hi all ive dont it ive driven a mito and what can i tell you its great ive taken some pics and i took some video whilst i was driving with a bit of comentary ill get it on as soon as i have loaded it up to the computer i was suprised at how much go it had for a 1.4 ltr turbo hope you enjoy the footage when its up
pics
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-kfjEaVFbg
vid
thats a link to a japanese cartoon ???
yeah i just found that one out hope its this one there is still another clip to go ill get it up soon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGcxHQuFI3s
I preferred the Japanese cartoon to the Italian joke of an ALFA.
Nice car for a girl but that's about it.
John
Looks great in black.. Only seen red in the press pics and the MiTo launch I attended.
A mate drove one w/e before last and came over to my place after the test.. He loved it and was also very impressed with the power it had.. Im yet to have a turn :'(
Quote from: JOHN G on July 28, 2009, 07:08:57 PM
Nice car for a girl but that's about it.
Yeah, only girls drive small cars.
Isn't that right, all you SZ, TZ, 105 Coupe, Sud, Sprint, 33 and 147 drivers?
Comments anyone?
Cheers,
Marco
Quote from: alfagtv100 (Biggus) on August 04, 2009, 06:20:18 PM
Quote from: JOHN G on July 28, 2009, 07:08:57 PM
Nice car for a girl but that's about it.
Yeah, only girls drive small cars.
Isn't that right, all you SZ, TZ, 105 Coupe, Sud, Sprint, 33 and 147 drivers?
Comments anyone?
Cheers,
Marco
Sud,Sprint,33,147,Mito all girls cars budget front wheel drive shopping trollies.
Don't ever group a rear wheel drive car designed for the race track with a car designed to pick up the milk and bread.
Where was my reference to the size of the car??? ::)
John
I suspect someone might be playing devil's advocate here. So I'll bite then.....
They may be designed to pick up the milk and bread, but they all still seem to have that Alfa 'dna' (not a reference to the MiTo system of the same name) for some reason. I wasn't expecting much at all when I got the 33, but jeez I love driving that little thing. It just wants to be thrashed, and it makes you feel like you're in a race, even if you are just picking up milk. Driven a 'Sud on the track and road and absolutely loved it. Drove a modern Mini Cooper S and was astonished at the handling, so am looking forward to comparing the MiTo.
Oh yeah, when Autocar Magazine listed their top 10 Sports Cars of all time in 1995, there was only one Alfa Romeo on the list, and it was front wheel drive. Some of the other entrants were Maclaren F1, Ferraris 250GTO and F40, Porsche 911 Carrera RS2.7, Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato.........
Anyway we're probably missing the point. I think John was probably saying they're girls cars because they only have four cylinders. In which case, fair enough. I sometimes question my own masculinity with only 6 cylinders.
theres a bloke I know by the name of Frank, he drove his Alfa Sprint round Philip Island in under two minutes apparently he was on his way to pick up the bread and milk...........
Ahh good, and AlfaNord diehard has stumbled out of his cave to beat his chest. This should be fun.
;D
From The Sydney Morning Herald, July 18, 2009
Alfa admits the MiTo has been designed to lure more women and younger buyers to the brand, with hopes of doubling its global sales to about 300,000 by 2010.
Need I say more :P
Ahh, I see, so because the target market includes women and younger buyers the car is immediately a shopping trolley. I'm sure that's exactly the message Alfa Romeo was trying to get across to Sydney Morning Herald. With you now, so no, you probably don't need to say any more, thanks for setting that straight. I just have one nagging thought though ... I've a friend with an F430 who is also ... gasp! ... a girl, and she's done the odd bread & milk dash in that. Does that mean that's all it's capable of? And what is Ferrari's marketing department going to say to SMH about that? Confusing. ???
For me, I don't much care for the old versus new/front versus rear arguments, the marketing spin, tradition, politics or snobbery, it's the end result that matters. If it's good I'll embrace it, if it's bad I'll bag it. So just for kicks, I think I'll wait until I drive a MiTo myself (or hear from someone with an open mind who has) before forming an opinion.
Have to say though John, while we'll probably agree to disagree on this one, I admire your stable. ;)
Cheers
Rory
Quote from: JOHN G on August 05, 2009, 01:26:07 PM
From The Sydney Morning Herald, July 18, 2009
Alfa admits the MiTo has been designed to lure more women and younger buyers to the brand, with hopes of doubling its global sales to about 300,000 by 2010.
Need I say more :P
With women and younger buyers covered I guess they just left out grumpy old men ;D
With women and younger buyers covered I guess they just left out grumpy old men ;D
[/quote]
Wow not a bad effort at humour there k76 ;D
I'm only in my 30's
John
It was worth a try!
Drove one today, and was pleasantly surprised.
