REVIEW The 2015 Alfa Romeo 4C is a Different Kind of Working-Class Car

By Derek Shiekhi - May 7, 2015

Think back to when you bought your first exotic car. You didn’t quit your job and retire that day, did you? No, you didn’t. That’s because having the money to afford an expensive automobile doesn’t necessarily mean you can just take it easy the rest of your life. You bought your dream machine and kept working.

Recently, I spent five days in your world. FCA gave me the keys to the 2015 Alfa Romeo 4C, which taught me that even once you have an Italian sports car ($69,945 as tested), you have to keep working. It made me earn almost everything I wanted from it, but, ultimately, it rewarded me for my efforts.

An Aesthetic Treat

Enjoying the 4C’s looks required nothing more than keeping my eyes open. It was a gorgeous little piece of Italian sculpture. Dramatic, swooping lines and sensuous curves contrasted attractively with the calming Madreperla White paint ($1,500) in which they were wrapped.

Entry

Entering the 46.6-inch-tall 4C’s cockpit was quite a job. After extending one of my feet past the carbon fiber monocoque’s wide sill and into the footwell, I had to bend all 5’10” of myself in half, tilt my head all the way to the left, slide in, then pull my other foot inside. I needed the door open as wide as possible for that process, so I often made sure I parked next to no one else.

Luckily, the carbon fiber and fiberglass reinforced-composite seats, covered in black leather and black microfiber and trimmed with red accent stitching ($1,500), were surprisingly comfortable. However, the ride quality from the $2,400 Track Package’s performance-tuned shocks jolted any smile of relaxation off of my face.

Rearward Vision

Nowhere on the 4C’s window sticker was there an entry that said “Power Steering.” That meant I had to muscle the 4C’s flat-bottomed wheel to an angle that would allow me to exit my driveway without scraping, then desperately try to get a fix on my surroundings through two narrow vents and a skyward-facing engine cover before I backed up.

A ParkSense rear parking aid was included in my review vehicle’s Convenience Package ($1,800), but I think a full-on reverse camera (not available) would’ve eliminated most of the guesswork.

Once I was on the street, I then had to wrestle the wheel back around until the front end was pointed in the direction I needed to go.

Attention to Details and Convenience

Once I become familiar with the 4C, I realized the only way Alfa Romeo can go with its interior is up. I found my tester’s red stitching, leather door pulls, exposed carbon fiber, and driver-oriented center stack to be easy on the eyes, but I felt the cabin was needlessly missing certain things.

For instance, it lacked quality switchgear. The HVAC knobs made me think they were pulled out of a cheap mid-’90s grocery-getter.

The head unit was not at all intuitive. I gave up on trying to Bluetooth-pair my phone with it. No amount of effort or button pushing seemed to make a difference. If I was buried in one of the system’s menus and wanted to adjust the radio’s volume, I had to electronically back out of where I was because there was no dedicated knob for that function.

I understand leaving certain features out of a sports car to save weight and keep the focus on the thrill of driving, but upgrading a few touchpoints and installing an infotainment system that’s user-friendly doesn’t add pounds or detract from driver enjoyment.

A Satisfying Driving Experience

All of my fighting with the 4C at parking lot speeds and all of my cursing of its interior features was crushed into faint memories when I put my foot down on the right aluminum pedal. Doing that also filled my ears with the addictive whistle of the turbocharged 1.75-liter I4 and the raspy bark of its racing exhaust.

The back of my head inched closer to the embroidered headrest behind it the more the digital tachometer’s bar rounded its way toward the 6,500-rpm red line. Engaging the DNA selector’s Dynamic mode made the already-punchy engine’s 237 horsepower and 258 lb.-ft. of torque hit even harder.

At speed, the unboosted steering transformed from an around-town inconvenience into a direct connection with the road under me. There was no buffer between my hands and the tires and through that confidence-inspiring void I was able to place the 4C’s compact dimensions at any point on the road I wanted them to be.

Doing that, unlike doing certain other things in the 2015 Alfa Romeo 4C, didn’t feel as if it were work at all.

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