Everyday Driver Tests Affordable Mid-Engine Cars

Who handles California’s best roads better: Alfa 4C, Porsche Cayman, or Lotus Elise?

Here’s a question: What cars do you compare against the Alfa Romeo 4C? The mid-engine Italian two-seater starts in the mid-five figures and cashes in on a peppy turbocharged four-cylinder. While it looks like an exotic, the performance falls short of supercar level. If you said “Cayman,” you and Everyday Driver are on the same page. But that’s not all; to round out their three-car comparison, they also borrowed a Lotus Elise as a handling baseline. The mid-engined, semi-attainable caravan of sports cars then headed for some of California’s best driving roads.

The base-model Cayman and the 4C both carry some modicum of luxury to the mid-engined sports car market. Alfa Romeo has parlayed the 4C into something of a middle ground. While light on accommodations, the Alfa carries just enough heft—around 2500 pounds—that it can’t match the bare-bones Elise. Naturally, the 4C makes its way through the corners in a fun, experiential way while reminding you, constantly, of its Italian origins.

That said, few things can. The bantamweight Elise makes its case with the driving experience rather than comfort. A harsh ride and track-ready tuning make it ill-suited for the road-tripping portion of the trip. That makes the luxurious Cayman look like a ‘78 Lincoln Continental by comparison. Everyday Driver raves about the car’s steering feedback, which communicates to them at least as well as the manual racks on the 4C and Elise.

Ultimately, the mountain roads prove the perfect the testing ground for these cars, which all place a handling on premium. The real question was whether the 4C can match the Elise’s corner-carving prowess and/or the Cayman’s corner-carving comfort. Ultimately, it falls outside that as its own beast: eye-catching and unique, distinctly Alfa Romeo.

Give this Everyday Driver episode a watch for a good comparison.