| First Drive | Milan, Italy | Alfa Romeo MiTo TCT |

TCT might sound like some sort of electronic traction control thingamajig, but it's actually the acronym for Alfa Romeo's new Twin Clutch Transmission. Like any good Italian, Alfa has rocked up to this particular party fashionably late. So late, in fact, that Audi, Skoda, SEAT, Porsche and Ford are already tearing up the dance floor with their renditions of the robot.

Volkswagen, of course, got there first (in a road car, anyway); if this were a real party, VW would by now be lying in the corner in a pool of transmission fluid, telling everyone how much it loves them.

In the Metal

TCT is only available in the MiTo 1.4 TB MultiAir to kick off with, though by spring 2011 it'll hit petrol and diesel versions of the Giulietta hatch, and thereafter more Fiats and Alfas.

Save for the gear selector itself, there's no visible difference between this and any other MiTo, though TCT is only available in higher Lusso and Veloce specifications.

What you get for your Money

The TCT gearbox costs about a grand more than a manual, so, because it's only available with the MultiAir engine, the entry price is £16,295.

Lusso spec has alloy wheels, air conditioning, a multifunction steering wheel, chrome trim for some outside parts and front fog lights as standard. Veloce gets Bluetooth and a sporty body kit on top. TCT has Start & Stop engine tech built into it too.

Driving it

Ultimately, the Fiat-designed six-speed system behaves in a very similar fashion to the pioneering Volkswagen DSG gearbox that serves as a benchmark for these things. It's lovely and smooth during nonchalant, everyday driving, but not without some mildly frustrating quirks.

Linked to the MiTo's DNA chassis control switch, in Dynamic mode it will downshift more aggressively, and by more than one cog at a time, as well as clinging onto a gear longer on full throttle. However, regardless of the position of the DNA switch, TCT can get caught out by a sudden, heavy throttle input: mash the fast pedal and it will over-rev while working out what gear to select. Not a big issue, but slightly noise polluting.

Our other mild criticism is with its Start & Stop system: this is only the second twin-clutch gearbox to get one, after the Porsche Panamera. With a manual system you have the control of being able to initiate engine shutoff by going into neutral; with an automatic you don't. So at a busy junction, say, the gap between pushing the throttle after shutoff and the car actually moving away takes a frustrating few moments. Still, you can always switch the bloody thing off.

Otherwise, this is an impressively quick shifting and shuffle-free auto. It'll do for most, and for the Nigel Mansell wannabe in everyone, steering wheel paddles are standard.

Worth Noting

Like Volkswagen's you-know-what, Alfa's twin-clutch system offers economy and performance gains over a manual gearbox: the MiTo TCT boasts 50.4mpg and 129g/km compared to 51.4mpg and 128g/km for the manual MiTo 135 MultiAir. It hits 62mph from rest two tenths quicker as well, at 8.2 seconds.

The JTDM diesel Giulietta TCT, on the cards for next year, is still in development but currently on the money for a sub 120g/km CO₂ output. Tax-tastic.

Summary

You need to think of Alfa Romeo's TCT more as a comfort and convenience option - like most automatics - than the sporty one. Do so and its smoothness and speed of shift - in either direction - will impress you. There's room for improvement, of course, but pleasingly little.