus Zetec but it does let tyre roar into the cabin when you get on a poor surface.

Wheels on the Veloce are 17" with 215/45 tyres, can't really comment on the cornering as I haven't pushed it yet, there is some trick electronic lsd technology that brakes the inside wheels in fast corners. The Lusso and Tourismo models get 16" wheels, there is also an 18" option.

thanks again everyone for your comments, good and bad tut tut
J.

EDIT: 80MPH = 3250rpm in top gear 5th, the other two models have a 6th gear, can't speak for them.