I bought a 2015 4C Launch Edition new.....it is a fantastic car. Yes, as he says, a raw drivers experience. Owners (reports on 4C Forum) have found it to be pretty much bullet proof. Even when tracking hard at high ambient temperatures over 100 degrees F it never works up a sweat unlike many other cars that can only go for 3-4 laps before going into limp mode. Being so light it also is easy on consumables like tires and brakes when tracked. Stock it is damn fast but with just a couple of simple changes like camber and caster adjustments more suitable for track, maybe coil overs and ECU upgrade it becomes a track monster. And yes....it can be daily driven as long as you don't require lots of luggage space. It is also a delight on long trips. That wide torque band from down low on the revs on up is what make this so fast. On any corner you can pull out like a freight train.
I think my friend described it best: "The interior materials feel like a condom, but it drives like having sex without that condom. You don't really miss not having it because it's so enjoyable but your reminded of it every time you engage in the usual foreplay."
This is the best review of the 4C. It begins with explaining all the not so important flaws of the car and then focuses to where it really matters and thats driving it! Finally he finishes up with a big smile on his face! This is the emotion that only an Alfa can offer! Puts a great big smile at your face no matter how many years pass! I simply don't understand car journalist that speak for hours about how impractical the car is or how small is the boot compartment or the lack of small storage space inside the cabin! I also don't understand why they keep comparing it with the Cayman! This is such a unique car, its made simply for driving and its drop dead gorgeous to look at! I mean seriously look at a Cayman and then look at the 4C! You simply can't stop staring at it! Well done Alfa and good luck with showing everyone once more how cool driving is again!
Here is an interesting note about the 4C braking, Ready Alert Brake System (RAB) This function activates automatically if the accelerator pedal is released rapidly, reducing the brake pad travel (both at front and back), with the aim of preparing the braking system and enhancing its responsiveness, thus reducing the stopping distance in the event of subsequent braking.
This guy gets it! People that say that this car has many faults just don’t get it! This thing is one of the few cars made nowadays which puts a smile on your face and its not just about speed. Its about the experience. Definitely a future classic and something that i would consider buying over more expensive sportcars
Can't say enough good things about you sir -- your level of engineering knowledge now combined with your ability to access some serious cars is just brilliant. Keep. It. Up. You are seriously approaching respect levels of Lago, Harris, Farah -- I honestly mean that in the most sincere way.
+F3ARL388 Haha thank you for the kind words! I'll never match Chris Harris' driving talent, but I'd suffice to be on par with his level of accurately describing the vehicles he drives. As far as production value, I had friends help out on this one, so it was much easier (for moving shots).
I absolutely love your videos mate, they are extremely informative and to the point. You are like the go to guy for videos on cars and I've learnt quite a lot from you. Keep up the great work man.
The Art of GNAR just bought one! March 2016 black! Amazing car! Really Amazing And soon will improve with Camber set up and a light battery plus carbon lights and mirrors. In Spring Ecu , Exaust, intercoouler .. with 320 Cv. And 850 Kg real!!
I test drove a Cayman S before buying this car. I bought the 4C because I like dating the high maintenance model that turns every head in the room when you walk in. I've never had so much fun simply talking to people who come up to me asking what it is and marveling at its beauty...
This is the way sports cars need to go - lightweight, small, nimble, simple, fun! The only thing missing was a manual gearbox. Mazda MX5 is the cheaper alternative.
Great review! Always very informative and matter of fact approach. Definitely one of my favourite car reviewers along with Chris Harris and Jeremy Clarkson.
Oooh an Alfa 4C owner with an Abarth shirt on. YEAH! The 4C is my favorite car and I would take it over anything else, even if I could spend much more money. Great review! I really like how you go into more technical detail than other car reviewers.
+Chance Dobbins Hey Chance, it's me in the video :D My dealership ordered me an Alfa shirt to go with the car. I gotta make do with the Abarth shirt for now.
+Kyle Nicholls Well because Abarth throughout history has supplied performance parts to Alfa Romeo, you are definitely part of club Abarth! Very nice car!
Plse consider a review about the VW cheating case. I would like to see some more reliable information. Arent there any tests, to evaluate the real dimension of their cheating? Can anyone say, how much less/ more NOX, hp and torque the Volkswagen produces when its is or on off dyno? Maybe an interesting topic for you?
