Alfa Romeo has plumbed Fiat’s brilliant and novel two-cylinder engine – the Twinair – into its Mito supermini. The result is the most economical premium supermini on sale, returning in excess of 67mpg. The Mito Twinair will cost £14,510 when it goes on sale on 30 September 2012.
Give us the stats on this Twinair Mito
The two-cylinder displaces just 875cc, but with turbocharging and full variable valve timing, the tiddly two-pot kicks out 84bhp and 106lb ft. That’s enough for a 12.5 sec 0-62mph sprint, and 108mph flat out. On the way you’ll enjoy that unmistakeable phut-phut soundtrack from the peppy little engine, and decent economy – on paper at least.
Go on then, how economical is the Alfa Romeo Mito Twinair?
Alfa Romeo claims that the two-cylinder Mito will achieve 67.3mpg – that’s a whole 15mpg more than the most frugal petrol-powered Mini One.
But if the Twinair seduces you into driving it like you stole it – with plenty of revs and not much mercy – you’ll likely put a sizeable dent in the Alfa’s holier-than-thou economy.
Whatever you end up spending on petrol, there’s no need to worry about road tax or London congestion charge – the Mito Twinair is exempt from both thanks to a CO2-emission rating of just 98g/km. Maximum torque is on hand from 2000rpm, so the Twinair should suit city driving rather well.
How much is the Alfa Romeo Mito Twinair?
That depends on the trim level you select. A Mito Twinair Sprint starts at £14,510; that gets you 16-inch alloy wheels, cruise control, front fog lights, manual climate control, Alfa’s ‘DNA’ adaptive driving mode system, and Bluetooth compatibility.
Handing over a further £1500 buys a Mito Twinair in Distinctive trim, and the upgrades are 17-inch alloys, red-painted brake callipers, rear parking sensors and chrome detailing.