4C

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Thinking of replacing my Audi R8 with a 4C does anyone know when it will be available to order?

- Pete

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Contacted Guildford Alfa, they don't have any..... Oh well will have to change my R8 for something else.

My shortlist is

1. Alfa 4c - My preferred option
2. Jaguar F-Type
3. Maserati Ghibli

- Pete

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Thanks I'll contact them

- Pete

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I test drove one today... It was far too raw for me.... All the ones in for demo are the limited edition ones with sports suspension & it is really hard.

The noise of the engine for me didn't sound pleasant compared to the V8 in my R8. Although it really did shift.

One thing that I was surprised about was the weight of the steering it was lighter than my R8 and felt very good, however the car did tramline quite a lot which was very weird.

The interior wasn't that great either, but the worst part for me was the noise which wasn't at all pleasant and the gear change. In normal mode the car slurred between changes in both manual and auto. When in dynamic it just jerked a lot which again didn't feel that good.

So I think I will pass on a 4c which was really disappointing because I thought it would be the replacement for the R8 ...

- Pete

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limpsfield said:

Pete - what did you think of it compared to your old Elise and Boxster?

to me it is closer to an Exige than a boxster.... Thanks for the comment about me being a bit thick (duh) regarding the noise.

When I had an Elise (with a sports exhaust) that sounded much better (in my opinion) thant the 4c.

There was no need to be rude, I was only stating what I thought of it!!!!

- Pete

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Thanks for the advice about toughening up a bit....hahaha

Anyway I think 4 cylinder cars can sound good (my Lotus Elise did) I know it wasn't a turbo but still. I had a Lancia Delta HF Turbo Martini and that sounded fab as well... To me the 4c just sounded like an unpleasant noise when in Dynamic mode so much so that I felt I had to change up earlier rather than listen to it.

Here are some of the 4 cylinder cars that I think sound good.....

Honda S2000
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-ZHB_HCwjc

Lotus Elise
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0K2KeOVqlw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtWdeXe5vNc

Lancia Delta

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjdCQjVnpgA

- Pete

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isuk said:

I've had my 4C for a couple of weeks now and love it more with each journey I make in it. The gearchange in Dynamic mode is not jerky if you lift off ever so slightly. If driven like this it shifts up smoothly. It's been engineered to replicate the thump in the back shifts of a Ferrari F1 or Lamborghini E gear gearbox if you keep your foot planted. That is what many owners like and why some are criticising Ferrari for removing it from their DCT shift patterns in the 458 and California, something they've subsequently addressed with the shift action in the 458 Speciale.

The little Alfa provides so much feedback at lower speeds which can make it either brilliant or terrible depending upon your point of view. That experience will undoubtedly put off many potential buyers on a test drive. It demands concentration at speeds at which you could simply admire the scenery, adjust your seat, change music tracks etc in most modern humdrum hatchbacks that are now so anesthetized from lifeless steering, over engineered NVH etc that they are transport conveyances rather than cars. That's great if you are commuting but not much fun if you want to "drive" and that is the whole point of cars like the 4C. I've owned an R8 and whilst it was a good car it is fairly uninvolving unless you are really pressing on.

I can imagine that a test drive of an hour or two will not reveal the true nature of this car. It takes a longer drive to recalibrate your approach to inputs with it to get the best out of it. The suspension is certainly firm but not uncomfortably so unless you are regularly driving over very bad surfaces.

I think Alfa have done a tremendous job with the car in such a short development lead time. Without the huge budget and greater depth of engineering talent amongst their competitors they have given us a carbon tub and composite body to provide a real light weight car and shown up some of the established names in the process with this approach. I find it a much more fun car to drive on familiar challenging roads than the 458s I've owned due to it's smaller size and lighter weight. It's larger cousins are much more dynamically competent but part of the appeal of the 4C to me is learning how to get the best from it. It is an old school type of driving experience in that regard.

By cabin quality I suspect you mean the choice of materials used in it. I thought it may be an issue but I actually like the honest functionality of the interior. There is no unnecessary window dressing of it as there is in the US version which gets a leather clad dash and doors. It's just not the type of car to need this IMHO.

To me it is true to the Italian spirit of Alfa and is not trying to be all things to all drivers which is worth celebrating in my book.

Great post, I am glad you like your 4c.... If we all liked the same cars it would be very boring.

The car I test drove was a launch edition one with the sports suspension and exhaust with the larger wheels. I am assuming it would sound/ride a little better with the standard setup (for the road anyway).

Can't you get the same thril/experience in a Lotus Exige for less money?

BTW - The dealer said they were going to sell the launch edition one they had for circa 60K.....

- Pete

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Also for bad NVH levels you should drive a '98 Mini Cooper that I have.... Fun to drive for short drives, but very tiring on a motorway :-)

- Pete

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So what would you be looking at for a replacement for my R8? my maximum budget is around £65K or at stretch £70K ?

my requirements are:-

1. fun to drive
2. looks gorgeous
3. sounds good
4. Handles well
5. Not too harsh to drive

I'm not bothered wether its a saloon, coupe, convertible/spider

- Pete

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errek72 said:

crostonian said:

But unfortunately the real world mpg is less than 40

Real world for a 4C is between 7l/100km (slow) and 10l/100km (hooning), according to google that would be between 30 and 20 mpg - is that right?
No idea what an R8 does in reality.

I'm getting between 15 and 20mpg at present

- Pete

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Headlights look better on the U.S edition
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQnGUhMkV4A

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update - I've decided to order a 4c and PX my R8... Subject to the figures working out I will be placing an order once the dealer gets back to me with figures I am happy with.

Thinking competizioni red, red calipers, carbon front headlight covers, stereo, full black leather, sports kit (exhaust and suspension), rear parking sensors

Anyone else got that specification? Have I missed anything that I should get?

- Pete

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I thought about it a bit more.... I previously had an Elise and had a lot of fun in that, and in concept the 4c is very similar. Also I like the idea of the 4c being a limited run therefore not many on UK roads.

However since this update I have spoken to the dealer and they have said they have sold the slot now so would have to wait up to 18 months so unless I can find another dealer I may not be getting one after all :-(

- Pete

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Thanks I will