Video: 2015 Alfa Romeo 4C - First Look

The resurgence of Alfa Romeo in the United States with the 4C; a two door mid-engine turbocharged sports car that will be available starting at the end of June, 2014. Let's take a closer look. Alfa Romeo fans will notice the brands iconic grill here. It's sort of this downward triangle, check out these lines, they kind of run up here along the hood. There's a lot of carbon fiber elements you see around areas like the headlights. That's legit, that's the real deal; that's because the 4C has a carbon fiber chassis, which is really the stuff of very exotic sports cars. These lines run along the sides here, they come sort of toward these intakes here, right behind the front doors. These are real intakes, they're not just for show. They funnel air into the engine. Speaking of which let's open the trunk and talk power. Mid-engine layout here 1,750 CC that's between 1.7 and 1.8 liters, 237 horsepower, 258 pounds feet of torque. It's a turbocharged four cylinder engine, gets powered down to the rear wheels through a dual clutch paddle shifting automatic transmission, and Alfa Romeo says it saddles that engine with less than 10 pounds of curb weight; of dry curb weight for every horsepower that the engine has. We don't know exact curb weight specifications yet Alfa Romeo doesn't have those numbers available, but that puts it at around 2300/2400 pounds, depending where it ends up. The European Spec 4C is around 2 thousand pounds, but Alfa Romeo says that car has a lot fewer standard features; things like side airbags, air conditioning. So yeah, with those on it's going to add a little bit more weight. Small on the outside equals small on the inside. Very Spartan interior here. Utilitarian feel things are kind of where they need to be, but there's not a whole lot of creature comforts. Additionally, things like power seats, you're not going to get them. Height adjustable seats; you don't get either, but that does contribute to a lot of headroom; 'cause you kind of sit down low here. I'm six feet tall seats are just forward and backward. I'd sit a couple of clicks ahead of it all the way back. So there is decent room there; and there's also a tilt and telescoping steering wheel. Leather wrapped paneling along the interior, leather seats; those things are optional. Speaking of these seats, very high side bolsters Alfa Romeo says, even if you get the cloth seats, they have the same structure. So you're not going to be sliding around anymore in those base seats. Storage areas, no. No glove compartment, no center console. There's a couple of cup holders right here. Here's where you could put something, this little net back here. Yeah. Big knobs here for the climate controls, buttons for the dual clutch automatic transmission down here, paddle shifters up here obviously. You do also have a drive train selector switch right here that affects things like drive train response, it also affects the intervention thresholds for the electronics stability system, according to Alfa Romeo. It doesn't affect steering field because there is no power steering, in the 4C according to Alfa Romeo. That should make drivability very interesting, and obviously in theory, should improve steering feel at higher speeds. It's going to make the car a little more difficult to turn at lower speeds. I seriously don't think the last car without power steering was around in the US since like 1995. So I know what you're thinking, well Alfa Romeo, I've never seen an Alfa Romeo dealer around. Well Alfa Romeo is one of the many brands of the recently merged Fiat Chrysler. So the 4C will actually be available at select Fiat dealerships, as well as Maserati dealerships. Maserati is another one of their brands. Prices start around 54,000 dollars for the base model of the 4C, all the way up to the low, low 70,000 dollar range Alpha Romeo tells us. So here it is, it's going to be on sale very soon. (car engine)