Alfa Romeo 4C

Engine

What a dumb little engine for a dumb little car. A torquey, peaky little engine in a car that weighs as much as a bag of wet mice is a recipe for a good time, that is if your version of a good time includes activities like launching fireworks out of potato cannons, or being irresponsible drunk inside of a Dennys.

The throttle programming can be summarized as "interesting" in normal mode and "hilarious" in Dynamic (thats backronym for "sport")

If Alfa Romeo & Porsche made audio equipment, Porsche would give you an oil-bathed, finely machined aluminum volume knob, with micron precise knurling that took some 3 years of research and development to find the optimum shape and depth, that you can twist in micron accuracy to get you your desired sound output.

Alfa Romeo would wire the output directly to the home electrical line, and give you the play/pause button.

My car is equipped with the "race exhaust" where you pay Alfa Romeo for the privilege of them sawing off both of your mufflers a-la 500 Abarth. It's a straight pipe from the cats.

It's loud on startup, cruise, acceleration, everywhere.You get the sounds of the unmuffled exhaust bouncing off of any hard surface within 3 miles, you get the concerto of a dozen Miele vacuum cleaners cramming 21 PSI into an engine with sub-pizza-party-pepsi-bottle of displacement, and the (at first disconcerting) tictictictic of the direct injection solenoids. Its like your head is directly inside the engine bay, all the time.

There is a VERY pronounced drone at 2700-3200RPM, which unfortunately is right at 75MPH in top gear. The 4Cs sound is best enjoyed ripping through gears - it does not sound particularly pleasant in any kind of static engine condition, and is downright grating on the highway.

No car has made it so clear that it is uncomfortable going slowly, and it makes you empathetic (and therefore complicit) to its needs, much to your passengers (and lawyers) dismay.

There is no pleasant V8 motorboat like burble in a cruise, there is only an emanation of its deep seated "gotta-go-fast" anxiety which permeates the car in the whole, diffuses through the thin seatbacks into your blood, and slowly transforms you over the coarse of your drive into an absolute 4-loko locomotion gremlin.

Transmission

The transmission complements the engine quite nicely, no, the car is not better because it has a dual clutch instead of a manual, but it does "work", that is, when it is working (more on that later).

It is not a Porsche PDK - nothing is, except the PDK. Its about exactly as good as the pre-refresh 6 speed DCT in the Audi S3.

It does however, have some faults not commonly held by other dual clutch gearboxes. Namely, the clutch design. Most other car companies (looking at you Ford) figured out a long time ago that having dry clutches in your transmission creates a few issues, namely, they can get hot. 4Cs can overheat the clutches in heavy stop and go traffic. They will also not have the excellent launch-after-launch-after-launch durability of the VW Group wet-clutch plate DCTs. I have avoided abusing launch control (much) during my ownership due to this fact.

The automatic mode is "interesting" it holds 1st gear up to 4200RPM (and thats in Normal mode). That is a lot of racket pulling out of your neighborhood in the morning.

Paddle response is quite excellent - seems quite consistent with downshifts and upshifts (apart from the rare slurred shift in Dynamic mode) are very quick.

Chassis and Suspension

My car is equipped with the track suspension. It is not a "track inspired" or "motorsport inspired" suspension. It is a track suspension. The only place this suspension feels good is on the track. Thats it. It has wildly stiff low speed damping behavior.

On a good mountain road or the track, paved sometime within the past 30 minutes, it is absolutely sublime. Great body control, fantastic behavior under hard breaking.

On a highway with expansion joints it is a skateboard. I expect that a go-kart, with nothing but the flex of its steel frame and two Dennys napkins in your back pockets to soften impacts, would be more compliant on most stretches of road.

There actually isn't that much tire under the car, and the front will wash before the rear, which is quite welcome as a warning sign of the interesting portions of vehicle dynamics textbooks you are about to experience if you push further. The 4C has a very short wheelbase and a very extreme weight distribution. When the back end does step out, you need, fast, fast hands because it swings fast.

