The Top Gear website brings us one of the first proper reviews of the highly anticipated Alfa Romeo 4C. After a long gestation period the 4C now has to deliver upon its undeniable good looks. So, how does it fare?
The good: Its unassisted steering is terrific, its Brembo brakes are fabulous, and it has a colossal amount of grip. Turn-in on those relatively skinny 205-section tyres (235 on the rear) is also sensational. Snap the throttle shut abruptly on a high-speed corner and the 4C’s mid-engined configuration means that it’ll oversteer readily… On the endless up- and downhill hairpins of the Aosta valley, where we spent most of our time, it’s mostly well balanced and engagingly neutral, with some understeer to warn the unwary, and generally rides well, too.
The bad: The engine still feels strangely uptight, and simply doesn’t generate the sort of grunt the figures suggest… Throttle response is also frustratingly soggy… The ’box is even more distracting. Quite simply, you have to drive round it to wring the best out of the car rather than working with it.
The beautiful: There are no bad angles on this thing, and several bracingly good ones – head on it looks lower and meaner than the pictures suggest, while the rear three-quarters showcase a typically Italian interplay of curves and sinuously sculpted elements. A chap called Alessandro Maccolini designed the 4C, a name worth keeping an eye on.
Hmm, it’s not what you’d call the most enthusiastic response to a car the whole world wants to love. And we left out the disparaging comments about build quality.
We recommend you take the time to read Jason Barlow’s full review by following the source link below.
[Source: Top Gear]
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