2015 Alfa Romeo 4C Spider
You may have thought the all-business 4C sports car was an odd choice for Alfa Romeo to spearhead its return to the U.S. But, it clearly makes the point that performance will be paramount as Alfa goes forward here. And before the sedans and crossovers start trickling in, they’ve given us one more treat to sample, the 4C Spider.
As we’ve already noted, the minimalist Alfa Romeo 4C is not for everyone. And chances are this 2015 4C Spider will also have limited appeal. But, those willing to take a chance on either, will be slipping into something special indeed.
In mid-engine drop-top roadster fashion, the Spider in the name refers to the removable roof panel. When you take it off, the resulting open air space above you may be minimal, but it only adds to the purely exhilarating experience of the 4C.
Actually, the standard cloth top is the definition of minimal and rather flimsy. While removal is step intensive, it’s not difficult. Best option, just keep it off and the car parked in the garage on rainy days.Or go for the optional carbon fiber hardtop.
Top on or off, once underway, the Spider feels plenty solid and secure. It’s also surprisingly quiet with the top on.
And no matter what is or isn’t keeping the rays off your dome, this car is still the only new car that delivers the “road rushing at you sensation” of 60’s era exotics.
It feels fast, but not struggling to keep it under control fast. Like most lightweight roadsters, it’s all about getting through corners quickly not necessarily making it to the next one in a hurry.
Keeping with the theme, the interior is equally unembellished, even resorting to a non-intuitive aftermarket Alpine which had no satellite radio, but did include Pandora.
Seats offer just enough comfort and there’s plenty adequate room inside to operate. Our taller drivers had a hard time seeing all of the gauges; which is a shame as they are pretty darn cool.
Oh yeah, there are things to nitpick, but barely, and in doing so you’re mostly missing the point of the car. There’s limited luggage space, though, unlike many convertibles, the top takes up very little of it.
While at just 1.7-liters of displacement, you might think the turbo power plant diminutive as well, but it has surprisingly more guts than the 237-horsepower number would indicate. And you’ll absolutely enjoy wringing all 258 lb-ft. of torque out of it.
Same as the Coupe of course, as are the 6-speed twin-clutch transmission and DNA dynamics selector, which allows you to choose between All-Weather, Natural, Dynamic, and Race settings. There’s no doubt it gets up to speed in a hurry, not exactly in a high dollar exotic car kind of way; more of a snarly tiny terror as it hits 60 in 4.3-seconds, just as in the only 22 lbs. lighter Coupe.
The gearbox shifts impeccably whether in manual or auto mode, and gear spacing is right on; with 3rd gear being the real workhorse. Despite an identical start, we managed to clear the ¼-mile a 10th quicker than the hard top at 12.9-seconds and 107 miles per hour.
When you keep the throttle pinned in this car, all of your senses are fully engaged; the noises that it makes are truly magnificent. Steering is still fully manual, and the car stays flat as the proverbial pancake.
But that’s just the start of the overused clichés we’ll apply here… turns on a dime… handles like it’s on rails… feels like a go-kart… …pick your favorite.
Brakes are perfect as well. Stops from 60 averaged just 90-feet, with super short pedal travel, good feel, and hardly any nose dive.
Outside of the roof, nothing changes to the exterior design. It still has the ¾-scale “exotic Italian by way of Lotus” look that makes it a visual winner.
Standard staggered 17/18-inch wheels can be upgraded to 18/19’s; but keep in mind the performance tires can be a handful on wet roads, they also find every groove in the pavement. And since there’s a direct connection to the steering wheel, you’ll be clued in immediately.
Government Fuel Economy Ratings are the same as in the hardtop, 24-City, 34-Highway, and 28-Combined. We managed a very good 32.7 miles-per-gallon of Premium. So the Energy Impact Score is better than average, with 11.8-barrels of annual oil consumption with 5.2-tons of CO2 emissions.
If we didn’t already love the 4C enough, the Spider’s base pricing of $65,495 had us seriously contemplating refinancing our debt, finding a dealer, and putting some serious money down.
