2011 Alfa Romeo MiTo

Exterior and Interior

From the outside, the 2011 MiTo comes with a refreshed exterior look, including modified Quadrifoglio Verde logos with chrome mirror housings, headlight frames, taillights frames, new door handles, and a set of 18” wheels. The model that’s expected to be launched at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show will be dressed in a “Bronze Metal” exterior color with a Technosilk two-tone interior upholstery.

For the 2011 MiTo’s interior, customers will get an extra slew of goodies that include Sabelt sports seats that have been wrapped in Alcantara-fabric with a black color scheme and white-green seams that you can also find in the steering wheel, hand brake lever, and the gear shifter knob. Consequently, the seats also come with their own carbon fiber backrests.

Performance

A number of engine options are expected to come with the 2011 MiTo, not the least of which include one with a 1.4-liter MultiAir Turbo engine that produces 135 horsepower mated to the company’s own TCT transmission and fitted with Start&Stop systems. Another MiTo Quadroglio Verde comes with a 1.4-liter MultiAir Turbo engine that produces around 170 horsepower mated to a TCT transmission also with its own Star&Stop system.

Pricing

No word yet on how much the 2011 MiTo is going to be cost, but you can definitely expect it to be around the range of what the old MiTo models sold for, which means that it could be somewhere north of $25,000.

Competition

Two key rivals of the Alfa Romeo MiTo are the MINI Cooper and the Audi A1.

In terms of engine performance, the Italian Alfa offers more choices than the German MINI, which comes with a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 121 horsepower. On top of engine variety, it should also be pointed out that the MiTo’s high-end options come with a more powerful engine than the Cooper. If you want a more powerful Cooper that can bring the pressure on the higher-spec MiTo, you can opt for the Cooper S, which comes with the same 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine that’s been ramped up with a turbocharger, culminating with an output of 181 horsepower.

Then, there’s the new Audi A1, which if you think about it, is the one car that can go blow-for-blow with the MiTo. Just like the Alfa, the A1 comes with a multitude of engine options, ranging from TFSI gas engines that produce between 86 and 122 horsepower, all of which are mated to a seven-speed S tronic transmission.

 MiTo’s front fascia looks awesome
 Refreshed take is appealing

 Not a lot of aesthetic upgrades
 Engine could be more powerful
 Other choices are also good