THE Quadrifoglio Verde badge first appeared as a lucky charm on Alfa Romeo racing cars in the early 1920s, heralding a period of sustained success in the motorsport arena.

Ever since, the four-leaf clover has adorned the Italian marques' hottest motors, both on and off the racetrack, and expectations are high for any car that bears the distinctive emblem.

The latest MiTo to have that privilege certainly looked the part when it arrived on my driveway, and soon had friends and relatives cooing in admiration.

This sporty little number has curves in all the right places, from its rounded nose, through impressively bulging wheel arches along the flanks, to a squat and powerful-looking rear end that is finished off with a sports bumper, spoiler and twin chrome tailpipes.

Contrasting colours on the wing mirrors and door handles, darkened glass, bespoke 18-inch alloys and red Brembo brake calipers all add to the hot-hatch look, which was given extra impact on the car I drove by the optional (£800) moody Magnesio Grey matte paint job.

Slipping into the cabin, the interior design also very much reflects this range-topper's performance credentials with aluminium pedals, a leather-bound, racing-style steering wheel and leather and alcantara upholstery with integrated logos.

There's a tactile soft-touch dash and the five-inch touchscreen interface is nicely picked out with a gunmetal-style surround.

For that proper racing car feel, you could go for the impressively supportive, body-hugging carbon fibre-backed bucket seats my car also boasted - but it'll cost you an extra £2,000 if you do.

Of course, looks are only part of the package, with what's under the bonnet being crucial to any hot hatch's credentials.

In this case it's a 170bhp version of the Fiat Group's 1.4-litre turbocharged MultiAir petrol engine twinned, for the first time, with Alfa's six-speed TCT automatic transmission.

The combination, which also incorporates an automatic start/stop system, means that this MiTo offers significant improvements in fuel economy and emissions over the model it has replaced - by 10 percent to 52.3mpg on average and 11 percent to 124g/km, respectively.

For all that, though, there is no penalty in terms of performance. In fact, the Alfa boffins have managed to bring the 0-62mph sprint time down by two tenths of a second to 7.3 seconds. The top speed is a spritely 136mph.

Alfa's now familiar DNA - it stands for dynamic, natural and all-weather - drive mode selector is also on board to allow the driver to tweak the car's set-up.

In natural mode it works a treat around town, proving smooth and refined with light and accurate steering making it easy to negotiate busy traffic and manoeuvre into tight spaces.

Hit the open road, though, and you'll want to flick it to the dynamic setting to get the full hot hatch effect.

This sharpens up throttle response and adds weight to the steering for extra feedback, and when you step on the gas there is a satisfying growl from beneath the bonnet. Grip is solid, handling assured and the body well controlled in speedy bends.

So it's a slight shame that the otherwise smooth automatic gearbox takes a split second to react when you're really piling on the revs. Manual override is available via racing car-style flappy paddles but some may feel that a fully manual option, which is not offered, would make the drive more fun.

The MiTo is a four-seater as standard but for £450 you can add the third rear seat my car had, which also gives you a 60/40 split-folding backrest rather than a fixed bench.

Either way, rear space is what you'd expect from a supermini and will feel a little cramped on longer journeys. Room in the front is good, though, and there are plenty of personal storage spaces for a car this size, while the boot also offers serviceable space.

Kit, as you'd expect on a range-topper, is generous with electric windows, aircon, rear parking sensors, satnav and stereo with Bluetooth and USB connectivity.

And the MiTo is one of the safest superminis around, with stability control and seven airbags on all models helping it to the top five-star rating in Euro-NCAP crash tests.