The Alfa Romeo 4C Spider is a Wild Movie Uncle
Sports car manufacturers spend millions of dollars and invest thousands of hours attempting to transform inanimate assembled masses of metal, glass, leather, and rubber into vehicles that are alive. In the case of the 2015 4C Spider, Alfa Romeo has succeeded. In fact, the company has created something not only alive, but human: the rambunctious uncle character that you see in a lot of movies. Over the course of a week spent visiting with “Uncle Romeo” for the first time in Austin, Texas, I learned that:
-He’s loud.
Uncle Romeo doesn’t have an “inside voice” and that’s not just because he lives most of his life outdoors. As you can imagine, when the window sticker lists a “Racing Exhaust” as one of the installed options, you’re going to be heard starting up and coming and going. I can’t say the deep, distorted hum that came out of the dual pipes is spine-tingling or in any way melodious, but it has presence.
Removing the one-piece fabric top is a relatively quick and easy process. Just pull a couple of pins and squeeze a couple of sliders and boom – open air driving. Converting the car back to a “coupe” is almost just as easy. However, even with everything sealed up, it’s sometimes challenging to be heard through the Bluetooth phone connection without nearly shouting.
-He’s a little old-school.
Just like his fixed-roof brother, Uncle Romeo doesn’t have power steering. However, he does have an upgraded Alpine head unit/infotainment system. I was surprised at how comparatively easy it was for me to pair my phone to the car via Bluetooth; the coupe’s setup was hopeless. Jumping between different functions was a cinch as well, although the hardware made me think of something you can buy off the shelf at any Walmart. At least it worked. If only it were hooked up to a rear-view camera, which would’ve been useful even with the top off, or a navigation system.
-He’s kind of a loner.
Uncle Romeo is a bachelor. He leaves little room for another person in his life. The front of the 4C doesn’t open to reveal a storage compartment, there’s no glove box in the cabin – unless you count a pocket you can stuff papers into in front of the passenger seat, and the rear trunk area only provides a weekend-plans-limiting 3.7 cubic feet of space. Uncle Romeo travels light; if you’re going to hang out with him, you should, too.
-He always looks cooler than you.
You should also resign yourself to being upstaged by Uncle Romeo. Look at him in those flashy clothes. How can you compete with that, especially if you just throw on some jeans and sneakers and a ball cap to go get some groceries down the street? Total strangers will look your way, but they won’t be checking you out, unless you’re entering or exiting the 4C. Both processes are laborious and undignified thanks to the 4C’s low height and wide door sills.
-He might be little, but he packs a punch.
Although Uncle Romeo is a compact, composite-bodied fellow, it doesn’t mean he’s a weakling. The 4C’s direct-injected and turbocharged 1.7-liter four-cylinder engine produces a robust 237 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. That amount of output has a curb weight of only 2,487 pounds to move, so mashing the right pedal down found the back of my head being shoved into my headrest with the same amount of force.
-He likes to wrestle.
I took Uncle Romeo out to Austin’s FM-2769, a long road with an addictive combination of straightaways, sweeping curves, and tight turns. The lack of power steering wasn’t noticeable at high speeds in a straight line, but it became more apparent the more I had to wrench the flat-bottom wheel from side to side. The steering reacted to every bump in the pavement transmitted through the front Pirelli P Zeros, so I had to keep both of my hands on the wheel and minutely correct my driving line constantly. I felt the strain of fighting Uncle Romeo for dominance in my shoulders.
-He won’t let you down.
As wild as Uncle Romeo is, he’s dependable. Out on 2769, the 4C’s front fixed four-piston and rear dual opposing calipers clamped down on their vented discs in a linear fashion, which made me feel calm and confident diving into the more twisty stretches of Austin’s roads. In Dynamic mode, gear changes from the 4C’s six-speed dual-clutch transmission were satisfyingly quick and just in time for whatever bend I rapidly came upon.
-He’ll always have a special place in my heart.
It was with Uncle Romeo that I had the most thrilling, engaging, and stimulating driving experience of my life. He made that possible for me. It’s a shame I didn’t get to spend more time with him. I missed him right after he left my apartment. I’m so glad we met, though.
*My 2015 Alfa Romeo 4C Spider review vehicle had an as-tested price of $73,395, which included a destination charge of $1,595 and $7,900 in options, such as the Convenience Package ($1,800), 18- and 19-inch dark gray wheels ($2,500), Rosso Competizione Tri-Coat paint ($1,500), and xenon headlights ($1,000).
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