Steering

The lack of power steering is not really a big deal. You get used to it. You do not get used to the tram-lining. It goes like a husky puppy towards a squirrel towards micron depressions in pavement. While you do not get used to it, your brain gets the muscle memory required to not plow into the side of cars when the road height changes.

Add the cost of a good alignment to your purchase price. It helps a ton.

Otherwise, on good roads, I love this steering rack. I do wish they picked up the electric assist so they could have increased the rate, but its quite excellent as is. Loads up great in the corners, but there is very little on-center feel. That was a big surprise.

My expectation is that Alfa Romeo reduced the caster to reduce the steering effort, meaning a relatively weak centering force, leading to some middle-of-travel mush. Far off-center, it feels great, on center just "meh".

Interior

This is not a road trip car. The inside is cramped, spartan, and perfect for its intended purpose (be light, be Itallian, in that order).

As far as I can tell, there is no difference between the different positions on the temperature dial. Any hot = full hot, any cold = full cold.

The trunk is directly behind the engine - do NOT transport ice cream in the trunk, no matter the distance. You have been warned. Otherwise, I found the trunk to be quite useful. Definitely not as useful as the cavernous storage options on my Mustang or Cayman, it was perfectly usable for light grocery runs, weekend trips, and cleaning supplies.

A person of my height has two real seating positions, legs uncomfortable or back uncomfortable.

The stereo does not deserve comment. It deserves no words from me. I do not wish to speak of it. You cannot make me speak of it.

While not useful, luxurious, or particularly well put together, it is special. The dramatic sweeps of the carbon tub, wonderful machined aluminum pedals, and engraved headrests make it feel like an occasion every time I get into it.

Appearance

While looks are subjective, you are subjectively blind if you dont find the 4C at least a little endearing. Its low, its wide, and permeates drama.

This car is on another league to my Cayman on the "look at me" department. I have been nearly run into no less than 4 times by people trying to take photos of the car while driving. Every gas station stop is an impromptu cars and coffee. Children will shout. Old men will follow you for miles to wait for you to stop to tell you long winded stories about the Alfa spider they owned in 71. Old Itallian grandmothers will invite you to their birthday parties in an attempt to introduce you to set you up with their grand daughters.

Its also a cars and coffee sweet heart, everyone wants to know what it's like to own and drive, including owners of cars much more expensive and much rarer.

Ownership experience

1 issue with the transmission, cleared by a software update (any car newer than 2015 will not have this issue).

Parts are quite expensive, but that was expected, except for the price of the windshield ($4200).

The car does not tolerate being a garage queen, you do not drive it for 2 weeks, your battery will go below the CEL + "no-sport-mode-for-you" threshold. You must trickle charge or drive the piss out of the car. I do not have a trickle charger. I am not going to buy a trickle charger. Not even in winter. Theres an "all weather" mode for a reason.

Concluding thoughts

Why on earth, would any rational person buy a 4C over a Macan S? The Macan is objectively better to drive along nearly every measure, and doesn't need a 2 door body, or a stiff ride, or a poor stereo and still moves like a bat out of hell along nearly every axis.

Technology has advanced to where you no longer need to sacrifice wholistic car stuff for levels of performance you will never reach the limits of on the road.

There is a nagging issue however, and it's that the Macan is not a sports car, and will never be one. It can lap many of my beloved sports cars, but it can never be one.

More than ever in the age of Uber SUVs and 10 second sedans, sports cars are defined by sacrifice.

There are people who grew up dreaming of sports cars reading every piece of information they could about the struggles and issues and fires, the sacrifice of a sports car became infused with them. What is the point of speed if you don't lose anything for it? Where is the purpose of the machine? The artistry in its singular focus?

I wanted sacrifice and vision. I wanted to never forget that what I was in was designed above all else (and at the expense of all else), to be pleasurable to drive quickly.

The 4C never lets me forget what it is, the worst, best, most awful, and most fantastic car I have ever owned.

