Alfa Romeo MiTo Quadrifoglio Verde review
The Quadrifoglio Verde is huge fun in Dynamic mode, but at £18,755 it needs satnav as standard
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.