Alfa Romeo has been "coming back" to the US for about a decade. And every time they're about to "come back," it gets delayed another two years. But that all changed last year when the carbon fiber 4C sports car was introduced to the US market.
Now, a limited production, mid-engine sports car probably isn't what you'd consider a true return to a long forsaken market, but they're selling more of these in the US than they've sold of any other car for ages. It's also a halo car to let people know what to expect when future Alfas, like the gorgeous Giulia, arrive on our shores.
If that's the case, we're going to get cars that have a ton of character but also have some issues that'll leave you wondering how a car like that left the factory. Here's what I mean:
1. The roof takes longer to put on and take off than it takes Mazda to build a Miata. When it was decided to make the 4C into a roadster, Alfa left off all ergonomic considerations. Taking off the top is not a push button affair. It also isn't just undoing a few latches and folding it back.
Here's what you need to do: Put the windows down. Undo two clips over the driver side door. Undo two clips over the passenger side door. Unscrew two bolts from over the rearview mirror. Get out of the car and open the trunk. Go back to the car and roll up the top. Carry the top to the trunk and put it in its Alfa Romeo bag. Stash that bag back in the trunk.
Putting it on is even worse, since you need to make sure everything lines up and clips into place. You also need to make sure the edge of the top goes under a small ridge on the top of the windshield or else you won't be protected from the elements.
It's a long involved process.
2. You can't see a damn thing out of it. If you have to parallel park the 4C in a tight spot (like I had to), prepare to use a lot of telepathy to get that done. The high rear deck and small windows mean you aren't seeing anything out of the back, and the parking sensors just serve to shout at you when you're actually miles from the car behind you. Oh, and the manual steering isn't finger tip light. It's heavy. Really heavy.
3. The steering is manual, but it isn't great. When you think of an old Alfa Romeo, you think of driving around on a country road, fingertips on the wheel, using light inputs to flow from curve to curve.
That is not the 4C.
Instead of finger tips, you use your whole arm to turn it. At low speeds, it feels like you're driving a truck. And despite having no assist, the steering doesn't have a huge amount of feel and also has a slowish rack. If this car didn't have an Alfa badge on it, you wouldn't think much of it. But it does, and that image of dainty controls on a country road won't go away.
4. The engine is hilarious. You know how nearly every automaker is bragging about getting rid of turbo lag in their engines? It seems all that lag was given to Alfa Romeo. The 4C has no power down low. It has all the power around 4,000 RPM. It's kind of ridiculous, like when you push the accelerator, the car calls Bologna to ask if it can use some power, and then Italy says ok.
It also makes a great noise, raspy and angry, with pops and bangs that sound just as good here as they do on the Fiat 500 Abarth.
5. The gearbox is actually quite good. This is a car that you wish had a manual, but then you realize that the character of the engine wouldn't really be a great fit. That's why this dual clutch is a pleasant surprise. It keeps the engine in it's admittedly narrow powerband and is fun to shift. Problem is that the controls are baffling. To put the 4C into drive, you pull a paddle or press the "1" button on the console. But you aren't in manual mode. You need to push the A/M switch for that.
6. It's really wide and really tiny. You might not realize it, but the 4C is so small. Civics look like semi trucks, semi trucks look like buildings driving down the road. It's really wide which can make sneaking through a gap tough, but it's so low and stubby that you feel intimidated when you're sitting in traffic.
7. More people will look at you than in any other car. Are you an outgoing person? No? Don't buy the 4C. Everyone wants to talk to you about it or take a photo of it. You'll get thumbs up, questions, people telling you they used to have an Alfa, and everything in between. Kids will run up to you, adults will stare at you jealously wishing they could have one. It's just that sort of car, especially when you get one in yellow.
8. It's not good to run errands in. If you need to go shopping or take your pet somewhere, maybe take something that isn't the 4C. There is no storage space. At all. It just so happened that when I had the 4C to test, there were also errands to run. We had to take our puppy to the vet and go grocery shopping. While the dog actually seemed to like the car, grocery shopping was another issue entirely. There are no places to put bags at all, which means that your passenger will double as a luggage holder. It's not ideal.
Now, you probably wouldn't take your 4C to the store regularly, but sometimes you have to go. And when those times pop up, it isn't the most fun in the world.
9. It's a ton of fun. This point might have been lost in the complaining about the engine and the steering, but the 4C is actually a ton of fun once you're used to it. It's rare that you're in a car these days that's this low to the ground and feels this pure and light. You sit right over the front axle, it reacts to your every input, it's like driving a mini Ferrari. That's what makes it so cool.
10. It feels Italian. Like, really Italian. And that's a good thing. Older Italian sports cars tend to have a lot of flaws. Like a bad seating position where I can't see the tach or speedo, a radio that looks like it was bought at Pep Boys, an engine that isn't perfect but is full of chutzpah, and attention to detail where it matters. The 4C has all of that. Sure, some parts on the interior feel cheap and flimsy, but the weave of the carbon fiber in the tub is gorgeous. Every aesthetic bit of this car is beautiful. So what if it has some issues that have been cured for ages? It's a car with a personality, which isn't something we get to say often in this sanitized automotive world we now live in.
And that's something we should be applauding.
Travis was an editor at Road & Track. He was previously the Editor-in-Chief of Jalopnik.com.
