Alfa Romeo 4C, our test - Sports cars
Since it was introduced in 2013, I have heard conflicting opinions aboutAlfa Romeo 4C... Almost everyone agrees on one thing: it's great. It has a stage presence worthy of (may I say?) A Ferrari, and draws in a crowd of spectators every time you park or cross the city.
Accelerating from 0 to 100 in 4,5 seconds and reaching a top speed of 258 km, the Alfa Romeo 4C also has performance to match its appearance.
С price For 65.000 € 4 XNUMXC should be a very special object. At least its forms are from supercar and size from lotus make it exotic and sensual like some others. While it is pleasing to the eyes on the outside, the magic passes quickly on the inside. The open carbon fiber frame will delight students, but just move your gaze a few millimeters to find substandard hard plastic as well as parts stolen from Point and from Juliet and a radio that seems to be sold at the mall. The two-spoke steering is not bad, as if the original part.
Getting into the driver's seat is difficult, but unthinkable. There session that's fine even if you're over six feet tall and the aluminum pedals are well placed. If you get into the Lotus, you have an idea of the intimate feeling inside the 4C: a few centimeters off the ground, front hood with visible side bulges and a rear window made of minion.
Press the start button and Alpha will wake up the engine and the neighbors. 4C makes a lot of noise. I don't remember a road car making that kind of noise at any speed or in any driving mode. 1.750 cc four-cylinder turbocharger The CM has piercing low frequencies, while the growl caused by each gas pressure can be heard hundreds of meters away. Noise isn't the only thing that makes this car uncomfortable: the non-power assisted steering is very difficult to maneuver and forces you to overcome any urge to park and drive slowly. But no matter, just go to the roads where you can exploit the 4C.
Driving 4C
engine central thrust rear, without hydraulic booster, 240 hp and a weight of 900 kg are excellent conditions, but the first few meters behind the wheel of a 4C are not at all exciting. At medium speed, the car seems to have a strong mechanical grip, while the steering copies the road excessively, making it difficult for you to contain steering wheel reactions. The carbon fiber frame makes the car so rigid that it can't handle load transfer or the slightest roll.
The higher the pace, the more difficult and scary it gets. IN engine it pushes hard, but there is a lot of lag and up to 3.000rpm you can only hear the turbo charge and then shoot the car forward. This is typical light car acceleration with little inertia, with the addition of a 350 Nm jump that is delivered (rather) suddenly. There thrust it's so much, so much, that oversteer seems like an oversteer option. If you take one curve in second gear, at any angle and at any angle, and try to open the throttle, this will result in severe understeer. It seems that the engineers deliberately created this understeer setting to make the car safer. I'm almost convinced that this is the case, but I can't help but think about what will happen when (and if) the car finally gets in the way. The six-speed dual-clutch transmission shifts gears quickly and firmly, and like any robot, it works well when you're at full throttle, but slowly gets into a crisis.
в fast mixed The situation is improving: less understeer, and if you control the steering carefully (very delicately), you can get the 4C to move at a good pace. The problem is the steering makes you struggle unnecessarily, prevents you from pulling, and forces you to slide earlier and take turns slower than you could. The more you pull, the more she tries to scare you. It seems that in order to quickly get out of a rut, she wants to argue with you, not cooperate.
My first km onAlfa Romeo 4C they leave me bewildered. Impossible not to compare with Lotus Elise, a car that I know very well and that is conceptually very close to the Alpha. The English also has a center engine, modest power and non-power steering, but unlike the Italian, the information that runs through the steering and chassis is so clear and reassuring that you can pull more and more. If 4C was dangerous and scary for no reason.
So this is a bad car? No, not at all, or at least partially. After spending half a day counting his flaws, I realized that I was involved and fascinated. She looks like a beautiful woman with a terrible temper. Sharing many similarities, it offers a completely different driving experience than the Lotus or Cayman. The noise with a thousand puffs and shades, her grumpy and "naughty" make her special in its own way. It has many flaws, but they leave you with a unique experience unlike any other. Who thought thatAlfa Romeo 4C maybe the ultimate Italian Trackday car will be disappointed, it is not.
This is a beautiful object that captivates with its aesthetics, exaggerated noise and special effects. A good starting point for future sports alphas.