It's got excellent mid-range power; from 100km/h you can quite easily leave it in 5th and get more than enough acceleration to overtake pretty quickly, 4th gear from 100km/h is very quick! And the handling is really good. In 'Dynamic' mode it let's you have just enough fun before intruding, but you definitely get a good feel for what's going on down there. Because of the strong mid-range you can leave it in a gear higher than you might think you would need, and you still get great drive out of corners. On a twisty uphill road, and a slightly damp surface, it was often trying to spin the wheels in third at around 60-70km/h. And on a twisty downhill section it was fantastic! The piece of road I took it down I also drove recently in an Audi S3, and the MiTo was considerably quicker, and a LOT more fun.
'Normal' mode is probably best left for women driving to the shops.
All in all I was very impressed. Full report in next issue of Cross & Serpent.
Quote'Normal' mode is probably best left for women driving to the shops.
;D
Funny stuff boys ;D ;D ;D
Normal mode (Shopping trollie mode) turns the unacceptable torque steer off :P
"MiTos are fitted with a so-called "DNA" switch that allows drivers to alter engine response, steering weighting and stability control sensitivity.
It seems a touch gimmicky, however, because the MiTo is only at its best in all driving situations when the "D" for "Dynamic" mode is chosen for the sharpest throttle response and weightier steering."
Sheldon when you turned the DNA switch off did you find the big yellow light on the dash distracting.
Quote from: JOHN G on August 07, 2009, 06:43:19 PM
Normal mode (Shopping trollie mode) turns the unacceptable torque steer off :P
No torque steer that I noticed John, maybe the one that you drove was faulty?
I know exactly where you're coming from John, and as I said before I wasn't expecting much, and I wasn't looking forward to a car in which you can't turn off the traction control. However, I'm not averse to a FWD car, they can me just as much fun as RWD, and on the right road they can be better. And I was on the right road today. Twisty, very tight, greasy, and with logging trucks or dozy locals around every corner. The car was excellent, and where a FWD with the same power and no form of artificial intervention would have been all over the place, going slowly as it locked brakes and spun away the power, and understeered into the path of the aforementioned trucks, the MiTo was able to maintain a very quick pace, but still let you have a lot of fun. For starters you were able to keep up a much higher speed, but it also let you turn a bit sharper with a lift of the throttle. It wasn't a huge amount, but on that road, and the speeds I was going, I wouldn't have wanted much more to be honest. And John, on the downhill section I drove today, a greasy surface and very narrow road, none of your RWD Alfas would have kept up, of that I am absolutely certain.
I would love for my partner to have one of these cars as a day to day car, never taking it out of 'shopping trolley' mode, and just appreciating the build quality and excellent features. I would happily take it for a drive in the weekend in 'Dynamic' mode and be a happy man.
But I've already said too much, the good stuff is supposed to be for the Cross & Serpent.
Sheldon firstly relax ;D just adding humour to the site.
However You wrote "And John, on the downhill section I drove today, a greasy surface and very narrow road, none of your RWD Alfas would have kept up, of that I am absolutely certain."
Sheldon You don't know my driving skills and you don't know any of my cars level of development so don't make comments like the one above they are just foolish and antagonistic.
I'd race you for pink slips but what would I do with a Mito Shopping trollie I already have a Alfa 90 for that.
haha.
John
i agree with sheldon 100% and when it come down to you saying you dont know the developement that ur cars have done the mito if at factory specs im sure if it had the "developement" ur car has plus its onlt a 1.4 ltr with 35 more kilowats than a 2.5 v6 im sure it would kick the pants of any of ur cars and also saying that you have a 90 for a shoping cart thats on quick trolley because ive had my "developed" 90 up to 250kph but hey ur just adding a little humor to the site
dehne is English your first language? ::)
Quote from: JOHN G on August 07, 2009, 10:09:56 PM
Sheldon firstly relax ;D just adding humour to the site.
I realise that John, and I appreciate it. I don't think I need to relax.
I wasn't trying to comment on your driving skills John, sorry you took my comments the wrong way. Relax ;D!! Let me rephrase it........
Because of the nature of the road, I'm confident that I couldn't have gone any quicker in any RWD Alfa, regardless of it's development. It was a difficult surface to get power down on, and most corners were blind (and I didn't know the road very well), so often very quick steering corrections were having to be made. It was all about conserving the momemtum, and the car needed to be small since the road was so narrow. Did I mention the logging trucks coming the other way as well?
Maybe we should just agree to disagree John, I was just trying to make the point that it's a fun car. It's a different kind of fun than I would have in my 90, but it 's still fun, and as far as I'm concerned, that makes it enough of an Alfa for me.
Oh, and I'm not sure where you got your power figures from dehne. The MiTo makes 2 less kws than the V6, and 25 more Nm. And is slightly lighter.
