Alfa Romeo MiTo Quadrifoglio Verde review

The Alfa MiTo Quadrifoglio Verde is an incredibly striking super-mini with a turbo-charged 170bhp 1.4-litre MutliAir engine, dynamic suspension and a wealth of options, and we think it looks attractive from all angles. Is it masculine or feminine? It’s impossible to tell, but it certainly received a volley of admiring glances and comments wherever it went.

It’s much more than a pretty face, though. The Quadrifoglio Verde’s MultiAir engine dynamically controls air intake in response to the engine’s need. According to Alfa Romeo, this means you get a 10-35 per cent power increase, up to 15 per cent more torque at low revs, and up to a 10 per cent reduction in fuel consumption. Given the increasing cost of motoring, this smart engine is as attractive as the MiTo’s exterior.

ON THE ROAD

The MiTo Quadrifoglio Verde is equipped with Alfa’s DNA system, which is essentially a toggle switch that engages one of three modes: Dynamic, Normal and All weather, hence DNA. Normal is the default option, and to engage Dynamic or All Weather mode you simply move the toggle switch backwards or forwards and hold it for one second.

The Alfa MiTo looks striking and sporty without being vulgar

In Normal mode, the throttle response is dull and you need to give it 2,500 revs just to move it, otherwise very little happens. This isn’t too bad if you’re pottering around post-industrial Lancashire towns where the traffic and pace of life is sedate, but not if you’re driving in the southeast where the driving style is more aggressive and movement must be instant if you don’t want someone smashing in to the back of you.

Once you reach 3,000rpm the turbo kicks in and a decent and progressive boost propels you on your way. The boost isn’t exhilarating, but even in Normal mode you can still have fun on country A and B roads if you keep the revs above 3,000rpm. When you hit 5,000rpm you need to shift up to maintain momentum.

Switch to Dynamic mode and you’re in for a completely different experience. The change threw us back in our seats as the mode kicked in, unshackling the throttle response. Dynamic mode gives you a free and lively throttle that loves to rev. The exhaust becomes a lot louder, too; not more aggressive – the MiTo doesn’t roar – just louder. The instrument panel display also changes to show turbo pressure, and you get decent, grin-widening acceleration from 2,000rpm. Indeed, it’s only when you engage Dynamic mode that you realise the extent to which Normal mode constrains the Quadrifoglio Verde.

All Weather mode doesn’t seem to do anything except change the display on the instrument panel, but that’s because its job is to prevent you skidding off the road in poor weather conditions. An unseasonably warm couple of summer days meant we happily ignored the All Weather mode until the heavens opened and transformed the M6 in to a makeshift skid-pan. Visibility was so poor and the M6 so waterlogged that our All Weather mode test simply consisted of pushing our nose to the windscreen and praying. The Quadrifoglio Verde behaved perfectly throughout, and never felt unsafe, giving us confidence in this least-exciting mode.

Alfa’s DNA system lets you change to the Sportier Dynamic mode or the safer All Weather mode

Dynamic mode certainly gives you the most fun if you’re a keen driver, and you’ll have it in Dynamic mode more often than not, if only to avoid the initial 2,500 revs of nothingness offered by Normal mode. Dynamic mode unshackles the Quadrifoglio Verde’s engine and reminds your wallet where your wages went. Even so, Normal mode is perfect for free-flowing motorways and dual carriageways; places where the liveliness and higher fuel consumption of Dynamic mode isn’t necessary.

Alfa Romeo claims the MiTo Quadrifoglio hits 60mph from standstill in 7.5 seconds, and this certainly felt achievable to us. As for the rest of the driving experience, the gearbox feels fairly loose and isn’t conducive to fast shifts. Finding a gear is easy, although we did have trouble getting it in to first a couple of times.

The MiTo Quadrifoglio Verde is comfortable, even with these highly attractive 18in alloys fitted

Considering it has 18in alloys and low profile tyres, its ride is incredibly comfortable. You feel the bumps, but they’re nicely dampened, which provides a level of comfort that’s even more unexpected given the carbon-fibre bucket seats fitted to our test car. The Quadrifoglio Verde tailors the suspension setup’s behaviour to road conditions and provides consistent ride quality.

The Quadrifoglio Verde’s handling is incredibly sporty, and we negotiated tight corners confidently and without incident. Tearing around a hillside in Dynamic mode is an incredibly addictive and enthralling experience, and the MiTo Quadrifoglio Verde is tremendous fun on twisting roads. The grip is reassuring and we couldn’t feel the body roll.

