Skip advert
Advertisement

Alfa Romeo 4C Spider review - ride and handling

Removeable roof and styling tweaks add a new layer to the 4C's appeal, but the Spider is still a flawed sports car

Evo rating
Price
from £59,500
  • Exotic styling, light weight, performance
  • Less than exotic engine, busy chassis, gearbox

Ride and handling

Compared to the 4C Coupe, there are detail changes to the front suspension and steering and a marginal shift in weight distribution (40:60 versus 35:65 for the Coupe). Whatever Alfa’s chassis engineers have done has improved the steering. It’s still quite heavy (much heavier than that of an Elise), moves about in your hands and kicks back over ruts and transverse ridges.

Advertisement - Article continues below

However, the steering is much more consistent than in earlier 4C Coupes, weighting up progressively with speed and sending back a less corrupted, more coherent picture of what the front wheels are doing. It’s better appreciated in the more softly-sprung, smaller-wheeled ‘comfort-spec’ Spider, which also does away with the rear anti-roll bar and adds a degree of suppleness and flow to the process, whereas the full-on car is more of a fight.

The encouraging vibe swiftly evaporates when, during the launch drive in Italy, we hit a long straight with some mild surface contours, as a worrying degree of camber sensitivity returns to derail stability and defeat even the most nuanced attempts to keep the car tracking straight.

More unwelcome 4C foibles join in on what should be a riotous blast on a road that zig-zags into the hills. The Spider romps to the top at an eye-watering lick, but in a series of borderline loony lunges reliant on sky-high reserves of grip and braking power, the laggy engine response and over-zesty mid-range make it impossible to achieve anything like a satisfying rhythm. Again, the more modestly-specced car seems marginally more relaxed without sacrificing anything appreciable in grip.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

UK speeding fines 2024 – what are the latest penalties for drivers?
Speeding fines header
Advice

UK speeding fines 2024 – what are the latest penalties for drivers?

Here's everything you need to know about speeding fines in the UK and other possible motoring-related offences
18 Apr 2024
Used car deals of the week
Main used car deals
Advice

Used car deals of the week

In this week's used car deals, we've sourced everything from a Kia Stinger GT S to a Ferrari F12 Berlinetta
18 Apr 2024
Kia Stinger GT S Fast Fleet test – 12,000 miles in the V6 sports saloon
evo Fast Fleet Kia Stinger GT S
Long term tests

Kia Stinger GT S Fast Fleet test – 12,000 miles in the V6 sports saloon

After covering 12,000 miles on the Fast Fleet, did the Kia Stinger GT S convince us that it’s a credible alternative to its European rivals?
15 Apr 2024