Alfa could make the MiTo GTA a very special car if they felt like it.
John, I don't think Sheldon was having a go at your manhood behind the wheel (is there a reason you're so defensive about that?). I think the point is that, all other things being equal, there are situations where the inherent characteristics of a front/four/all-wheel drive chassis will have an advantage over other configurations, be that in outright pace or simply the thrill of the drive.
Open your mind, Grasshopper ....
Sheldon thanks for the mature reply and Yes I agree to disagree.
I am very passionate about Alfa's as you can see. I misread your comments thanks for clearing that up.
If you are ever in W.A. and would like to drive any of my cars don't hesitate to contact me.
John
Quote from: JOHN G on August 08, 2009, 02:14:52 PM
If you are ever in W.A. and would like to drive any of my cars don't hesitate to contact me.
Will do, I promised Ed I'd get over there at some stage (one day Ed, one day...). You've got a tasty looking collection there. You should bring (at least) one over here for the Centenary celebrations and our weekend at Phillip Island.
I'm also very passionate about Alfa Romeo, but I also realise that there are many different flavours of Alfa Romeo, each offering something quite different than the others. Although I joke with my 'Sud driving friends that they drive girlie cars, the fact of the matter is that they are great fun, and can be made to go bloody quick. Not as quick as a hairy-chested V6 obviously, but bloody quick...
Quotethanks for the mature reply and Yes I agree to disagree.
Hmm, after tongue-in-cheek comments from all quarters the conversation suddenly jumped to the higher ground. My misjudgement, my apologies for any offense.
John I concede that my invitation might be a while coming (!!!!) so I'll leave you to enjoy your cars. Respect for your SA GTV6 - a drive of a 282rwhp GTV6 through a mountain route in NZ some years back leaves an indelible memory for me (and anyone else within earshot).
Keep the faith
Rory
Quote from: Sheldon Mcintosh on August 08, 2009, 02:27:17 PM
Quote from: JOHN G on August 08, 2009, 02:14:52 PM
If you are ever in W.A. and would like to drive any of my cars don't hesitate to contact me.
Will do, I promised Ed I'd get over there at some stage (one day Ed, one day...). You've got a tasty looking collection there. You should bring (at least) one over here for the Centenary celebrations and our weekend at Phillip Island.
Yes Ed's a good man he took care of some shipping for me a new 3.0 12 valve RJR Racing engine from Florida.
Centenary celebrations at The Island would be a blast,If I can arrange time off from work I certainly will.
Quote from: L4OMEO on August 08, 2009, 04:29:12 PM
Quotethanks for the mature reply and Yes I agree to disagree.
John I concede that my invitation might be a while coming (!!!!) so I'll leave you to enjoy your cars. Respect for your SA GTV6 - a drive of a 282rwhp GTV6 through a mountain route in NZ some years back leaves an indelible memory for me (and anyone else within earshot).
Rory If you like Alfa's females and motor sports you have an invitation ;D.
282 rwhp GTV6 more if on that car please.
John
So. In summary, it appears that driving a MiTo would be recommended for anyone wishing to attempt a fair assessment of its qualities. Interesting.
Bit like the RenaultSport Clio 182, I once owned. On the surface, one may believe it to be yet another boring FWD hatch, suitable only for collecting groceries. Preferably by members of the fairer sex.
Oh, but if you drove one..........
Cheers,
Marco
A very interesting thread this ones been. I think Marco et al are all right. It's horses for courses, my wife drives a VW golf and that car can be a blast and really fun in the right conditions (although sheldon if the right conditions are down hill, duno?), but for outgright fun and the absolute pleasure of the twisties there ain't nothin better than the 1750GT and GTV6.
And before anyone thinks this a frontVrear argument stop right there. I just think these cars have sublime chasis and can take a mean lot of speed into and out of corners, they just seem to feel the corner, no tugging or pulling required, get it right and smooth and they just turn on a pin, you can feel what's happening in the seat of your pants and in your hands and you just feed it in and out with the loud pedal and it's pure pleasure.
Now for the straights and the twisties (that is the best of all worlds) and everything in-between the M3 just blows you away, but you know what the alfa's around the twisties, sublime! and I've got to agree with Sheldon, irrespective of the alfa (and I must admit I am not a total front wheel drive convert) they do seem to have the same certain charm for a good thrash. I recently drove a bog 147 and whilst I am not sure it would be a long termer for me, it was really fun and had that cerain Alfa sound and fun, thrash and charm element that you don't often see in the other std hatches.
1750GT
alfagtv 100
I agree 100percent.