I've written about my 4C , and i'm very thankful for the reception those posts have received. I've also had about a dozen prospective owners of the 4C reach out to me for advice, experiences, and just to chat about my experience with the car - and thats something id continue to be happy to do.

The 4C was an object of obsession long before purchasing it, and I am left with a lot of complicated feelings after saying goodbye to it. The 4C isn't a car you come into "on the fence" about, it's not something that you cross shop with other cars and end up in something else. Everyone I know who owns one literally only looked for a 4C.

In that sense - the 4C is kind of like a piece of your identity, where what the car represents is infinitely more important than what it is.

If you want the kind of experience that the 4C is known to provide then absolutely still get one. But over the past couple of years, my desires for a sports car have changed - and I don’t really have the ability to keep two around. Most of us don’t have a warehouse to keep every car we’ve ever bought in storage - just the garages of our memories, and I’m always going to be thankful I got to add it to mine.

A good friend of mine said about the 4C: "This car is like a bad high school boyfriend, while you are young you are obsessed with what that person is, and claw into it like its about to run away from you. In retrospect you realize how terrible you we're for each other, even if you have a lot of good memories with them. This car is a guaranteed coming of age story no matter how old you are"

Why I sold it:

I want to become a better driver.

I think it’s hard to become a better driver without a venue to explore a car at and beyond the limits of adhesion. The 4Cs limits are high-ish, and past the limits it’s a little hairy, like with most mid-engined cars.

I want to go to more tracks across the US

It doesn’t matter how good the car is on the track if you wouldn’t drive it there. About 250 miles is my limit in the 4C. There’s also definitely not enough space to bring spares, or tools, or luggage. There aren’t any trailer hitches available like there is for the Elise.

I wanted to be able to drive it to more places and do more things with it.

The best sports car is the one you have with you, and for most of the past 2 years, that had been a 2015 Honda Fit, because that’s the only car that could more than 3 pairs of underwear and a sock. Not to mention the punishing ride of the 4C means my Fiancé was not a fan of going anywhere in the 4C, especially not anywhere 1+ hour away.

Not to mention the long wait times on some 4C parts - waited 3 months for a new $4000 windshield.

I of course knew of all of the shortcomings of the 4C when I bought it, but what I want out of a sports car has changed over time. It really boils down to that a sports car you drive is better than a sports car you don’t, and ill have more reasons and opportunities to drive my GR86 than I ever did with the 4C.

But ill always remember the 4C, and i'm sure in a couple of years ill look back on it through rose-tinted glasses and forget all of the pain of owning one, and just see that beautiful car on a gorgeous summer morning in a canyon road.

Maybe that's where an Alfa Romeo is best experienced, in the memories of a younger, more romantic version of yourself.

If so, ill always love my 4C.

Photos here:

A bit under 2 years ago I impulse bought a used Alfa Romeo 4C and now I've put 15000 KM on it I wanted to do a short report in case anyone is looking to get one. I was cross shopping it with a used F430/F458 but I thought that would've been too financially irresponsible. It's not such a common car and a bit different of an experience than my previous cars. Some aspects of this may also apply to people looking to buy a similar car. Also happy to answer questions of course.

I also have one of the highest mileage 4Cs in the world at 90k kms.

The specs:

• 2015 "Base" coupe model with halogen headlights.

• Red exterior with black interior.

• "Base" cast alloy wheels (17/18")

• Sports exhaust (no muffler)* and sports suspension (1" lower)

• Rear parking sensors

Modifications I did:

1. *I had the muffler put back in, the sports exhaust pisses everyone off and makes my ears ring.

2. Pioneer aftermarket radio with 7" touchscreen and carplay/android auto

3. ReallyLightStuff wide angle side mirrors (stick on)

Driving

I'm 6' and my wife is 5' 1", the first part of usability is the driving position. The driver's seat only moves front and back, and the backrest can move independently. The steering wheel moves and is telescopic but with a somewhat limited range of motion. I do okay but can't see the top part of the tachometer while my wife needs a literal booster seat (we use a foam back cushion and a foam seat cushion from Amazon). Anyone over 6' 2" would have a tough time and as indicated anyone under 5' 3" will probably need a booster.

