Alfa Romeo Mito QV

ALFA ROMEO AUSTRALIA MIGHTY MITO MARCHES IN! 125 kW Alfa Romeo Mito arrives with MultiAir and optional Active suspension The Alfa Romeo Mito QV has arrived in Australia with a new award-winning 125 kW engine that debuts Alfa Romeo’s cutting edge MultiAir technology to deliver more performance, lower emissions and cut fuel consumption. The remarkable new MultiAir technology means that not only is the new Alfa Romeo faster than other versions of the chic Mito, it also is significantly more economical across the different tests and produces considerably less carbon dioxide. The advances made in this new engine are so great that it has been voted by the world’s leading technical engineering journalists as the best new engine of 2010. In short, the Alfa Romeo Mito QV combines hot hatch performance with economy car fuel consumption and emissions. “If MultiAir was the only technical innovation in the new Mito, it would make it one of the most significant technical advances to arrive in Australia this year,” says Andrei Zaitzev, General Manager for Alfa Romeo in Australia. “But the Mito QV also debuts optional dynamic adaptive suspension, bringing technology normally associated with cars that measure their prices in fractions of a million dollars into a new market sector for affordable cars, and debuts the latest Stop&Start engine technology.” Available as an option, dynamic adaptive suspension enables all four shock absorbers to change their rate of damping to adapt to changing road and driving conditions and controlling both body roll and lateral movement of the body. Working with the DNA system already seen on the Mito, the driver can choose Dynamic, Normal or All-weather settings for the suspension and drivetrain, optimising safety, comfort and driver enjoyment in all conditions. The new Mito QV provides all the style, luxury and features of its larger brothers, but in a new compact size. As befits a car that carries the legendary Alfa Romeo badge, the Mito has styling that is second to none, carrying themes from the Alfa Romeo 8C supercar and ensuring that the Mito, despite its size, will never be confused with a small economy car. The Mito QV is powered by the latest version of Alfa Romeo’s family of ‘Fire’ 1.4 litre engines that have set new standards for performance, economy and emissions. The MultiAir head, a Fiat patented design, Alfa Romeo MiTo Page 2 The Holy Grail for any engineering endeavour is to have your cake and eat it - to unify seemingly incompatible goals. For the Fiat Group's engine designers, FPT, the quest has been clear cut: how to deliver high performance and driveablity while, at the same time, significantly reducing emissions and fuel consumption. The key to achieving this is well understood. It requires taking more precise control of the quantity and characteristics of the air drawn into the cylinders in the combustion cycle. There are numerous electro-mechanical variable valve timing systems in production today that seek to achieve this. But because they usually have only two operating regimes, they are severely limited by the degree of flexibility they can exercise in the valve opening schedules. MultiAir eliminates these compromises by metering the direct air charge at the cylinder inlet ports with an advanced electro-hydraulic actuation and control system that has no fewer than five basic parameters, and the ability to optimally adjust valve timing and lift between them to exactly suit different engine speeds and loads, ensuring strong low- and mid-range torque and vigorous top-end power, combined with good economy and low emissions. The MiTo's Start&Stop technology makes its debut combined with MultiAir engines for the first time on an Alfa Romeo. The system turns off the engine whenever the vehicle is stationary and idling in neutral, then restarts it automatically when the clutch is depressed. Start&Stop can be deactivated at will by the driver but, when active, achieves notable reductions in fuel consumption, emissions and noise pollution. The culmination of this technology is that the Mito QV delivers hot hatch performance, with a zero to 100 kmh time of 7.5 seconds and a 219 kmh top speed. Yet, at the same time, on the open road it consumes just 4.8 litres per 100 km and offers a combined fuel figure of just 6.0 litres per 100 km. Emissions are a high creditable 139 g/km. Drivers car further adjust performance to driving conditions, with a choice of two torque peaks, 230 Nm in normal mode or, by selecting dynamic mode, 250 Nm. All of this comes from alight, compact 1.4 litre engine which delivers the driving experience of a 2.0 litre engine. Motor sport has always been a testing ground for new technologies, which have found their way from the world's most famous racetracks to standard road cars. Therefore, with a brand that boast a unique 100 motorsport heritage and for a car that carries Alfa Romeo historic Quadrifoglio Verde, or green four leaf clover badge, the Mito QV offers as an option one