Baby 8C: Alfa Romeo 4C

[flipstah]

http://life.nationalpost.com/2013/02...o-4c-unveiled/

New Alfa Romeo 4C sports car revealed This is it: the first Alfa Romeo to be sold in North America since the mid-1990s, the mid-engine, two-seat, rear-wheel-drive 4C. The head of Alfa’s parent, Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne, has promised it will arrive in North America before the end of this year. Beforehand, the Porsche Cayman-fighting Alfa will make its debut at next month’s Geneva auto show and go on sale in Europe afterward, where it’s expected to be priced less than $80,000. Beyond these first stylized press images, the 4C will be longer than a Lotus Elise but wider than a Porsche Cayman. No official figures have been released yet. But a 1.7-litre turbocharged four-cylinder is expected to make around 270 hp and mated exclusively to a twin-clutch automatic transmission.

How do you think it'll fare against the Elise? This looks better equipped than the Lotus too.

[schocker]

Originally posted by flipstah
http://life.nationalpost.com/2013/02...o-4c-unveiled/
How do you think it'll fare against the Elise? This looks better equipped than the Lotus too.

I am guessing every car is better equipped than the lotus. How can it compete with the elise though I thought elise/exige are no longer available in NA
It had better come well under 80 to compare with it's competition. Turbo 4 in an $80k car, no thanks jeff.

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

My dad was really interested in one of these to replace his Z4M in a couple of years but no manual transmission is a deal breaker.

[DeleriousZ]

I do not understand why performance oriented cars are not coming with manual transmissions.

I do not give a flying fuck that auto's are faster now, it kills the driving experience.

[Revhard]

Originally posted by DeleriousZ
I do not understand why performance oriented cars are not coming with manual transmissions.

I do not give a flying fuck that auto's are faster now, it kills the driving experience.

I disagree. As a blast around toy, maybe, maybe, but as an all arounder, the paddle shifters are way better. After having driven a bunch, they are the only way to fly. The good ones (GTR,M3,etc) are tons of fun, and easy in traffic.
I'd guess they last alot longer too, since you can't be overly aggressive and notch a gear, or miss one.
Maybe it's not quite as "ïnvolving", but I think it's a step up.

[flipstah]

Originally posted by DeleriousZ
I do not understand why performance oriented cars are not coming with manual transmissions.

I do not give a flying fuck that auto's are faster now, it kills the driving experience.

It's just the way the market is trending. People are preferring the quickness of the paddle shift vs. the 'experience' of a conventional shifter.

[DeleriousZ]

I guess I'm just old fashioned then, that and I'll never be able to afford something with a quality flappy paddle gearbox, so I'll never know the difference lol.

[sputnik]

Originally posted by DeleriousZ
I guess I'm just old fashioned then, that and I'll never be able to afford something with a quality flappy paddle gearbox, so I'll never know the difference lol.

Not old fashioned... just ignorant.

Feel free to enjoy your slower shifts and mechanical gearboxes.

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by DeleriousZ
I do not understand why performance oriented cars are not coming with manual transmissions.

I do not give a flying fuck that auto's are faster now, it kills the driving experience.

Because of CAFE. Manufacturers will not want to risk worsening CAFE with manual transmission.

With DCT, you can submit a default ECO timing for CAFE and leave an aggressive profile that waste as much gas as you want. You can't do that with manual.

[DeleriousZ]

Originally posted by sputnik


Not old fashioned... just ignorant.

Feel free to enjoy your slower shifts and mechanical gearboxes.

I will enjoy my proper driving experience thanks. What good is going fast if you can't truly enjoy the feeling of banging through the gears? Where's the satisfaction of the perfect shift, or heel-toe'ing as you come to a sharp corner?

There's no doubt the auto is faster and more efficient, but where's the fun factor?

[DeleriousZ]

Originally posted by Xtrema


Because of CAFE. Manufacturers will not want to risk worsening CAFE with manual transmission.

With DCT, you can submit a default ECO timing for CAFE and leave an aggressive profile that waste as much gas as you want. You can't do that with manual.

Hmm that makes sense. I hate it and I want it to go away but it makes sense. I appreciate that newer standards are driving the necessity of better technology, but all these regulations are a real debbie downer.

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by DeleriousZ


I will enjoy my proper driving experience thanks. What good is going fast if you can't truly enjoy the feeling of banging through the gears? Where's the satisfaction of the perfect shift, or heel-toe'ing as you come to a sharp corner?

There's no doubt the auto is faster and more efficient, but where's the fun factor?

This debate has been done a million times. Only 5% of cars sold has manual and the trend is going down.

Your attachment is fine but hope you enjoy driving old cars because it will be harder and harder for you to find new ones. Much like trying to find a car less than 10 years old without ABS.

But at least the luxury market for the most part is still catering to the manual transmission market. You can still order most Europeans with manual but don't expect dealers to stock them.

[flipstah]

Those paddle shifts shift as fast as you blink.

No human-related movement can beat that.

[Xtrema]

BTW, autoblog has a slightly different take on the powertrain:

http://www.autoblog.com/2013/02/12/a...-geneva-debut/

1.75L turbo 4 good for 232HP.

But the claim of less than 4kg/HP means this will come in under 2000lb!

$80K, better be fully loaded at that price, otherwise the Cayman S is a better bet.

[buh_buh]

That is a beautiful car

[Xtrema]

Interior spy shot:

http://ca.autoblog.com/photos/alfa-r...photo-5633038/

[Tik-Tok]

It's not because of CAFE, or because of faster shifting.

It's because not many guys wives know how to drive stick properly, and no way will they let them buy a car without an auto-tranny

[Mibz]

Whoa. Buttons for Neutral and Reverse.

[XylathaneGTR]

I will never be able to unsee that sad looking console face.

[flipstah]

Originally posted by Mibz
Whoa. Buttons for Neutral and Reverse.

Cue Aston Martin.