Nontheless we both love driving it and overall it drives fine but doesn't like being stuck in traffic. The downside is pretty expected with difficult entry (high lip to get over, somewhat firm ride, small cabin, no power steering assistance) but I managed to overcome the most important usability issues by adding a rear camera and wide mirrors. Without the mirrors, driving in some cities like Paris is outright dangerous and the "blind spot" is extremely large.

The handling is very good but I'd argue it's slightly worse than the hydraulic BMW E90 steering in terms of accuracy and overall balance. It does benefit from the much lower center of gravity and light weight but the feedback is just okay. I haven't taken it on the track.

Usability

We're both young and fit, if you're a bit older or heavier I'd recommend trying to get in and out a couple of times before buying. The cabin is small and entry/exit can be an inelegant affair at the best of times.

We use it as a daily driver for short trips including groceries, but we also have a Tesla Model S for longer trips and the dogs. As an only car you COULD be fine if you don't get heavy snowfall, have smooth roads, and are free from kids or pets and also don't do very long trips regularly. Basically you'll have to live in western Europe but not too far north... The NVH is high and tiring on drives longer than 3 or 4 hours. Driving at night is terrible (headlights suck) as is driving in heavy rain (rain visibility at night is a bit scary). The trunk is also tiny and holds (and heats up) only 1 large 50 liter duffle bag but the passenger seat can fit a bit more stuff in a pinch (e.g. skis, if you're very short or groceries).

Steep garages and large speed bumps are very problematic and need to be approached at an angle or avoided entirely. Fortunately in Switzerland this is generally a non-issue.

Maintenance

On average, I've spent 2000 dollars on service/maintenance/repairs excluding upgrades. I had the timing belt service (~1.5k USD) and most of the AC replaced (also ~2k) but otherwise it's not needed anything. Based on the service records these were the only 2 major items in the 90k km history. I am okay with this and it's proportional to the new price of the car for the age.

So far it may sound like a meddling experience so....

The good and why I won't be selling

With the muffler back on the car sounds good without being annoying. The fuel economy is excellent (~7 L/100 km average) and the car is so basic that it's unlikely much will go wrong. The look is very exotic and I really like it when kids are happy to see it. Also the price I paid (<40k USD) and the value retention made it a pretty good buy. Maintenance/cost of ownership is also much lower than the alternatives (for me F458/Huracan) and the dual clutch transmission makes it easier to use.

Driving at speed is also good up to about 220 km/h, above that it feels very floaty.

It may sound like I'm pretty negative about the car but I love it and plan on holding onto it. I just wanted anyone considering it to have a realistic view. I don't baby it and it's perfect for the strange niche which I've assigned to it: An exotic daily driver for short trips and small grocery hauls without kids.

Last week, a beautiful 2015 4C popped up for sale just outside of Seattle. I panicked. I said probably 150 times after selling my Cayman I would wait until next year before buying another sports car, to take my time, find out what I really want now that I have a garage.

I sent the listing for the 4C to my girlfriend, and said I wasn't going to get it - . (I should have seen it too, last time I said I was going to wait, I went to go sell my Mustang, and came home with the Cayman they had sitting in the showroom)

After deliberating for 12 minutes, and some goading by my girlfriend who was assuredly tired of me constantly talking about the 4C, I decided now is the time. I called the dealership and got the ball rolling. Once we got everything squared away, the question came up about shipping. I was told that would take, like, 2 whole weeks. I couldn't wait that long. I have been waiting for a 4C since I was fresh out of high school, looking at the red example they had on the pedestal at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show. 2 More weeks would have been borderline unbearable, I wouldn't have slept or done anything but refreshed the shipping status page.

Bought my ticket for Thursday night, for the next afternoon. I flew in, and ubered to the dealership. The first thing that was said to me was “Are you really driving this thing 1300 miles home?” I said yes. The salesman who sold me the car then went to his personal vehicle, took out his lumbar support pillow from the driver's seat, and gave it to me and said “You are going to need this more than I do”

That is the only time I questioned what I was getting myself into.

