The closest I’ve ever come to owing an Alfa was being driven around as a kid in my Uncle’s powder blue Alfasud. He was quite temperamental about it, insisting you caress the door closed as though you were rubbing suntan lotion on the bare back of Sophia Loren. Either that or he’d yell something strange like ‘I’ll hold the door, you throw the car’. He obviously loved it and so I grew up revering the brand, without other Alfas around to ever tarnish that early view.

As fate would have it, my first chance to actually drive a Milanese model occurred in Milan itself, at the international launch of the Mito. Following that, the local launch in Johannesburg fell to me as well. And, when it came time to select which member of our team would take long term stewardship of a freshly-minted example, the little Mito again gravitated towards me. Am I happy about it? Unequivocally yes. It’s alive with that mystical quality some call ‘character’ – which is silly of course because it’s just a machine. But it’s an Italian machine from a brand with proper sporting pedigree, so you get an exhaust note that’s pure rock ’n roll, an engine worth whipping and styling that turns everyone green, most with envy, some with nausea. Everything is as it should be.

Our Mito arrived sporting approximately R35 000 worth of extras, including a panoramic sunroof (R10 000), leather (R10 000), 18 inch alloys (R5000), dual-zone climate control (R4000) and the Fiat Group’s excellent Blue & Me bluetooth system (R3200). Had I specced the car personally, I would have left off the gorgeous, but headroom-robbing glass roof and the stylish 18 inch wheels – they do nothing for the ride comfort. I would definitely have stuck with the leather and the wonderfully intuitive, voice-operated bluetooth communication and entertainment system. Within minutes, I had my mobile synched, contacts uploaded and had made a hands-free call. All simply achieved by pressing the Microsoft Windows logo button on the steering wheel, saying ‘help’ and then following the voice prompts of the lady they’ve got stashed in the dash somewhere. It’s also got a USB port, so I don’t have to lug an iPod thingy around, just an el-cheapo flash drive full of MP3s.

It’s still early days and we haven’t driven it to the moon yet, but every journey thus far has put a smile on my face. It’s a driver’s car that manages to involve you in every aspect. Yes, the steering is as digital as a wireless Wii wheel but it’s direct and there’s a real dose of turbo torque on hand in every gear. Mash the throttle in sixth at 100kph and the 1.4-litre Mito responds with surprising urge. I know it’s all relative, but I had to select fourth gear in a natasp 1800 the other day to get any reaction at all.