You should review the Lotus Elise S2 and/or a 2ZZGE powered MR2 Spyder. Very similar to what you are driving, albeit the torque is not like the Alfa outside of a turbocharger/supercharger. Great review and great fun!
+Luke Wallace very rare? They are actually quite popular.. Your mower, chainsaw, all the scooters and a good percentage of bikes have a single cylinder engine :)
This is what I feel the brz/ frs should have been: a light weight, good cornering, quick car with great low end torque and about 250 hp. But nope, while it is light and corners well; it is underpowered and you have to rev the thing out which to me seems strange because in a car that has relatively low horsepower for a sports car. I would want to get that low end quickness. It's nice that a company made a relatively cheap but exotic looking sports car with drivers in mind. Very cool car
Many other Journalists are complaining about the inconsistent steering feel at different speeds. They say it doesn't inspire confidence when pushing the car as they don't know what the limit of grip is.
My opinions: 1) power steering: not needed: the 4c is not a car to bring around childs and go to the supermarket; 2)"americanization": not needed: if I'd buy an american car (eg. Corvette), I'd want to have the original version since I love that model. 3) manual gerabox missing... 4)Thanks for the video...
I have not driven the base F-Type, but I drove the AWD R, and it was unreal. Best automatic (planetary) transmission I've ever tested. Fast, smooth, and one of the best sounding cars ever. Video eventually!
+chimpz4ever If you are looking for a daily, get the Cayman. I am not aware of any review where it does not win against both, F Type and Alfa; there is a reason why reviewers say the Cayman is worth every penny, and the best sports car you can buy... it has more trunk space than a VW Polo. And I am sure it beats the Alfa in terms of resale value.
+Baerchenization Rode in one of those recently as well (GTS). Fantastic visibility, excellent storage space, and a great interior. That said, the gearing was much taller than I'd like, leading to less aggressive acceleration and not as much shifting. It could have it all if fitted with an aggressively geared transmission.
+Engineering Explained It must be you didn't have time to check visibility out to the back ;) This thing should be ordered with a rear view camera... (I mean Boxster; I did have a quick ride in a Cayman, too, but didn't care to look out at the back, either, so it's assumptions, assumptions...). I think it is possible to have a camera retro-fitted, tough.It must be borderline late by now, but the killer argument for me is that you get the 911 engine in the 981 = 6 cylinders NA, but not much longer...
+chimpz4ever I waited a year for the non launch edition... almost got the F-type but ended up with a fully optioned Audi s3. tbh im kinda buthurt that these are finally hitting the showrooms..
i test drove both this and the exige s (which i guess is its closest rival) and i was saddened that there was just no contest i really wanted to like this car, it looks so good! either way i think you really need to not want a cayman to buy either
Are you sure the Nissan 370z has a better power-to-weight ratio? The 370z weighs about 3250-3350 lbs and the non-Nismo models have 332 hp. 3350 lbs/332 hp = 10.09 lbs per hp. For the Romeo, 2,400 lbs/237 hp = 10.12 lbs per hp. So they're about the same. Anyone correct me if I'm wrong on numbers.
The best affordable Alfa since a loooooong time ago. The 8C was an expensive but still very nice Alfa and now the Giulia seems to add on to the "Cool Alfas" list. But the 4C really seems affordable and still partly usable as your only car if you can live with the drawbacks. More practical than Caterhams or Morgans, although that washer fluid thing is just wrong on so many levels :-D
+Dominik Heidrich The hardest part about making this car a daily driver is parking. Bad visibility, manual steering, wide body, wide turning radius... the car is not fun in a parking lot. Other than that it is totally capable of being a daily. I'll probably start using it as my daily in a year.
With all that work and money put into the carbon fiber monocoque and yet it still weighs more than the new Miata. Sure the Miata is a super lightweight, but I would've guessed the Alfa would've weighed less
Yep, but you also have to keep in mind it's European car modified for the US market, where as the MX-5 was built to meet our regs from the ground up. The US Alfa weighs more than 300 lbs more than the Euro version. That said, the Miata is extremely impressive as far as weight for the price. They've done a wonderful job without a doubt on that car.
They put the trunk and the hood in the same hole. In British you'd say "it's got it's bonnet up it's boot." Romeros are like a pair of knock-off Jordans. Looks really cool, gonna fall apart if you wear them too much. Paid slightly less though so it was a great deal...