This is the first car I have ever owned where you need to do the “carbon squat” to get inside of. Where you sit down in the seat first, and then bring your legs in over the door sill. The seating position is near vertical. Very exciting.

My route was Washington -> Oregon -> Idaho -> Utah -> Wyoming -> Colorado.

A few photos:

Ran into a bunch of good people, and some strange ones, like the man walking in circles around his car playing guitar in rural Oregon in 37 degree weather, for at least 20-30 minutes. I left before I saw him get back in his car.

I have been fortunate to own some nice cars, but nothing has turned every Conoco into an impromptu cars and coffee like this one. I was expecting more looks than a Mustang, sure, but I didn't expect to feel like I had changed one too many things in Leonardo DiCaprio's dream. Just stares everywhere.

The question I was asked by friends and family is: “Why a 4C instead of a Cayman?” Thats been a question that's been difficult to articulate. Most of the time I am so overwhelmed with emotion for the car, all that comes out is “Alba Romebo” (after witnessing the struggle to articulate they usually do not press for another answer). It's a similar spell im sure that has led many to the halls of Alfa Romeo (and Itallia in general).

If I try and sit down and really get down to it: Sports Cars are defined by what they sacrifice. Its the reason a hot rod crossover could lap a sports cars of yore, but their total lack of sacrifice in pursuit of that performance excludes them from being considered a sports car.

Caymans sacrifice a lot over a truck sure, but not enough to where you are constantly cognisant you are in a sports car. They can easily melt away into the background and just be a car. To some, including me when a Cayman was my only car, that was a welcome feature and a powerful differentiator.

After I bought a Honda Fit the equation radically changed. I have no need for any other vehicle that could do regular car stuff - all I was after was an experience. And, oh man, for the price, does the 4C deliver on experience. I wanted to feel the compromise. I wanted to never be far away from the narrow intentions the vehicle was designed for. I wanted a distinct lack of flexibility. Its how I always imagined exotic cars to be.

Quirks and Random Weird things I learned over 1300 miles in the 4C:

- Rear quarter visibility is non-existent. To avoid denting an F150s front bumper, and totaling the 4C at the same time, it's best to Magic Merge always. E.g. Magically turn whatever was in your blindspot into asphalt with a liberal application of Gap Daniels Tennessee Throttle

.- I genuinely thought the speakers were blown for the first 1000 miles. The sound quality was hilariously bad like one of those Bass Boost shrek memes on everything. The Freakanomics DUN-DUN-DUN was so loud and high passed it honestly made me laugh out loud. After 1000 miles I decided to mess around with the stereo settings and found “Ultra Bass Boost Enabled” yeah.. Toggling that setting turned the speakers from truly terrible to just pretty bad. If the Highs, Mids, and Lows were three members of a band, Mids would be the vocalist who sings with their mouth way too close to the microphone, and highs and lows got the address of the venue wrong and started playing down the street. This is with the premium sound system.

- The seats have limited adjustability, it allows for two real settings for someone of my height (5’ 11”): Legs uncomfortable OR Back uncomfortable. Its best to alternate between the two on long drives. If you’ve owned an NA Miata you will feel right at home.

- At low throttle, low speed cruise, the engine sounds just like a Cessna 152 overhead, overlaid with the sound of a from the direct injector solenoids.

- Cruise control is.. Strange. Sometimes one press of the stalk raises the speed by one, sometimes by three, sometimes by none at all.- The Climate controls have a dial with many stops in between - but its adjustability is basically Hot & Not Hot. Yep, Its Italian all right.

- Power delivery is hilarious, if Porsche gives you a fine grained volume knob, Alfa Romeo cranks it to 11 and gives you the Play/Pause button.

- 70-78MPH is the drone zone, its like a really out of tune flute right behind your head. Alfa go OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

- I averaged 30.8 MPG over the entire 1300 miles.

- haha turbo go woosh

Please give it if you have