A WORK OF ART – BUT NO MASTERPIECE
15 August 2007 - Alfa Romeo

Beauty, it is Italian and their historic brand image are probably the three main reasons for buying an Alfa Romeo, but you could add in their motorsport heritage as well.

Alfa Romeo’s reputation for producing open topped cars goes back to 1910 and the new Spider, launched earlier this year, is their fourth generation Spider model in five decades.

In the last couple of decades Alfa Romeo has not had the best of reputations for quality or reliability but their designs are still coveted by a hard-core few. However the rejuvenated Fiat and Alfa Romeo businesses have been doing rather well in the last few year or so with new model introductions with better and more reliable products giving some success in re-building customer confidence. They are now starting to regain their reputation for producing great and distinctive cars and selling them without resorting to huge discounting. Alfa sales in the UK are nearly 20% higher so far this year over the same period in 2006. Alfa Romeo says they will sell in the region of 700 Spiders in the UK in a full year.

Developed from the relatively new Brera 2+2 coupe, the Spider is a sporty two-seater with a unique platform and chassis to give it additional strengthening to overcome the loss of the metal roof.

The Spider range is priced from £25,995 to £32,700 and as usual with premium brands there is a host of extra cost options from higher grade leather upholstery to navigation systems with integrated hands-free phone facilities.

There is the choice of two petrol engines, 185bhp four-cylinder 2.2 and 260bhp 3.2 V6, or the popular 200bhp five-cylinder 2.4 MultiJet turbo-diesel. Six speed manual boxes are standard but the V6 is available with the QTronic selectable semi/ full automatic transmission with column paddles and has Q4 four-wheel drive as standard.

Top speed of the 2.2 JTS is 138mph with 0-62mph in 8.8sec and overall consumption of around 30mpg and 221gkm CO2. The 3.2 JTS model has a top speed of 149mph, 0-62mph in 7 or 7.2sec with manual or autobox, fuel consumption of 24.6 or 23.2mpg and emissions of 273 or 289gkm CO2 respectively. The most practical 2.4 JTDm MultiJet diesel does 142mph, 0-62mph in 8.4sec, returns 41.5mpg and produces 179gkm in CO2 emissions.

The Spider has a multi-layered fabric electrically operated top and built-in roll-bars and a glass wind baffle behind the headrests. The roof folds into a compartment behind the passenger cabin but in front of the boot so the load space is fairly roomy for a convertible with 200 litres of space. There are secure lockable storage compartments behind the two front seats but unfortunately the large glovebox cannot be locked so security is an issue. Valuable items such as a mobile phone or sunglasses cannot be left in the car with the roof down, say at a petrol station, without the risk of them being stolen. For the sake of a lock for the glovebox you need to take the items with you or put the roof up and lock the doors.

The Alfa Romeo Spider comes very highly specified from a technical viewpoint so you get six speed box, powered steering and advanced braking and traction control systems, and four wheel drive and auto option on the top version.

In the trim package you have dual zone air con, cruise control, fog lights and headlamp delay, parking sensors, on-board computer and six speaker radio/CD player, while leather is standard on the V6.
My test model was the Spider 3.2 JTS V6 Q4 priced at £31,250; this is the four-wheel drive variant with a manual six-speed gearbox.

All Spiders share the same beautifully styled elegant body with the traditional Alfa grille and deeply sculptured large bonnet, steeply racked front A-pillars and wide wheelarches which create a muscular looking roadster. Believe me it does grab the attention of fellow road users. It is a work of art but not perfect to live with.

Another area to look at if you are a car enthusiast is under the bonnet. The engine design, quality of finish and layout is a work of art. It looks fantastic, an engineering masterpiece but I hope the salt, water, and mud of our UK winters does not take its toll of the sparkling engine bay.

Being six feet tall I could not get the driving seat low enough to really be able to sit down in the car. Driving a sports car has more to it than turning the steering wheel and changing gear, you need to be able to ‘feel’ the car through your body. This didn’t happen for me with the Spider, it felt as though I was ‘riding’ it rather than driving. The higher driving position also limited headroom and again that left me peering down to look through the windscreen rather than looking straight ahead. The interior has a sporty appearance with the instrument console angled towards the driver and all the controls fall to hand nicely. In this respect the Spider lacks nothing in refinement, quality and style.

The 3.2-litre V6 petrol engine is refined rather than providing out and out performance. The all wheel drive system absorbs considerable power and whilst it gives really good grip it saps the car’s energy. It is more a long-legged cruiser than a sports car although the 149mph top speed and the 0-62mph in just 7 second suggest otherwise. Once in ‘cruising mode’ the car is quick and quiet, it just lacks the get-up-and-go with 322Nm of torque requiring 4,500rpm engine speed to keep it in the responsive power-band.

The handling is very predictable, the steering quick and responsive and makes driving winding roads a real pleasure. Bumps and potholes send shudders through the car as some rigidity in the bodyshell has been lost by not having a solid roof. The ride comfort is on the firm side.

Overall, great iconic Alfa Romeo looks, great style, seemingly well engineered but with a few flaws.

MILESTONES. Alfa Romeo Spider 3.2 JTS V6 Q4. Price: £31,250. Engine: 3.2-litre, V6 petrol, 260bhp, 322Nm at 4,500rpm. Performance: 149mph, 0-62mph 7 seconds, 24.6mpg (24mpg actual), CO2 273g/km, VED £300. Warranty: 3-years unlimited mileage, 3-years AAS roadside assistance, 3-year paintwork and 8-year anti-perforation. Insurance group: 19E. For: Styling, iconic good looks, well built, protection from wind buffeting.
Against: Unknown residual values, firm ride, power sapping four wheel drive, high running costs, non-lockable glovebox.

Miles Better News Agency

www.alpharomeo.co.uk

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