Tonight "Vicki Butler-Henderson pits the new Alfa Romeo Mito against the classic Mini," so the previews say?
Not sure why its not the New MINI ? :confused:
http://www.thetvdb.com/?tab=episode&seriesid=78998&seasonid=38906&id=433375&lid=7

Not classic but a R50 MINI. Just seen a clip of it on fifth gear.

Sorry R52 convertible. Why would they put a Convertible next to a 1.4 turbo Alfa hatch?

Their comparison choices are very odd sometimes for sure.

They said I'd rather have a Mito over a MINI "Just to be different" they even said the Mito was better looking. Whatever!

right oh I know which one I prefer,
now I know why I like top gear better what muppets

From Autocar Magazine Mito 1.4 T-Jet Road test:-

"As an all-round point-to-point choice, the Mito’s a good choice. It’s nimble, has power right through the rev range, great brakes and it’s small enough to pass people quickly and thread through gaps. And it cruises quietly."
"The ride and steering issues disappoint, though, and you won’t find them in a Mini."

Alfa Romeo Mito 1.4 T-Jet - Road Test First Drive - Autocar.co.uk (http://www.autocar.co.uk/CarReviews/FirstDrives/Alfa-Romeo-Mito-1.4-155-T-Jet-Lusso/233568/)

How can something be nimble, yet have "ride and steering issues"?!

How can a car with understeer handle better than a car without understeer!!? And why an R52 convertible!!? Yes, the Mito is a nice car but they got that test all wrong!

I just don't get Fifth Gear. I used to like that program but their reviews are becoming more and more odd.

How can you compare a soft top MINI R52 to a hard top Mito? In fact, how can you compare any hard top to a soft top? There will always be more flex in the chassis in a soft top.

I saw a Mito in Spain in November. It's a very odd looking car. Quite nice at the back but the rest of it isn't to my taste. The build quality of Alfas is still way off the mark and HOW can you prefer a car that understeers so much to a car that is safe and secure?

And they picked the Mito as better. As far as I can reason their decision was based on the fact it was a 'more involved drive'. This seemed to be code for it understeered like hell on the corners and you were always having to correct it :confused:

How can something be nimble, yet have "ride and steering issues"?!


when you get paid a back hander by the manufacturer to talk it up on TV.

Although i do l look forward to the 230bhp Mito GTA going up against the Factory JCW

when you get paid a back hander by the manufacturer to talk it up on TV.

Although i do l look forward to the 230bhp Mito GTA going up against the Factory JCW


It won't happen - they'll put the GTA up against a superchipped 2001 MINI One with a wonky gearbox :p

Maybe we should all take it as a complement to our minis that 5th gear always test new hatches against minis. They are obviously the car to beat at the moment.;)

Its just poor that they have to use an old cabrio mini for the mito to come out on top.
And the Scirocco had to have a DSG gearbox in order to beat a standard MCS.

The guy said he'd rather have a Mito "just to be different" so no actual fact to base that decision on then.

I really didn't understand the point of last nights Mito/cooper convertible test :puzzled:
As a few have already said... why compare a hard top with soft top? its like comparing a beach buggy and a tank! Was the Mito they tested 155 or 120 bhp? (can't remember)

The real comparison should have been:

Mini Cooper: OTR Price - £13,715.00 (120bhp) 0-62mph: 9.1 s
Alfa Mito: OTR Price - £13,877.66 (1.4TB 155bhp Lusso) 0-62mph: 8.0 s

These are the closest match as far as price goes... I'm guessing they must have tested the 120bhp to compare with a conv. but their test didn't make any sense - price wise or performance (anyone could tell you convertibles are heavier!) I've gotta be honest, I doubt the Cooper would keep up with the comparitive (price) 155bhp Mito but the hard top Mini handles way better and would catch up on the corners.

I too would be very interested to see how the 230 bhp Mito fairs up against the factory JCW! The interiors always grab my attention with the Alfa's BUT the Mito has one ugly front end... this coupled with poor reliability of Italian cars and overly priced parts certainly won't get me trading in my JCW!!

I usually enjoy fifth gear, but didn't see it last night.......................but I agree from what has been posted this test seems absolutely pointless.

The comparison wasnt right, but id still rather have a mini cos my past experience with italian cars hasnt been so great, by this i mean the gearboxes are made from marzipan and the body from papier mache.

It won't happen - they'll put the GTA up against a superchipped 2001 MINI One with a wonky gearbox :p

or a 1960's works car

The comparison wasnt right, but id still rather have a mini cos my past experience with italian cars hasnt been so great, by this i mean the gearboxes are made from marzipan and the body from papier mache.

That's a poor comparison in itself :p

Papier Mache doesn't rust.... Italian Coachwork does :p :D

A 115hp cabrio against a 155hp hatch!? Fifth Gear can't compete with Top Gear, especially if they're running pointless tests like this

The guy said he'd rather have a Mito "just to be different" so no actual fact to base that decision on then.

I don't like the look of the MITO - so we were saying last night when he said "just to be different" that it was an ugly car to suit an ugly presenter :tongue:

There are loads of MINIs on the road, so fair point, but do you hear them say that when a fiesta or focus is the comparison car?!?

Think they're trying to go for the "opinionated" approach too often now like they think they have to act a bit like Clarkson or no one will watch

That's a poor comparison in itself :p

Papier Mache doesn't rust.... Italian Coachwork does :p :D

fair point

fair point

Although in fairness neither respond well to water :D