2018 Alfa Romeo 4C

2018 Alfa Romeo 4C comes with a starting price of $55,900. For spending that amount, you get a two-seater that will do 0-60 mph in 4.1 seconds flat and will plant a moon-size smile on your face barreling down a mountain road. 

The 2018 Alfa Romeo comes with 2 trims, the 4c Coupe and its drop-top version, the 4c Spider.  The 4c Coupe comes standard with 17-inch (front) and 18-inch (rear) wheels along with Summer performance tires to satisfy your thirst for the track.

Trims	4C Coupe	4C Spider
MSRP	$55,900	$65,900
Features	Standard equipment for the coupe includes 17-inch (front) and 18-inch (rear) wheels Summer performance tires LED running lights and taillights Heated mirrors Air conditioning power accessories Cloth upholstery Leather-wrapped tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel 7-inch driver information display Bluetooth connectivity, and an Alpine sound system with a CD player, a USB port and satellite and HD radio	Standard equipment of coupe Plus: Manually operated soft top Leather seats and an alarm system.

Heated mirrors, Air conditioning, power accessories, Cloth upholstery, Leather-wrapped tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel are some of the standard features on offer. One more additional feature is the 7-inch driver information display with Bluetooth connectivity.

The Alpine sound system with a CD player, a USB port and satellite and HD radio which is also on offer. The 4c spider comes with a manual soft top, with Leather seats and an alarm system while including all the features of the Coupe.

“As a scalpel is the perfect tool in the hands of a skilled surgeon, a good driver can feel great behind the wheel of the 4C. The unassisted steering communicates the experience of every block of tire tread. On paper it's out-powered by a Camry, but the 237-horsepower turbocharged 4-cylinder is only working against 2,500 pounds, making the 4C genuinely fast with only a hint of turbo lag.

The dual-clutch automatic transmission shifts lightning quick, and there's a distinct difference among the various DNA drive modes. Yet, like a scalpel cutting vegetables, the 4C is sorely out of its element once you've left the racetrack.” – Kelley Blue Book

Engine and transmission

The Alfa Romeo 4c comes with a 1.7L, 4cylinder turbocharged engine developing 237 bhp of power and 258 lb-ft of torque. The turbo-4 is mated to a lightning fast 6-speed Dual Clutch Automatic transmission but sadly, no manual transmission is on offer.

Models	Alfa Romeo 4C Coupe	Jaguar F-type Coupe	Audi TT Coupe	Porsche 718 Boxster
MSRP	$55,900	$59,900	$43,950	$57,400
Engine	1.7L Turbo-4	2.0L i4 Turbocharged	2.0L TFSI 4-Cylinder	2.0L Turbocharged Boxer 4-Cylinder
Transmission	6-Speed Automatic	8-Speed Automatic	6-Speed Automatic	6-Speed Manual
Power	237 hp	296 hp	220 hp	300 hp
Torque	258 lb-ft	295 lb-ft	258 lb-ft	280 lb-ft

All the rivals develop significantly more power. Only the Audi TT gets a slightly less powerful 220 hp 2.0L I4. The most powerful of all cars compared here is the Porsche 718 Boxster. It comes with a 300 hp 2.0L turbocharged engine and comes with an utterly satisfying 6-speed Manual transmission.

Acceleration

In terms of acceleration, the Alfa Romeo scores a homerun where it gets the best acceleration figures compared to its rivals. The Alfa Romeo does the 0-60 mph mark in 4.1 secs which is the best in its class. The time taken to cover a quarter mile in 12.8 secs. Despite being the fastest, it’s also the cleanest of the lot with emission figures of just 6.3 tons/year of CO2.

Models	Alfa Romeo 4C Coupe	Jaguar F-type Coupe	Audi TT Coupe	Porsche 718 Boxster
0-60 MPH	4.1 sec	5.4 sec	5.3 sec	4.9 sec
Quarter mile	12.8 sec	14.1 sec	13.8 sec	12.0 sec
Engine	1.7L	2.0L	2.0L	2.0L
Emission (Tons/yr of CO2 Emissions @ 15K mi/year)	6.3	6.8	6.8	7.3

The Jaguar F-type even after being the 2nd most powerful in its class manages to get a 0-60mph time of over 5.4secs and a quarter mile run time of about 14.1 secs. While the Porsche which gets the best engine of the class gets a better 0-60 time and the best Quarter mile run time of about 12 secs.

Braking

The Alfa Romeo 4C sports 12-inch brake rotors in front wheels and 11.5-inch brake rotors in the rear wheels. While these are not the largest, the low curb weight of the Alfa Romeo 4C helps it to stop at just 97 ft from 60 mph.

Model	Alfa Romeo 4C Coupe	Jaguar F-type Coupe	Audi TT Coupe	Porsche 718 Boxster
Brake Front(in)	12.0	14.0	12.3	13.0
Brake Rear(in)	11.5	12.8	11.8	11.8
Curb Weight(lbs)	2465	3360	3164	2944
60-0 MPH (ft.)	97.0	112.0	103	99.8

The heaviest car of the lot is the Jaguar F-type with a curb weight of 3360 lbs. It’s also the slowest to stop with a 60-0 mph distance of 112 ft. The Porsche is the 2nd heaviest of the lot but posts impressive stopping distance of just 99.8 ft – German engineering.

Even while considering its fuel economy, the Alfa Romeo is the best car considering its rivals where it gets an economy of 24 MPG in the city, while on the highway the numbers go on to increase about 34 MPG. It gets a combined MPG of 34 which is quite impressive considering its performance.

