| First Drive | Balocco, Italy | Alfa Romeo MiTo Cloverleaf prototype |

Alfa's Cloverleaf badge first appeared in the early twenties and is set for its most recent appearance on the flanks of a new range-topping MiTo. Before you get your hopes up, this is not the extreme hot hatch promised by the GTA Concept; think of the MiTo Cloverleaf as an alternative to the MINI Cooper S.

In the Metal

I'm going to be as vague as possible here, as the car you see before you is merely a prototype, which to you and I means there could be significant differences between it and the final showroom model. It's likely that the lovely darkened alloys will remain - or something of equal size, while the chassis is lowered a tad for a more 'assertive' stance. Other than that, the door mirrors are a metallic grey, the exhaust is chromed and there's a big 'Quadrifoglio Verde' (four-leafed green clover) sticker on the wings.

Don't try to read too much into the interior pictures either, though we'd hope the production car receives bolstered sports seats, a nice steering wheel and some other trim detailing to differentiate it from other MiTos.

What you get for your Money

This is another tough category to go into detail with, but we do know that the Cloverleaf will be fitted with a new active damping system, which will be linked in with the MiTo's standard 'D.N.A.' driving dynamics selector switch. Presumably in D (for Dynamic), the dampers will be at their stiffest, with active adjustment of the stiffness likely in N (for Normal) and the softest setting for more traction in A (All-weather). Also part of the package is a new six-speed manual gearbox and the stop-start system that is standard on all MultiAir engined MiTos.

Driving it

Though the shift of the new gearbox is quick enough, it's still possible to miss the slot you were aiming for - especially if you decide to drop down a couple of gears at a time in a hurry. That aside, one of the most important aspects of this car is the new MultiAir engine. Like its less powerful brethren this does away with the traditional throttle valve and inlet camshaft in return for an ingenious actuation technique for each individual pair of intake valves. The results are improvements in terms of emissions, economy and of particular importance to the Cloverleaf, performance.

The key figures include maximum power of 168bhp at 5,500rpm, up to 184lb.ft of torque at 2,500rpm (if you've pressed the Sport button), 0-62mph in 7.5 seconds, 139g/km of CO₂ and 47.1mpg on the combined cycle. Ignore that peak power number though, as the engine feels at its best before it hits 5,000rpm; instead focus on the low-down torque; once you realise that's the way to make progress the Cloverleaf is a commendably quick car. Pity it loses the top-end fizz that endears itself to more enthusiastic drivers, but the upside should be a refined cruise.

A brief stint on track behind the wheel revealed a capable and grippy chassis, but one that very much errs on the side of safety and stability rather than on-the-edge excitement. The steering has enough information for the task, but even in Dynamic mode the electronics are a little too eager to do their thing and though intervention is swift and it accurately keeps the car on line we like more adjustability in our hot hatch chassis. This is exacerbated by the lack of an option to turn off the electronic nannies, though we'll admit that few drivers are likely to consider doing so anyway. One final detail that sticks out from the drive was the willingness with which the 'emergency' hazards lights would activate under heavy braking. Sure, we were on track and braking fairly hard, but even taking that into consideration the system seems a little oversensitive.

Worth Noting

This car, in case you were not paying attention, is not intended to replace a potential GTA model. Sadly, the official word on that model is that it's indefinitely postponed. While our logical side understands the economical reasons for such a decision, our less rational alter ego is writing stiff letters to the top brass at Alfa Romeo begging them to make it so. At least there's still plenty of room in the MiTo range above the Cloverleaf should we come out of this recession in a hurry...

Summary

Bearing in mind that the MiTo Cloverleaf is as yet just a prototype, it's a promising new addition to the line-up and just the halo model needed to show what the MultiAir technology is capable of. It makes an interesting alternative to the MINI Cooper S, even if its dynamic repertoire is more limited. However, that 'but' may disappear if Alfa Romeo prices it sensibly.