of the latest technology transfers: Dynamic adaptive suspension. This system, which actively and continuously controls the electronic dampers, was developed by combining Alfa Romeo development testing at the historic Balocco test track and the Nürburgring, with the latest engineering techniques from Magneti Marelli. The MiTo QV is the first vehicle in this sector to have active suspension as an option. Using five independent accelerometer sensors located on the front two shock absorbers, rear centre and rear bulkheads, the adaptive damping system continuously monitors and controls the car's dampers, helping to contain both lateral body roll and longitudinal movement. Each shock absorber works independently of the others, stiffening when required by an electronic signal that moves oil into a chamber of the absorber or removes oil from the chamber for softened suspension (on/off system). The four electronically controlled dampers, Alfa Romeo MiTo Page 3 five accelerometric sensors and an electronic control unit interface with the MiTo's other on- board electronic systems to continuously monitor the road conditions and adjust the suspensions settings to give optimum performance and ride. The suspension interacts with the three different control strategies of the Alfa DNA. system, enhancing ride comfort in 'Normal' mode, increasing safety and security in the 'All weather' setting by continuously interacting with the VDC system, steering and suspension, and sharpening responsiveness and agility with it switched to 'Dynamic'. To sum up, the Dynamic Suspension system effectively optimises comfort and handling by adapting suspension behaviour in accordance with the road surface and driver input. The system achieves this by altering the load distribution of the four dampers to enhance handling and grip. Moreover, the system manages longitudinal dynamic control by adjusting the movement of the chassis during acceleration, braking and gear changes, and by integrating with the VDC, steering and braking systems. The Dynamic Suspension system works in harmony with Alfa Romeo’s innovative DNA system, itself another first for the class. A three-position switch, situated beside the gearlever, alters the throttle response and steering set-up for different driving environments – Dynamic, Normal and All Weather. In Dynamic mode, the throttle response is quicker, the steering is sharper and the handling is more direct. For icy and loose surface environments the All Weather mode provides a more gentle response. Alfa Romeo’s Electronic Q2 limited slip differential heads a list of dynamic driver aids, including a long list of safety systems. Together, these all help deliver impressive driving dynamics and handling, along with sure-footed road holding capabilities. The fact that the MiTo has been designed to be exclusively a three door car has provided the stylists at Alfa Romeo Centro Stile with the freedom to endow the MiTo with a new level of style, internally and externally, that has not been previously available in this market sector. Most obviously is the way the MiTo tapers behind the ‘b’ pillar to provide not a just coupe style, but also shoulders over the rear wheels akin to those on the Alfa 8C sports car, that lead the eye to rear lights, which include the first of several class-firsts, the safety of LED rear lights replacing conventional light bulbs. At the front, the shield-shaped grille is imposingly sited at the end of a sculpted V-shaped bonnet, flanked by clear lens and teardrop headlamps. In profile, the high waistline, flared wheel arches, disguised B-pillar and minimal rear overhang combine to communicate power, performance and agility. Inside the cabin, the high quality interior feels like a car from a class above, with additional touches in the MiTo such as its unique carbon fibre-look dashboard. The sporty dials are hooded and the central console comes with a satin finish. Careful soundproofing helps create a quiet and refined environment that optimises the inclusion of a quality sound system and integrated Blue & Me™ in the MiTo. In line with entertaining levels of performance and handling, the Alfa MiTo also boasts high levels of safety. Alfa Romeo MiTo Page 4 Designed and developed to achieve the highest possible scores in passive and active safety tests, the Alfa MiTo is one of the safest cars on the road, providing driver and passengers with a high level of protection. In recognition of its safety credentials, the Alfa MiTo has collected a 5-star Euro NCAP safety rating. Driver and occupant safety is paramount, and the specification of seven airbags including front airbags, window bags, sidebags and driver’s kneebag work with Alfa Romeo’s Self Aligning Head Restraint – a system that moves the head restraints closer to the neck of the front seat occupants to lessen the effect of whiplash in the event of an impact – is evidence of Alfa Romeo’s commitment to the highest possible safety standards.

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