on platforms shared with Jeep.

So, what about the super-mini MiTo we drove in Italy? That story is a bit more complicated.

In 2000, well after Alfa Romeo exited the U.S. market, Fiat entered into an alliance with General Motors. In what was at the time a platform-sharing arrangement, General Motors had the option to buy all of Fiat's car-making operations. After GM passed on the opportunity to buy Fiat in 2005, the alliance was dissolved. GM paid Fiat $2 billion to back out of the deal.

Between 2000 and 2005, GM and Fiat jointly developed the Small Common Components and Systems, or SCCS, platform, a variation of GM's existing Gamma platform. This was an effort to share development costs and save on component costs.

The Opel Corsa shares this platform along with the Fiat Grande Punto. (Both GM and Fiat hold continuing rights to the platform, which is shared by the new Opel Meriva and Combo. Going forward, however, GM will be using the Gamma II platform, co-developed with GM Daewoo with the next Corsa, expected in 2013, to migrate to this architecture along with the Chevrolet Aveo replacement, the Sonic.)

What does all this mean for the MiTo and its prospects for importation to the United States?

According to Fiat's five-year plan for Alfa Romeo, the MiTo will come to the States in 2013. At that time, it will get a new platform that includes the addition of a five-door hatchback deemed better suited to the U.S. market. (American buyers seem to have an aversion to hatchbacks, a trend Ford is bucking with the introduction of the Fiesta.)

Expected to be an evolution of the current car, especially in terms of styling, the new MiTo will be slightly larger. What's not certain is if the three-door hatchback version of the revised MiTo will come to the United States. With the pending introduction of the North American-built Fiat 500, the Chrysler-Fiat brain trust might think the two small coupes would too directly compete with each other.

I hope this won't be the case. Having driven both the MiTo and 500 in Italy, I can safely say that each has different pleasing characteristics. The 500 is more a lifestyle vehicle, like the Volkswagen New Beetle. The MiTo seems more sporting, a more direct competitor to BMW's MINI.

Our MiTo impressed us with its sporty yet comfortable ride, courtesy of its DNA setup. The setup offers three distinct driving settings--Dynamic, Normal, and All-Weather--and is an especially attractive feature. The DNA system controls the settings of the engine, brakes, suspension, and gearbox.

Combine that with exceptional economy (I calculated our mileage to be 38 m.p.g. overall), a surprisingly roomy back seat, and exceptional luggage capacity with the rear seat down, and I think a three-door MiTo will be a winner in the U.S. market.