“At 28 mpg combined, the 2018 Alfa Romeo 4C is more efficient than any non-electrified supercar and most sports cars.” - Carconnection

Model	Alfa Romeo 4C Coupe	Jaguar F-type Coupe	Audi TT Coupe	Porsche 718 Boxster
MPG (City)	24	23	23	21
MPG (Highway)	34	30	30	28
MPG (Combined)	28	26	26	24

The Porsche gets the worst figures of just 21 MPG in the city, 28 MPG on the highway and a combined MPG of 24. Which isn’t really the best but is quite considerable as the car gets a bigger engine and has the best performance.

“If you're looking for a comfortable sports car, run elsewhere. The 2018 Alfa Romeo 4C, especially when optioned with the purposefully stiff suspension and loud exhaust found on our test car, isn't easy to live with. An example of this: There are no armrests anywhere in the car.” - Edmunds

Seating and Comfort

The Alfa Romeo is a 2-seater car offering 38.0 in. of headroom, 49.8 in. of shoulder room and 42.7 in. of leg room. Which in our terms is not that great space. The Jaguar F-type is the most accommodating car here. If you need to carry more people, the Audi TT is the only car compared here that can accommodate four people.

Model	Alfa Romeo 4C Coupe	Jaguar F-type Coupe	Audi TT Coupe	Porsche 718 Boxster
Passenger capacity	2	2	4	2
Front (Head/Shoulder/Leg) (In.)	38.0/49.8/42.7	36.8/56.5/42.8	37.1/53.6/41.1	38.3/51.5/41.6
Rear (Head/Shoulder/Leg) (In.)	N/A	N/A	33.8/47.9/28.9	N/A

Cargo/Trunk volume

The Alfa Romeo gets a positively diminutive boot volume of about 3.7 ft-cube which is the worst among its rivals. The Jaguar has got the best boot volume of about 14.4 ft-cube. The Porsche also doesn’t get a good boot space with just 9.7 ft-cube. The Audi gets the 2nd largest boot volume of about 12.2 ft-cube.

Model	Alfa Romeo 4C Coupe	Jaguar F-type Coupe	Audi TT Coupe	Porsche 718 Boxster
Volume (ft cube)	3.7	14.4	12.2	9.7

“Low slung, sleek, and stunning on the outside, but simple on the inside, the 2018 Alfa Romeo 4C is one of the most striking cars on the road today.” - Carconnection

The Alfa Romeo measures 157 inches in length, 73 inches in width and a lowly 46.6-inch in height. Translated, the 4C is the smallest car in the segment. But it also means the 4C is manageable around tight city spaces and will be easier to fit in your garage. Because of its smaller dimensions, the car gets much agiler and nippier around the corners.

Model	Alfa Romeo 4C Coupe	Jaguar F-type Coupe	Audi TT Coupe	Porsche 718 Boxster
Curb weight(lbs)	2465	3360	3164	2944
Length(in)	157	176	164.7	172.4
Width(in)	73.5	74.2	72.1	70.9
Height(in)	46.6	51.6	53.2	50.9
Ground clearance(in)	4.5	3.9	4.5	4.3
Wheel base(in)	93.7	103.6	98.6	97.4
Track width(in) F/R	64.5/63.1	63.0/65.0	61.9/61.1	59.6/60.3

The Alfa Romeo comes bundled with lot of safety features like the Electronic Stability Control (ESC), which helps the car to make it stable. The ABS help the car to keep itself stable while in hard braking conditions and Driveline Traction Control helps the car from losing Traction when you pin the throttle.

• Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

• ABS And Driveline Traction Control

• Side Impact Beams

• Dual Stage Driver And Passenger Seat-Mounted Side Airbags

• Front And Rear Parking Sensors

• Tire Specific Low Tire Pressure Warning

• Dual Stage Driver And Passenger Front Airbags

• Curtain 1st Row Airbags

• Driver And Passenger Knee Airbag

• Back-Up Camera

The Dual Stage Driver and Passenger Seat-Mounted Side Airbags, Dual Stage Driver and Passenger Front Airbags, Driver and Passenger Knee Airbag, Curtain 1st Row Airbags are the Airbags which are provided to protect the passengers in case of any crash. The Backup Camera makes reversing a bit less of a stress.

NHTSA & Crashworthiness tests

The Alfa Romeo has not been rated yet by the NHTSA or IIHS.

Alfa Romeo 4c Coupe vs Jaguar F type

The Jaguar costs around 4k much more than the Alfa Romeo. Also, the F-type will get considerably pricier once you start ticking the options. But while the 4C is all about fun, the F-type delicately combines fun and comfort with a spacious cushy interior and accommodating boot.

Alfa Romeo 4C Coupe vs Audi TT

The Audi TT is the cheapest of the lot which costs about $43,950. The Audi is also the only 4-seater car among its rivals and can be had with the excellent Quattro AWD for all-weather performance. However, while the Audi TT prioritizes creature comfort, it’s not even remotely as much fun as the 4C. So the choice is simple – need comfort? Get the Audi. Want giggles? 4C is looking at you eagerly.

Alfa Romeo 4C Coupe vs Porsche 718 Boxster

The Porsche is about $1500 costlier than the Alfa Romeo and will get scarily expensive if you start ticking the options sheet (sadly, many essentials are on the options list). However, once you have decided to part with your cash, the 718 Boxter offers one of the purest driving experience you can get – at any price. Still, it does not mean 4C is any less fun but then again, the Boxter is far more refined and comfortable.

Alfa Romeo has the best acceleration and economy among its rivals. So, if a more nippy and agile car is all you need then the Alfa Romeo is the perfect car for you. But it’s got a cramped interior when compared to the rivals. The Alfa Romeo is not your daily need car, it’s a performance-oriented machine that loves mountain roads. If you need more creature comforts, consider F-type or the Boxter.