Specs & rating(From Gulf news July 25th 09)
Model: RenualtSport Clio 197
Engine: 2.0-litre
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Max power: 197bhp @ 7,250rpm
Max torque 215Nm @ 5,500rpm
Top speed: 215kph
0-100kph: 6.9secs
Price: Dh85,000
Plus: The devil's own runabout, devilishly quick
Minus: Idiotic power band
Model: Alfa Mito Engine 1.4-litre turbocharged
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Max power: 153bhp @ 5,500rpm
Max torque: 230Nm @ 3,000rpm
Top speed: 215kph
0-100kph: 8.0secs
Price: Dh102,000
Plus: True old-school hot hatch
Minus: Old-school slow too
Model: Mini Cooper S Engine 1.6-litre turbocharged
Transmission: Six-speed auto
Max power: 172bhp @ 5,500rpm
Max torque: 260Nm @ 1,700rpm
Top speed: 223kph
0-100kph: 7.1secs
Price: Dh125,000
Plus: It's the premium one
Minus: And the most boring one
Verdict: The Mini is the most accomplished, the Mito the most adorable, but when it comes to horsepower-per-dirham, the Renaultsport 197 Clio is unbeatable.
John
I drove a BMW M3 CSL in anger today (I have some very accommodating mates) – WOW.
Scary fast, amazing balance and a sounds like a 70's F1 car. It's a shame Alfa doesn't benefit from the market position (and development capital) to develop something like that. Well there is the 8C (sigh) but none of us are likely to get our hands on one of those.
I guess it doesn't really matter how big the engine is, or which wheels are driven. As long as it brings a smile to your face.
8)
Cheers,
Marco.
Hi John
I've been associated with Alfas and Alfa people for over 25 years and love the diversity of both. Alfa people are interesting people, with character, personality, passion ... and opinion! I wouldn't have it any other way. So in answer to your questions, I'm devoted to Alfas, females (well, one), and motorsport. I'm sure you and I would have a very (!!!) interesting evening discussing aspects of all three over a few beers sometime (in fact, I reckon SBS could film it and broadcast it in episodes from 7:30 on Monday nights ;D )
The 282rwhp GTV6 I drove belonged to a Doctor friend back in NZ. His daily driver, it was christened the 'Starship Enterprise' by the local Alfisti since it was about as quick (and cost about as much). The owner has since moved to Australia and brought the car with him so it's around Victoria somewhere I think, and I did hear it has since been supercharged. Guess it wasn't quick enough for him, although since I saw 220km/h on the speedo (around 240km/h corrected) on a not-very-long and bumpy straight I think it was quick enough for me.
Tech specs - don't have much for you I'm afraid. It was a very worked 3.0 litre (or just over) with highly-developed intake and exhaust systems, some incredible headwork (too much for reliability as it turned out), but the rest of the internals I'm unsure of. It had individual throttle-bodies, full race cams, yet with the engine management system it ran it idled smoothly at 550rpm. The 282rwhp figure was off a dyno which was probably delivering slightly optimistic readings (based on other cars benchmarked there), but countering that the peak figure was taken at 7500rpm at which point the graph was still heading steeply upwards (the owner generally used 8000rpm). I saw the graph overlaid with one produced by a Ferrari F355 run the same day and they were near-identical.
The sound it made was simply exquisite; far and away better than any other road car I've experienced.
Sorry I can't proved more details John, will post anything else I can remember later.
Cheers
Rory
Ahh, if this is the car I'm thinking of, this car is known in the Vic club. It turns up to the occassional track day for a short time. I won the sweepstake at the last event when I picked that it would complete 3 laps before breaking something.
I published an article about the car in Cross & Serpent a few years ago. At the time it was 380rwhp, but I believe it's had more work since then.
QuoteIt turns up to the occassional track day for a short time. I won the sweepstake at the last event when I picked that it would complete 3 laps before breaking something
That sounds like it! Ivory-colour with Momo star alloys, othewise quite a sleeper. The engine work was done by a guy renowned as quite extrordinarily talented, but also known for stretching things well beyond sensible limits. There was so much material removed from the heads during the porting that they were literally time-bombs waiting to go off. And they did. Cue falling out between owner and mechanic. The owner was talking about going larger capacity and/or supercharger before he left, don't know where things went from there (obviously somewhere if it's gained another 100rwhp)
I also wrote an article on it as I was Editor of AlfaNews at the time (the NZ Owners' Club magazine). Not my most balanced work, I deservingly talked it up quite a lot (particularly the sound) but neglected to describe just what a development hack it felt like in many other ways. Still, the world is a lesser place without people's creations like this.
And did I mention the sound?
Rory
Quote from: JOHN G on August 05, 2009, 04:06:01 PM
With women and younger buyers covered I guess they just left out grumpy old men ;D
Wow not a bad effort at humour there k76 ;D
I'm only in my 30's
John
[/quote]
it is actually the mental age and attitude that counts, so you are still in :P