vr jan 29, 2010 12:15
Heeft iemand ooit al The Verdict van Clarkson over de Mito gelezen:
Because Alfas have flaws, they feel human, as if they have a soul and a temper. Each one — except the Arna, obviously — is like the tortured hero of a Russian novel, a car of extraordinary depths, a car you can never truly fathom, especially when it is four in the morning and it is enveloped in a cloud of steam, yet again, on the North Circular.
They are like cocaine. The unimaginable highs are always matched by immense, brooding lows. Massive electrical storms that inevitably follow a glorious sultry evening.
For years I have longed for the day when Alfa could put all of this humanity in a car that was good to drive as well. And I really thought the new MiTo might just be the answer; the Railmaster moment, when Alfa stopped being like Leeds United, stopped living on its reputation from the 1970 cup final and put a corker in the back of the net.
It isn’t. It may come with a clever electronic package that enables you to choose what sort of response you’d like from the engine, but it doesn’t matter which option you select: the whole package is let down by a cunning new electric power-steering system that feels, I imagine, like fondling a pair of silicone breasts. There’s no escape from the fact that you are playing with two bags full of jelly.
Then there’s the clever new suspension, in which there are coilover springs inside the shock absorbers. Sounds intriguing but so far as I could work out, the main result is a harsh ride.
There are other issues too. The sloping roof means headroom in the back is poor and the boot is small. The steering wheel is connected to the dash by what looks like a set of Victorian bellows, and the whole horn assembly felt like it was about to come off.
Of course, I loved it. I found myself ignoring the defects and concentrating on the way there’s a choice of what material you’d like to surround the headlights. I loved the crackly, almost flat-four exhaust note, I loved the 155bhp turbocharged engine (from a Fiat), I loved the interior, which feels like it belongs in a much more expensive car. But the thing I love most of all about this car is that, at parties, when people ask what you’re driving, you can say: “An Alfa.”
Men will imagine you are a grand-prix racer from the Fifties. Women will think that you are a bit like the Daniel Day Lewis character in A Room with a View. A bit interesting. Like you might prefer poetry to Nuts. It’s the only brand in the world of sub-supercar motoring that can do this.
There are better small cars if you want a household appliance — the Mini, for instance. There are better small cars if you want a fun drive. The Mini again. And of course there are better-looking cars built to a higher standard. Um, the Mini springs to mind. But I’m afraid there are no better small cars if, like me, you are brand loyal and what you want is an Alfa.
Zoals de Engelsen zeggen nuff said.
Alfa 155 Q4 WB 1995
Alfa GT jtd 2004 Quaife Q2
ex: Alfa 33 1.7 ie 1991 WTCC Q2 - 484.500 km
Originally Posted by Jeremy Clarkson
A turbo: exhaust gasses go into the turbocharger and spin it, witchcraft happens and you go faster.