Alfa Romeo 4C 2015 Review

It's been on sale in Europe since 2013 and it's still as rare as rocking horse droppings here, but Alfa Romeo's all-new 4C Coupe has finally hit Australian roads. Representing a quantum shift from the only two other Alfas on sale Down Under, the front-drive Mito and Giulietta small cars, the 4C hard-top will be joined later this year by an even more expensive Spider roadster. For now, just 75 Launch Edition versions of the hard-core mid-engined coupe are guaranteed to arrive here this year (from a 2015 production run of just 2000, including 1300 LEs), priced at a cool $109,000 -- $20,000 more than the standard coupe ($89,000). And yes, all of them are sold.

As bold statements go, the 4C is about as in-your-face as it gets.

Presenting more curves than Sophia Vergara and with a low-slung profile, brawny rear haunches and gaping side air intakes that make it unmistakably mid-engined and rear-wheel drive, the compact Italian coupe oozes purposefulness, exclusivity and road presence.

Alfa's first sports coupe for three years -- and its first full-time rear-drive model in 20 years of Fiat ownership – has the specifications to match its mini-supercar looks.

First there's a 177kW/350Nm four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine that, according to its maker, will dispatch the 0-100km/h sprint in a slick 4.5 seconds on its way to a top speed of 258km/h, despite a relatively poor drag coefficient of 0.335Cd.

The all-alloy engine, displacing 1.75 litres, is turbocharged and intercooled and drives the rear wheels via a standard six-speed dual-clutch automated manual rear transaxle with paddle shift control.

Thanks in part to its light weight (1025kg tare in Australia, which is more than the 895kg dry weight originally announced), Alfa says the 4C – built around a carbon-fibre monocoque chassis connected to aluminium suspension sub-frames and wrapped in composite bodywork – can generate 1.1g of lateral force and 1.25g of braking deceleration.

On paper, if ever there was a spiritual successor for Alfa's sexy mid-engined 33 Stradale of the late 60s, this is it.

You could also call the 4C a fitting replacement for Alfa's last rear-drive coupe, the dearly departed GTV6 of the 1980s, which shared its rear transaxle set-up with the 75 sedan – Alfa's last rear-drive model in 1992.

Either way, the 4C, which comes direct from the Maserati factory in Modena, is a far more serious piece of engineering than Alfa's last sports car attempts, the front-drive Brera, GT and Spider, all of which were axed in 2012.

Nobody is more aware of this than Alfa itself, which attempts to leverage the heritage of its pre-war 4C and 6C sports cars by referencing their naming convention – just as it did with the limited-edition rear-drive 8C Competizione sold overseas until 2010.

Ramping up the 4C volume – and profit margin – even further, the Launch Edition adds a host of exclusive extras, all wrapped three new exterior paints: Rosso Alfa, Rosso Competizione and Madreperla White.

Launch Edition chassis additions include larger 18-inch (front) and 19-inch (rear) Matte Black forged wheels with softer-compound Pirelli P Zero tyres, 'race-tuned' anti-roll bars and shock absorbers and red lacquer for the Brembo brake callipers (one-piece quad-piston up front) gripping 305mm front and 297mm rear rotors.

Heralded by a louder sports exhaust system are cosmetic upgrades including a carbon-fibre rear spoiler, bi-LED headlights and wing mirrors, plus side air-intakes in the front bumper.

The Launch Edition treatment continues inside, where there are sports seats with black microfibre trim, red or white interior accent stitching on the instrument panel, steering wheel, floor mats and door-handles, a carbon-fibre instrument cluster surround, gearshift bezel and trim plates, and a build number plaque.

Measuring the same four metres long, the 'standard' 4C is only slightly less loud and rides on smaller 205/45 ZR17 front and 235/40 ZR18 rear Pirellis and slightly softer double-wishbone front and MacPherson strut rear suspension.

Slipping into the Launch Edition's super-low Alcantara-highlighted driver's seat, the cosseting two-seat cabin clearly puts functionality before luxury and quality, as evidenced by the cast aluminium pedals and carbon-fibre chassis rails on proud display, as well as hard plastics and plenty of exposed screws and Allen bolts.

The dash is racy, the cockpit driver-oriented and the small, leather-clad steering wheel flat-bottomed. There's a dearth of buttons and controls, except for the central 'Alfa DNA' toggle switch, the All-weather, Natural, Dynamic and Race modes of which alter the throttle, electronic Q2 differential and transmission maps.

There's a launch control function accessible in the Dynamic and Race modes, and in the latter traction and stability control systems are completely disabled.

In place of a traditional analogue instrument cluster, there's a large central multipurpose TFT display showing a large digital speedo, tacho and various vehicle functions including turbo boost gauge and g-force meter.

