On engine start the Mito is in Normal mode. The D mode needs to be engaged to have all the horsies running round at full speed. Test drives were taken with working DNA: All horsies are hungry as hell and glopping like mad. In the D mode the throttle response is far more feistier and the 8 sec o-62 will be no problem.
As far as handling goes: the same applies. In D mode the suspension really stiffens. Cornering speeds are fantastic. On bad roads she feels not as stable as cars with independent rear suspension, but it all depends on the amount of bad road you'll be driving on.