Review: La dolce vita: Life’s sweet sensations in Alfa’s 4C
Alfa Romeo’s 4C Coupe is a beautiful car.
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Today we throw away any talk about cookie-cutter automotive design. You know, the prevalent lament that “today’s cars all look the same.”
We also employ a real estate analogy about buying the least expensive house in a nice neighborhood. This review is all about buying a super car for about one third of the normal price of entry into that category.
A few other bromides apply, namely, “It doesn’t get any better than this” and “It’s not for everybody.”
The subject of all this wisdom is the spectacular-looking 2017 Alfa Romeo 4C Coupe, a treat to our senses.
Fire up the 4C’s engine and the exhaust note takes care of sound.
Rub your hand over the strong carbon-fiber body and you understand another reason why the Italian designers had the right touch.
WELCOME: Leather and microfiber seats, dashboard, and steering wheel give a luxury touch to the mostly minimalist Alfa Romeo 4C sports car.
What about smell?
You can experience that in several ways. One is to get inside (no easy feat; more about that later) and experience the olfactory treats of fine leather and new-car smell.
The other is to drive this mid-engine rocket hard and then smell the hot oil and rubber scents through the vents alongside the rear window-hatch and rear cargo compartment.
However, the one sense the 4C doesn’t treat is common sense.
This vehicle certainly isn’t for everyone. That’s not its intention. Nor is it for everyday driving. Let us count just 10 of the ways.
- No power steering. Parking and maneuvering in tight spaces is tedious and time-consuming, also partly because …
- …Rear visibility is negligible. There’s no rearview camera, not even as an option, and the view out the rear hatch is minimal. Rear parking sensors help…a bit.
- There aren’t any storage places inside, including a spot to put your cellphone. The small rear cargo area (right behind the engine) means the few items you put there are subject to extreme heat.
- Getting in is a job for the very flexible; otherwise, you turn around, aim your posterior at the seat, and fall inside. Flexible knees help a lot.
- Getting out is a bit harder and pretty much impossible to do gracefully. You extricate your legs, then either push off the extra-wide sill or pull yourself by the doorframe. Another option: Get a hand from one of the admirers the car seems to attract wherever you park.
- The pedals. Instead of hanging from above, the brake pedal is hinged on the floor. It’s a strange feeling the first time you sit in the 4C, but you quickly get used to it.
- The 4C is fairly wide, but the seats themselves are on the narrow side, positioned down between those wide sills that actually are part of the weight-saving, strength-giving, carbon-fiber monocoque chassis.
- For those who are concerned with seat comfort, there’s virtually no adjustment on these sport seats. A bit of back-and-forth travel is it. The seatback is fixed and extremely upright—actually my preferred position. So I found it pretty comfortable even when an anticipated 45-minute drive turned out to be an hour longer. I emerged no worse for wear.
- The stiff suspension. On the plus side, the 4C corners as if it’s on a rail. On the negative side, you feel every bump. Back on the plus side, we were driving it in Florida where the roads are pretty smooth so the stiff suspension was a joy.
- The lightweight 4C (2,465 pounds) doesn’t have a lot of sound insulation to cancel road noise, the engine adds noise (it’s right behind the seats), and the exhaust note, pleasing in the short run, can be a bit much over the long haul.
Some might think of those as negatives; others, those for whom the 4C is designed, consider it the price to pay to drive something that performs like a Ferrari, Lamborghini, or McLaren and turns the same number of heads, for a fraction of the price.
Speaking of the price, the 4C checks in at a base price of $57,495 (including destination).
Our fully optioned test vehicle—remember the “it doesn’t get any better than this”—was as good as it can get in the 4C world. Options included racing leather-microfiber seats ($2,000); convenience group with alarm, cruise control, and rear parking sensors ($1,400); carbon fiber trim group ($2,000); track package with carbon fiber rear spoiler, leather-microfiber steering wheel, and race-tuned suspension ($2,300); car cover ($400); carbon fiber Italian flag side mirrors ($300); bi-xenon headlamps ($1,000); carbon fiber roof ($2,500), sport-tuned exhaust ($500); Alpine audio system ($900); optional 18-inch front, 19-inch rear wheels ($2,500), battery charger ($150), leather-trimmed interior ($2,000), and Black signature Brembo brake calipers ($300).
Bottom line: $75,745.
Judging from the gearheads who marveled at it, sat in it, watched us drive it, there’s a big group of 4C aficionados.
And that group grew as casual observers heard the 1.75-liter turbocharged engine bark, sounding as if it were eager to discharge all of its 237 horses and 258 lb.-ft. of torque.
We say farewell as the 4C heads off in the distance with a lucky driver enjoying a sense-ational ride.
Bill Griffith can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @MrAutoWriter.
2017 Alfa Romeo 4C Coupe
THE BASICS
Price, base/as tested (with destination): $57,495/$75,745. Fuel economy, EPA estimated: 24 city/34 highway. Fuel economy, Globe observed: 29.6. Drivetrain: 1.75-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder mid-engine, 6-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, rear-wheel drive. Body: Carbon fiber and aluminum monocoque 2-seat sports car.
THE SPECIFICS
Horsepower: 237. Torque: 258 lb.-ft. Overall length: 157 in. Wheelbase: 93.7 in. Height: 46.6 in. Width: 73.5 in. Curb weight: 2,456 in.
THE GOOD
Looks, handling, performance.
THE BAD
Driving drawbacks: no power steering or rearview camera; lack of creature comforts.
THE BOTTOM LINE
A great looking car with the performance to back it up.
ALSO CONSIDER
These somewhat similar vehicles: Audi TTS, BMW M3, Chevrolet Corvette (used), Dodge Viper, Ford Shelby Mustang, Lotus Evora, Porsche Boxster and Caym