Convenience amenities extend to a Bluetooth audio head unit and rear parking sensors for Australian models, and safety equipment is limited to a pair of front airbags. There's no reversing camera, but you do get cruise control, power windows and an alarm.

Yes, the 4C is more focussed than most sports cars, meaning it also brings more compromises outside its element.

For a start, rear and especially rear-quarter vision is almost non-existent, which combined with a total vehicle height of just 1180mm and a surprisingly broad 1868mm overall width saw us constantly head-checking and covering the brake pedal in multi-lane traffic.

More so than in many 'supercars', there's next to no storage space – zero inside except for a pair of small lockable 'sleeves' and a tiny 110-litre boot behind the brilliantly presented engine, making it smaller than even the Jaguar F-TYPE's. Yes, we're still wondering what's under that huge bonnet too.

In addition to the Launch Edition's firmer suspension, ride height is low, requiring careful attention on gutter crossings and making you hyper-aware of broken road surfaces.

Oh, and it's loud inside. So loud you have to speak up to your co-driver at any speed and noisy enough to make phone calls redundant.

There are no interior armrests or gas struts for the rear hatch, legroom isn't great, the stereo is average, the air-con isn't up to a hot Aussie summer and the dry-clutch auto is clunkier than most at parking speeds.

Combined with a lack of power steering, which makes for heavy going at low speeds, the 4C is more of a chore to drive on typical urban Sydney roads than any Porsche, including the 911 GT3 RS.

But the 4C isn't about comfort, connectivity or profligacy. It's built for just one thing – driving – and it's not for the faint-hearted.

Even around town the torque from the diminutive 1742cc force-fed four is big-hearted, allowing you to trickle lazily through gears in the crook auto mode or short-shift at the sort of revs most four-cylinders would baulk at.

And with a healthy 350Nm of twist on tap between 2200 and 4250rpm, and 80 per cent of that available from only 1750rpm, the 4C slams down a wall of midrange urge like some supercharged V8s, with barely a sniff of turbo lag.

At full noise the 4C is manic, popping and crackling as you flick another gear at the 6500pm redline, fizzing on the overrun as you down change into bends, and whooshing with induction noise right over your left shoulder at even mild throttle openings.

It only takes a few corners to discover just how dynamically focussed the 4C is, as we did on the roads through the Royal National Park south of Sydney last week.

If the suspension is stiff, then the carbon/composite body structure is vault-like, feeling as solid as any supercar I've driven and transmitting every surface imperfection to its driver.

The old-school unassisted rack-and-pinion steering is super-responsive, precise and almost completely free of bump steer, perfectly marrying with the mega-rigid chassis as speeds increase.

But it's so sharp it follows every road surface, even unexpected off-camber dips on the outside of fast corners, making the lightweight 2380mm-wheelbase coupe feel nervous at the limit in a way that, say, a mid-engined Cayman or Boxster, would never allow.

Similarly, the brake pedal is brittle and lacks initial feel and progression, but there's no question of its effectiveness.

There's no denying the grip, balance and poise of the 4C's low and well-distributed mass either, but it's so compact and high-powered for its weight that we'd need a racetrack to be brave enough to validate its power-oversteer credentials.

We spent the best part of a day in the RNP but traffic, mobile cameras and absurdly low speed limits prevented us exploring the 4C's undoubtedly broad capabilities. That said, we're not sure any degree of familiarity would make us feel genuinely confident at the limit in the 4C, particularly on the rough and broken twisty B-roads so typical in Australia.

As our two previous drives in Europe proved, the 4C is intoxicatingly brilliant up to nine-tenths, but lacks the stability and steering finesse of many of its competitors.

Which raises the difficult issue of what they actually are. The Launch Edition's pricetag puts it in the same ballpark as entry versions of accomplished German coupes like the Cayman, Audi TTS, BMW Z4 and Mercedes-Benz SLK, and even the Jaguar F-TYPE.

But the hard-core 4C is poles apart from those models in its focus and character, making it a closer rival for stripped-out British sportsters like the Caterham Seven and Lotus Exige.

Indeed, the Italian-brand's red-blooded comeback kid is so unique, so characterful and so exclusive that in the eyes of the Alfa faithful it has no peer.

Here's hoping the Alfa renaissance has broader appeal than the 4C.

2015 Alfa Romeo 4C pricing and specifications:
Price: From $89,000 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 1.75-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 177kW/350Nm
Transmission: Six-speed dual-clutch
Fuel: 6.8L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 157g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: TBC

What we liked:
>> Supercar proportions and presence
>> Engine sound and performance
>> Intoxicating driving involvement

Not so much:
>> Steering is hard work
>> Clunky transmission
>> High pricetag, low equipment list

Also consider:
Caterham Seven (from $69,990)
Lotus Exige (from $126,990)