Alfa Mito? That’S Basically a Punto Isn’T It? Understanding What’S Under of the Mito, and Why the Mito Is Still Unique

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Alfa MiTo? That’s basically a Punto Isn’t it? Understanding what’s under of the MiTo, and why the MiTo is still unique...

I’ve heard it said several times that the MiTo is just a Fiat Punto. Not a big issue for me: I like the Fiat Punto. But it is said in a derogatory way, somehow trying to belittle the MiTo as something less unique, less special. So what is the truth? Is the MiTo just a Fiat Punto? In the year 2000, General Motors exchanged a 6% stake in GM for a 20% stake in Fiat as part of a new joint venture. At that time, GM was worth con- siderably more than Fiat (a re- versal of today). The deal also contained an obligation for GM to buy Fiat in its entirety during the future years of 2004 to 2009, though GM bought their way out of that obligation for $2 billion in 2005, an amount that almost certainly helped Platform” was developed to and manufacture once, then ena- only Turkish vehicle manufactur- Fiat make its first profit for enable Opel and Fiat (and later ble the assembly of vehicles based er of both passenger and com- years under the new leadership Chrysler) to adopt an entirely on the platform to happen cost- mercial vehicles. Tofaş manu- of Sergio Marchionne in 2005. new, adaptable chassis and core effectively in Italy, Germany, Spain, factures locally for Fiat, Citroen, In 2002 as part of the joint components featuring MacPher- Serbia, Turkey and Russia. Peugeot, Opel and Vauxhall and venture, Ulrich Schmalohr (the son strut front suspension, semi Now might be the right time to manages all Turkish sales and Head of Engineering at Opel) -independent struts with torsion introduce you to Tofaş service for our beloved Alfa Ro- and Giorgio Cornacchia (the beam at the rear and compact (pronounced “Tofa”), meaning Türk meo, Fiat, Lancia, Jeep, Ferrari Head of Projects at Fiat) devel- transverse mounted engines to Otomobil Fabrikası Anonim Şirketi and Maserati brands. oped the GM/Fiat Small Com- support both front wheel drive (not too dissimilar to Anonima Back to the Small Platform… It mon Components and Systems and four-wheel drive in both Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili, or was important that the SCCS platform (SCCS) in Turin. The short and long-wheel base ver- “Alfa” as we know it today). Tofaş perform many functions: to gen- SCCS platform, or “Small sions. The aim was to design is part-owned by Fiat and is the erate enough cost-efficiencies, it needed to satisfy both passenger vehicle needs as well as small commercial needs, hence the Tofaş reference. So from 2005, the Small Platform was used in various vehicles including the Fiat Grande Punto and the Punto Evo, the Alfa MiTo, the Opel Corsa and Adam as well as numerous small commercial vehicles assembled by Tofaş such as the Fiat Qubo, Fiat Doblo, Opel Combo, Citroen Nemo and the Peugeot Bipper. Long-wheel base versions of the Small Platform were used for the Fiat 500L and Fiat Tipo, whilst the four-wheel drive versions were used for the Jeep Renegade, the Fiat 500X and the Jeep Compass. The Small Platform can take many Italian petrol engines from

and some switchgear may be shared, the MiTo has a lot of individual elements designed and manufactured only for Alfa Romeo. But we do have the advantage that some of the more oily parts can be shared between a Grande Punto, a Fiat 500L and a Vauxhall Corsa. To say a MiTo is just a Punto is akin to saying a MiTo is just a Jeep Renegade or, God forbid, a Peugeot Bipper. Structurally and mechanically there are shared components, but the look and feel, the design and handling, the steering and the brakes and the driving experience with the Alfa DNA are completely different. Pretty much everything you can see, touch, feel and experience with a MiTo is all Alfa Romeo. I’ve driven a Punto Evo, a Doblo, a 500X and a 500L, and I can tell the two-cylinder 0.9l TwinAir up (steering wheel components, you they are nothing like a Mi- to the 1.4l FIRE and FIRE Multi- some dash components and To. Though I have no shame in Air units. It will also take the buttons). But if you look closely at my MiTo being compared to a GM EcoTec engines from 973cc a £230,000 Bentley Mulsanne you Punto Evo – it was a brilliant to the 1.4l, as well as Fiat Multi- will find the VW Golf navigation car. But an entirely different Jet diesel engines in 1.3, 1.6 system. The Maserati Gallardo driving experience to the MiTo. and 1.9l as well as the 1.7 Isuzu had numerous Audi internal com- The MiTo has a feeling, a Circle L engine (more common- ponents and switchgear, and even spirit, a class that utterly differ- ly seen as the 1.7CDTI engine the Maserati Levante has switch- entiates itself from the other used in many Vauxhall/Opel gear and components from the vehicles that happen to share cars and vans). Dodge Ram. So sharing the con- the same Small Platform. But Needless to say, if you look tents of parts bins is more com- without the Small Platform, the closely at, say, a Grande Punto mon than you might think, and I MiTo may have never made alongside a MiTo, there will be don’t think that diminishes a car in economic sense and may have similarities not only in the chas- the price range of the MiTo. never existed. So I for one am sis and under the bonnet but So whilst the high-strength pleased the MiTo has the also shared parts used in the steel chassis, suspension compo- shared platform. And it makes interior and other areas nents and of course the engine some parts easier to find.