Driving it
If you’ve spent time in a modern Lotus, then the stoop down
into the cockpit of the Alfa isn’t anything new. Some more generously
proportioned colleagues found it a little squeeze, but once you’re in, finding
a comfy seating position is simple. The seat is all manually adjustable - again
to save weight - and there’s enough length in the runners for taller driver to
push the seat right to the rear bulkhead. The offset pedals and D-shaped
steering wheel take precisely five seconds to adjust to, and the extra reach of
the telescopic steering wheel is a great.
Alfa Romeo 4C
interior
With a compressed amount of time in the car and an enormous
flat section of tarmac with nothing to hit but cones, there’s little option but
to dial up race mode to see just how loose the it can be driven, and just where
its limits lie. You get there by holding the DNA switch against the stops in D
mode until the dash flashes up with the words Race. It has launch control too,
but that doesn’t help you lay a pair of parallel lines at the start of the
course.
What becomes immediately apparent is the noise of the
unmuffled engine. It’s glorious, and unlike anything you may have heard before.
There’s the engine snarl of course, but that’s accompanied with the huffing and
whistles of the turbo. Full throttle changes bark as you grab another gear, and
the experience in an entirely raw and visceral one.
Alfa Romeo 4C
front view
The second thing that hits you is the lack of power assist, both
in the steering - which is weighted perfectly - and in the brakes. While there
is clearly a nice balance between brake master cylinder and servo, the brake
pedal is firm but responsive. You can really stand on them and feel as though
you’re really putting in the effort to slow the car yourself. The pedal is
floor hinged too, and had this car had a third pedal, may have rivalled the 911
for outright driver engagement.
But there’s a disconnect between the driver and the
powertrain. Where you feel hardwired into the steering and brakes, the engine
and transmission feel distant. The engine makes great power and torque on
boost, but the fly-by-wire throttle and dual clutch transmission dull the
experience somewhat. It lacks the ultimate connectivity of the Series 2 Lotus
Elise and Exige - the only other cars with the sort of hard core attributes
that make the Alfa 4C such a fun play toy. You need to drive the car hard
through corners to keep it on boost because, if you don’t, it’ll arrive just as
you exit a bend and give you a lot to think about.
Alfa Romeo 4C
wheel detail
It’s a fantastic car to drive 97 percent of the time. It
looks tremendous, is one of the best handling and performing cars on the market
today. We can’t wait to try it on the road over an extended period - or one
that lasts more than just over a minute at a time. And, of you’re going to do
any serious driving, the Track package is an absolute must. The standard car
simply doesn’t like being on the track without it.
The Alfa 4C is unapologetically raw. If you’ve laid down a
deposit for one, you won’t be disappointed. It performs as well as it looks,
and delivers an unfiltered driving experience that should be savoured.
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Specifications
·
Vehicle type: Mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door
coupe ·
Base price: $55,000 ·
Engine type: Turbocharged and intercooled dohc 16-valve
inline-4, aluminium block and head, direct fuel injection ·
Displacement: 1742 cc ·
Power: 237 hp @ 6000 rpm ·
Torque: 350 nm @ 2200 rpm ·
Transmission: 6-speed dual-clutch automatic with manual
shifting mode Dimensions ·
Wheelbase: 2280 mm ·
Length: 4000 mm ·
Width: 1868 mm ·
Height: 1183 mm ·
Curb weight: 1118 kg Performance ·
Zero to 100km/h: 4.7 sec ·
Standing 1/4-mile: 12.8 sec ·
Top speed: 257 km/h ·
Fuel economy ·
Combined cycle: 8.4 l/100km
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