Could you do a video that explains the engineering behind the Bentley GT3-R and how it's able to accelerate so fast despite it power to weight. It's only 1/10th of a second slower than the 2015 corvette with 207 package I think. Thanks for your content
Would you rather have this (the 4c) or an equivalent Lotus exige? I think I'd have the Exige, it might not look as good as the Alfa, but it has a manual :)
It's a dual clutch transmission but I'm curious is it wet or dry clutch? I just couldn't see something like a beefed up 500L DDCT taking the beating reliably. Does anybody know for sure? Google really isn't helping me out much.
Shows a massive difference between American cars and European cars. American cars have always lacked the passion and love. European and Japanese cars are filled with engineering, subtle touch of love in their cars. Horsepower isn't everything.
+Kyle Simon the focus rs is designed in Europe. My point is the way they approach cars are vastly different, European are light, nimble where as American cars are just a big v8 battle ship engine. I admit it, American cars have come a long way from a plain 6 littler plus v8 and solid rear axel, but it's isn't well made. Would you spend $70k on a AMG Merg or Cadillac?
+Aaron Lopez you google Autobahn, Autostrada, Avtocesta ... and then google "Highway" and u will see why you have 60MPH speed limits And yes, you also never figured out its smarter to use small cars in cities which you can park like shopping carts Sure wide roads give u trains of a car :)
+Puthearith Chea I agree with you but technology the new c7 vette is amazing! The zr1 was awesome and you can't forget the Z/28 track monster Camaro now. The mustang GT350r is also up there too
I really like it from the sides, but meh from the front. nice toy, but an expensive one ! Sound a bit like the experience of a go kart when you talk about it ! hehe gj
+Antonio Talarico not rly no, but that alfa will not be cheap to maintain, plus most people will forget about them soon, only true enthusiasts will hunt them down. i dont think the tub material has anything to do with it rly, its all about the crowd that buys these cars, look at the gt4, that will hold it price if not go up in value, but the alfa badge comes with a few drawbacks, its not long before this car gets "old". i think these cars will go down to high 40 and low 50. but hey only time will tell. and honestly only reason i want them to go down in value is to be able to buy one, because 85 k for me is way out of pocket for a weekend car. keep rocking the elise meanwhile XD.
+Antonio Talarico 1. 55k, I was in a dealer 3 weeks ago, they wanted the launch edition for 85 k. and the standard car with options and premium was 70 k. the only people who got the car for 55 k was the ones that ordered it right away along time ago without any options. 2. exactly my point, alfa has so many new cars, and the 4c is kind of a halo car, and trust me its not staying the halo car for long with that interior and that transmission. I can promise you that in 2016 or 2017 a new one will come out with a much better interior and a new transmission, and that will be the car that everyone wants. look at the price difference between the 04-05 997 and the 06-07 997 gts. its like 20 k.for a few better parts. 3. "its not cheap to maintain" is based on reality. on the eu version the headlights cost 1600 euros each, EACH. the rear bumper costs 2500 without paint. Because this car is low volume, every single bespoke part that it doesnt share with other cars will be insanely expensive. and it does have quit a few of these parts. plus on other cars like the 911 and cayman you can always buy non oem parts when things break, however the non oem parts for this car will be few and expensive, same story as the elise and exige. any way, as i said, only time will tell,
Are there Alfa Romeo dealers in the US? Is it easy to enter and exit this vehicle? Time to buy a mid drive electric bike kit for that extra speed! In reference to your hybrid bicycle.
Yes, there are dealers here. I could get in and out find, but I'm young and flexible. It's definitely more challenging than most cars, as expected with something this low.
I spoke to an Elise owner near me (Boston area). The A/C doesn't work, so it's torture in the summer. But it can't be driven in the winter, either. Water gets through the soft top. The hard top is an hour job to get on. Servicing means taking it to ONE place in Norwood that can handle it, and you have to crawl in and out of it. Oh, and Lotus might go out of business any day.
@@toyotahontas9296 you're not driving a 4c in the winter either. A/C is the easy to repair and get working, plus convertible... The elise/exige have Toyota engines, much easier and cheaper to work on and get parts for instead of the Fiat engine. Also lotus has been selling cars in the US way longer than alfas. Lotus is now backed by geely as well. Also... Where are alfa dealers?
Oh no! The cup holder is non-Americanised. Not sure how it passed the strict US laws. And quit complaining about non-assisted steering. They were like that for years, and I still manage to park my GTV6 with 17/45/225s without too much of a problem.
