Alfa Romeo Mito Twinair (2012) first official pictures

Alfa Romeo has plumbed Fiat's brilliant and novel two-cylinder engine - the Twinair - into its Mito supermini. The result is the most economical premium supermini on sale, returning in excess of 67mpg. The Mito Twinair will cost £14,510 when it goes on sale on 30 September 2012.

The two-cylinder displaces just 875cc, but with turbocharging and full variable valve timing, the tiddly two-pot kicks out 84bhp and 106lb ft. That's enough for a 12.5 sec 0-62mph sprint, and 108mph flat out. On the way you'll enjoy that unmistakeable phut-phut soundtrack from the peppy little engine, and decent economy - on paper at least.

Alfa Romeo claims that the two-cylinder Mito will achieve 67.3mpg - that's a whole 15mpg more than the most frugal petrol-powered Mini One.

But if the Twinair seduces you into driving it like you stole it - with plenty of revs and not much mercy - you'll likely put a sizeable dent in the Alfa's holier-than-thou economy.

Whatever you end up spending on petrol, there's no need to worry about road tax or London congestion charge - the Mito Twinair is exempt from both thanks to a CO2-emission rating of just 98g/km. Maximum torque is on hand from 2000rpm, so the Twinair should suit city driving rather well.

That depends on the trim level you select. A Mito Twinair Sprint starts at £14,510; that gets you 16-inch alloy wheels, cruise control, front fog lights, manual climate control, Alfa's 'DNA' adaptive driving mode system, and Bluetooth compatibility.

Handing over a further £1500 buys a Mito Twinair in Distinctive trim, and the upgrades are 17-inch alloys, red-painted brake callipers, rear parking sensors and chrome detailing.

By Ollie Kew