We also need to mention the MiTo’s Start & Stop system, which cuts the engine when it’s idle. The intention is to conserve fuel, and we certainly approve of it. Sitting at the lights in eerie silence is disconcerting at first, but you soon get used to it. The engine quickly kicks back in to life when you depress the clutch.

IN THE CABIN

The MiTo Quadrofoglio Verde is as pretty inside as it is out and its minimalist design pleases the eye. As mentioned, our test car was fitted with carbon-fibre-backed bucket seats finished with an Alfa ident, which look fantastic. The seats have a thin sliver of padding that makes them more comfortable than you’d expect. The seats provide lots of lateral support and we only felt slight discomfort after many hours at the wheel, which is to be expected of any car. These are bucket seats you really could live with on a daily basis. Rear cabin space is a little cramped if tall people are seated in front, but it’s still surprisingly roomy for a super-mini.

The optional carbon-fibre-backed bucket seats are surprisingly comfortable

The seat position is neither low nor high, but somewhere disappointingly in the middle. There’s a leg rest to the left of the clutch pedal, but it’s too far forward, which means your knee is bent.

The cabin materials are best described as functional rather than luxurious – there’s certainly a lot of plastic. We expected greater luxury from the £18,755 Quadrifoglio Verde, but perhaps we’ve missed the point. Perhaps this sportiest incarnation of the MiTo is supposed to have a stripped-down feel. Its 270dm3 boot is large enough for a few bags but not large suitcases, although the rear seats do fold down.

The MiTo’s boot will hold your weekly shopping, but you’ll struggle to get large suitcases in it unless you fold down the rear seats

ON ICE

Our test car lacked a navigation system, but it did have steering wheel-mounted audio and phone controls, Bluetooth connectivity, a 3.5mm auxiliary input and a USB port to which you connect your MP3 player or smartphone. Instead, it had a basic CD and radio system. We found the sound a little lifeless and uninteresting, being too tinny at the top end and too flat at the bottom end, although it does have a decent mid-range. If you’re an audiophile it might be worth checking out the optional Bose speaker system.

The USB port and auxiliary jack are located too close to the handbrake in our opinion, and it’s all too easy to touch them when removing the handbrake, especially if you’ve inserted a USB flash drive. Cables attached to the 3.5mm auxiliary jack can tangle around the gear stick, so be careful with them. We couldn’t navigate through folders on our iPhone, we could only listen to whichever folder we were already in. That meant we had to unplug the iPhone, change folder and then reattach it in order to listen to something different, so make sure you’ve selected a good album or playlist before you make that long journey.

The MiTo’s ICE system seems basic, but it does have Bluetooth and USB connectivity

The steering wheel-mounted controls are chunky and easy to find and use while driving. You can also use voice control, which worked well, despite northern accents. Attaching the iPhone to the MiTo via Bluetooth was straightforward and we could make calls easily.

The MiTo doesn’t have the most advanced in-car entertainment (ICE) system on the planet, but its complement of audio inputs, steering wheel-mounted controls and Bluetooth connectivity makes it a pleasing and convenient system. We’d prefer a satnav system too, but for that you must pay extra.

SAFETY

The MiTo Quadrifoglio has seven airbags, a collapsible steering wheel and a five-star Euro NCAP rating, but thankfully we never put any of them to the test. It also has two seatbelt pre-tensioners and anti-whiplash devices on the front seats.

COST

The MiTo Quadrifoglio Verde is the top of the MiTo range and costs £18,755 on the road, but less powerful MiTos can be yours from £12,250 on the road. In terms of value, we’d pay £18,755 for the MiTo Quadrifoglio Verde we tested, but we’d haggle to get the built-in touchscreen RadioNav satnav system thrown in.

ON REFLECTION

We really like the MiTo Quadrifoglio Verde, and we like the Carbon-fibre-backed bucket seats too, but we think its Normal driving mode is too restrained and offers too numb a driving experience. You could simply drive in Dynamic mode all day, but we’d be too concerned about excessive fuel consumption. For us, Normal mode needs to be half-way between the current Normal mode and Dynamic mode, even if it means there’s less of a gulf between the two modes.

The MiTo looks great from all angles

Even so, its comfortable ride and engaging handling make this a fun car to drive. It isn’t an all-out racer and isn’t a sports car, it’s simply a great car with a great engine that makes every corner an excuse to bare teeth and smile.

Since handing it back, we do occasionally pine for the MiTo Quadrifoglio Verde, which is perhaps the best test of a car’s desirability. It’s certainly prettier and more striking than the Abarth Punto Evo with which it shares its engine. If you want a fun and fast super-mini that’s incredibly good-looking, take the MiTo Quadrifoglio for a test drive.