My colleague Carter suggested that he wished Alfa Romeo was producing cars like the lovely Giulietta Spider. I don't disagree but since Alfa is in the process of reinventing itself I think a car like the 4C is exactly what they need. I was recently fortunate enough to spend some time gazing upon it and following it on the open road and came to the conclusion that this car is an instant classic.
(Forgive my photography skills)
Year: 2015
Model: Alfa Romeo 4C
Engine: 1.7 liter turbocharged inline-4
Transmission: 6-speed dual dry-clutch semi-automatic
Price: $68,400 (Launch Edition)
First impressions of the 4C are great. It looks stunning in person. The only awkward styling bit is the C-pillar/rear buttresses. They are rather chunky when viewed from the side but this seems to be required for current crash standards and is really the only blemish on an otherwise truly lovely car.
The interior is very sparse. Think Lotus Elise, not Porsche Cayman. This is not a daily driving kind of car but a track car or a blast through the hills on Sunday morning kind of machine. Headroom was tight for me but I am longish of torso and legroom was adequate for all who sat in it. There is plenty of exposed carbon fiber and the seats are thinly padded and not for the wide of backside. Ingress and egress is not very graceful with a very low car and very wide sills.
Luggage space is not what one would call generous either. If you’re going away for the weekend with your sweetheart, wait until you get to your destination and unpack before you buy any wine. Forget about bringing home souvenirs too. This really won’t be a problem since since a weekend away in a 4C will create more memories than any of the bric-a-brac that gets collected and later junked.
Manufacturer liability prevented me from driving the 4C but following it on rural roads is an aural and visual treat. It doesn't sound sharp like a 6 cylinder Porsche, it’s more punk-rock than opera. It pops, growls, whooshes, shouts and the back side is entirely enjoyable to gaze upon. I’ll let you, dear reader, draw your own conclusion if that sounds like a good time or not. I enjoyed it immensely!
Any other knocks against the car? For some, the elephant in the room is the lack of a manual transmission. Fair critique, but if one looks at how many Porsches (for example) are sold with manual versus the manumatic gearbox it’s understandable why Alfa chose to offer the 4C with a semi-auto gearbox.
The true significance of the 4C is that Alfa is back on the path that made them a great company for so many years. The 4C is a sports car. It’s not a GT, it’s not a sports sedan, it’s not a super car, hyper car or your mothers car. It’s sort of like an Exige and sort of like a Cayman. What it really is, however, is its own thing, which is exactly what it needs to be. You can already buy a Cayman or an Exige and they are brilliant in their own way but you wouldn't say one is better than the other because they are different cars. That’s what the 4C is, its own thing.
For those that want a hand built Italian exotic but fear the hefty price tag, here is your chance to get an instant classic AND it will have a warranty! Given that some Alfa-Romeo Giuliettas are selling north of $100k, the 4C has to be the bargain of the decade.
-Jim
