[MUSIC PLAYING] CARLOS LAGO: Even though the Alfa Romeo 4C has been for sale in the US
for some time now, there's still nothing quite like it.
Sure, there's a lot of similarly priced two-door sports cars, but nothing that matches the
Italian design flair that the 4C delivers and nothing else that really has the same
construction underneath.
In this video, we're going to go to the test track to see how fast this car goes in a straight
line, and how well it corners to see if the driving experience can match the good looks.
So, we'll start our acceleration tests like we always do in the key up settings, where
we have the car in its normal mode and in automatic.
This does have launch control, so it will be faster.
But we also just like to see and get a baseline and see what this will do when you just turn
it on and let it get warm.
OK.
Let's go.
So, the 4C, the first run, the key up settings, it's decently quick.
You know, I'd say that acceleration time is pretty good.
It sure makes a lot of fuss going about it though.
The clutch engagement is a little bit long, when you just mash the gas.
But the noises are everywhere.
The feedback is everywhere.
This car wants you to know how fast it's going.
In fact, it wants you to think you're going a little bit faster than you actually are.
This is very much about sensation, not about the data.
OK.
So, for launch control, we'll put it in dynamic, which means pushing this lever up and then
releasing it, and then pressing and holding it until it says Alfa Race-- Alfa Romeo Race--
connected.
So, I'll mash the gas with my right foot, wait until launch control looks like it's
working, and then release the brake.
Let's do it.
Oh.
Gotta shift manually in Alfa Romeo Race.
That's one of the few automatic or dual clutch cars with a launch control that requires you
to shift manually.
Now we try launch control.
Ready.
Let's do it.
So, we've cut a fair amount of time off the acceleration by using launch control.
It feels like a clutch dump basically.
When you mash the gas, it goes right up to about 3,000 RPM or so.
Release the brake and it's just a hard release on the clutch.
That gets you out of the hole quickly.
Although, you just have to focus at that point on hitting your shifts.
Fortunately, the tach turns yellow when it looks like it's time to shift.
So, I was just basically using that as a reference.
It's kind of hard to read the tach, because you only have 500 RPM increments.
So who knows whether the red line is 6,500 or 6,000.
I was shifting at six.
I didn't want to get into the rev limiter.
You're not buying this car to see how fast data loggers tell you it is.
You're buying this car to see how fast this car tells you it is.
And it feels way faster than it actually is.
Is that a good thing or a bad thing?
It's a philosophical question.
What's more important to me is actually going fast, but feeling good about it, too.
So, the Alfa Romeo 4C is an interesting car for reasons that become apparent very quickly
on this handling track.
The first thing you notice is that the steering is very heavy and has a lot to tell you.
That's because this is a manual steering rack.
There is no assistance, either hydraulically or electronically back to the wheel.
Whatever the front wheels do, the wheel tells me.
Whatever I want to do, I have to wrestle through the system to make it happen
Now, the intent is this is what driving used to be.
This is what it's supposed to be.
Manual steering is good because this is how cars are supposed to handle.
In effect, I'm not quite sure if it works.
It makes for a very busy steering that requires a lot of effort.
And that effort can reduce your confidence in the car, which makes you a little bit less
eager to take the line that you would prefer to take on a closed circuit like this one.
But this is such a light weight and inherently nimble platform, with a really nicely balanced
chassis.
The really fun thing about this is like many mid-engine cars, it oversteers just slightly
on corner entry.
And it stabilizes when you go to power.
So that creates for a very engaging platform, a very fun way to throw the car around.
It's something that I could do all day.
This turbo charged, four cylinder engine is very loud, but picks up nice and quickly,
powerfully in low revs.
Traditionally, a car like this would have a really peaky, naturally aspirated engine
if it was made 10 years ago.
But now it has a broadly powerful turbocharged engine, that allows you to get away with running
a gear higher than you normally would.
Now, we need to slow for corner like this.
You get some understeer if you try to go in too hot.
But I got to say, the platform in this makes this for a very fun car to drive quick.
It's just, I long for a little more accuracy.
And I wish the wheel didn't have to need as much effort as I'm having to put into it,
because that's affecting where I'm putting this car on this track.
I'm not putting it in the places where I'd like to.
Because I'm not trusting that the wheel is going to do everything I tell it to.
It may try to talk back, when this is supposed to be a one-sided conversation.
Now, this is a nimble car that isn't afraid to give up on rear grip.
But it does so in a way that's not traditional drifting.
It's not power sliding.
It's more of an old school slide.
They're really small and subtle.
Just like that, just small movements that help the car stay where you want to be.
Help it-- helps it turn the car in in some areas, too, like right there.
Little bit of countersteer, little bit, just to maintain the angle.
And that's exciting.
That's fun.
That's the kind of excitement I want out of a car like this.
What I don't want is the sound that this engine makes.
And I don't want the excitement through the steering.
You have to want the driving purity that you get with the manual steering, or at least
the ability to brag about it.
But then you have to also be OK with having an automatic transmission.
Transmission shifts quickly enough.
But if you're going to put your stake on having a manual steering system, because that's how
you drive cars, it's weird to then have an automatic.
All in all this is a very fun, if single purpose, car that owners should be cautious of and
understand before they go try to pick out theirs.
We're probably only going to talk about the interior of the 4C briefly because frankly
there isn't much going on here.
If you look down around, you see a lot of carbon fiber.
And that's because the structure underneath the seat is all carbon fiber.
And they're really proud about showing that off.
Or they didn't want to spend the money and cover it up with material that would otherwise
hide the beautiful weave they have going on here.
Now, the interior is an expert exercise in reducing features, maybe as a way to cut costs,
but also maybe as a way to embrace the purity of driving.
If you reach your hand behind the stack here, you can actually like touch the wires and
everything that make the whole dash work.
The head unit is literally an aftermarket alpine head unit that you can take the faceplate
off of and stow if you don't want to get it stolen.
And the USB and auxiliary inputs are literally just cables hanging down from a pouch in the
dash.
So, interior functionality not an important part of the 4C.
What is though is driving, so let's turn it on.
There we go.
OK.
Once you fire the car up, the dash you see is all digital.
6,500 RPM redline, very clearly displayed, a lot of focus on making it look very showy.
But that's kind of it when it comes down to the interior.
Window controls and power mirror controls in the center.
You've got a toggle here that switches between the dynamic settings, the race setting, and
the all weather setting.
And that's really it.
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The Alfa Romeo 4C can be a very exciting car to drive, but for brief periods, kind of like
a dirt bike, or a jet ski, or a super car from the '80s.
And that makes it more of a toy than a car.
That could mean it's the right solution for a small amount of owners who like that sort
of experience.
But for most people, we think there are better options for this price when it comes to sports
cars.
If you like what you saw, keep it tuned right here.
And be sure to visit Edmunds.com.
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