2012 & 2013 Alfa Romeo Coupe Reviews & Ratings

The Italian automaker Alfa Romeo currently has two major coupe models available for purchase by eager luxury car enthusiasts. One of these vehicles is the Alfa Romeo MiTo coupe hatchback, and the other is the Alfa Romeo Giulietta coupe. Originally dubbed the "Junior" due to its small size, the Alfa Romeo MiTo was named by enthusiasts as the "Furiosa" in a competition held by the company, but Alfa Romeo decided to go a different direction when the name didn't test well in ... (full review continues below)

The Italian automaker Alfa Romeo currently has two major coupe models available for purchase by eager luxury car enthusiasts. One of these vehicles is the Alfa Romeo MiTo coupe hatchback, and the other is the Alfa Romeo Giulietta coupe. Originally dubbed the "Junior" due to its small size, the Alfa Romeo MiTo was named by enthusiasts as the "Furiosa" in a competition held by the company, but Alfa Romeo decided to go a different direction when the name didn't test well in Spain. The "MiTo" name is a combination of the Italian cities Torino (Turin) and Milano (Milan).The vehicle was fashioned in Milano and built in Torino. The name also harkens back to "mito," an Italian word meaning "myth" or "legend." The MiTo, or the type 955 model as it is known internally in the Alfa Romeo company, was first introduced in June of 2008, in Milan, and was introduced on a global level at the British Motor Show in 2008.

The small, hatchback MiTo coupe competes with the MINI Cooper, the Fiat 500, and the Audi A1 and shares many of its parts with the Fiat Punto supermini and other Fiat vehicles. The three-door hatchback was designed by Centro Stile Alfa Romeo, and its design is said to be motivated by Alfa Romeo's 8C Competizione. The MiTo's three different driving modes, available through the DNA system include: Dynamic, Normal, and All-Weather- each specifically designed for a better, more controllable driving experience under any set of circumstances. The MiTo comes standard with seven airbags and garnered an impressive "good" (or green) rating from the first ever Euro NCAP rear impact test in the whiplash category. The MiTo is currently priced around $60,000 or EUR 38,000.

Alfa Romeo has often known for its sporty coupe variants, and the Alfa Romeo Giulietta coupe is no exception to this rule. The Giulietta follows the first and second generations of the automaker's Guilia model, first seen in the 1960s and 70s. The first Giulietta model was a coupe and was named the Giulietta Sprint. This model was introduced in late 1954 and was tailed by a Giulietta sedan in early 1955. The Giuletta was also seen in Spider convertible form, and in its most popular variatiany0 the Giulietta TI (Turismo Internazionale). This version was showcased with small cosmetic differences to the hood, the rear lamps, and the dial lights.

The newest Giulietta was first showcased at the Geneva Auto Show in 2010, and bore the name of the classic vehicle that helped to shape the Alfa Romeo company into what it stands for today. This Giulietta variant replaces the Alfa Romeo 147 in the compact hatchback class. The new hatchback coupe is based on "compact" architecture, which is loosely imitative of the Fiat Bravo. The new Giulietta is available for about EUR 260,000 for 2.0-litre JTD with 170 horsepower. It competes with the Audi A3, the BMW 1 Series, the Fiat Bravo, the Lancia Delta, the Mazda 3, the Opel Astra, and the Volkswagen Golf.