Back to essence, not necessarily back to basics, is what the 2015 Alfa Romeo 4C Spider is all about. It is not minimalism for the sake of it. But, it is maximizing driving pleasure by encapsulating the spirit of the 60’s exotics in modern hardware. A winning formula that more people need to take advantage of.
Specifications
- Engine: 1.7 liter
- Horsepower: 237
- Torque: 258 lb-ft.
- 0-60 mph: 4.3 seconds
- 1/4 mile: 12.9 seconds @ 107 mph
- EPA: 24 mpg city/ 34 mpg highway
- Energy Impact: 11.8 barrels of oil/yr
- CO2 Emissions: 5.2 tons/yr
2025 Subaru WRX tS
Subaru’s “World Rally eXperimental” Gets Tecnica-Tuned Tech
Building on its global rally heritage, WRX has been a standalone Subaru nameplate, marketed separately from garden variety Impreza, for two generations now. And while the current WRX still lacks the full STI treatment, this WRX tS serves up some of that high-performance spice we’ve been longing for.
Before we go flat out into our Track Test of this 2025 Subaru WRX tS, lets open the Subaru dictionary so we’re all on the same page. “tS” stands for “tuned by STI;” and “STI” is an acronym for “Subaru Tecnica International,” the brand’s high-performance sub-group best known for upgrading the WRX— oh, that stands for “World Rally eXperimental,” in case you didn’t know.
All that said, STI has been largely dormant for this WRX generation, but this tS sprinkles more of their engineering magic into the mix. No, that doesn’t mean extra power, but does mean significant chassis-related improvements.
First, electronically controlled dampers, adjustable through the 11.6-inch tablet-style infotainment screen. That meant a softer “comfort” mode on the 10+ hour commute to and from Savannah’s Roebling Road Raceway. But once we were there, it was the firmer “Sport+” setting all the way, heightening response from the WRX’s throttle and already quick dual-pinion power steering system. There’s still some body roll for rally-esque weight transfer, but it’s well sorted and provides the “toss-ability” you want in a WRX.
Though if you do autocross your tS, which we implore you to do, you might feel the six-piston front, two-piston rear Brembo brakes first. The bite is strong, giving good rotation in the corners and plenty of “halt” for this 3,400 lb. compact with minimal fade, keeping us on track all week…until some unfortunate winter weather passed overhead. No worries here, as Subaru’s Symmetrical All-Wheel-Drive system got us to the track for some powdered deserts: Frosted donuts served up Michelin style, a set of winter tires different from the grippy Bridgestone Potenza S007 rubber the tS typically rides on. Some prior hot laps of California’s Sonoma Raceway gave credence to those Bridgestones, and showed us what this hot-compact can do in ideal conditions.
It’s well sorted and provides the “toss-ability” you want in a WRX.
Other tS enhancements are cabin-based, namely these beautiful blue Recaros. Most of our staff appreciated their moderately-aggressive bolstering on both street and track. And they’re even heated, too. Another tS-only appointment is this 12.3-inch digital gauge display. It mimics the standard analog gauges with some additional info, but can switch to a navigation mode for more convenient route guidance.
We do wish our tS came in the new Galaxy Purple or the trademark World Rally Blue, but this Crystal White paint wasn’t too shabby, contrasting its Cherry Blossom Red badging and blacked-out lip spoiler. Otherwise, the tS is like any other WRX, down to the hood scoop funneling air to the top-mounted intercooler.
Underneath is the same turbocharged 2.4-liter flat-four in all other trims, boxing at 271 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. The freak winter weather stopped straight-line testing, but a 0-60 time estimate of 5.5 seconds is about as spry as you realistically need, pulling strong through most of the tach; though the 6,000 RPM redline required attentive shifting of the six-speed box, which the tS comes exclusively with. The throws are precise, if a little long, and the clutch is wonderfully weighted.
With discontinuation of the Base trim, pricing for the WRX now starts with Premium at $36,920. The tS is at the top of the lineup with the automatic-only GT, both starting at $46,875. All WRXs continue to be made in Gunma, Japan.
If you’re an enthusiast itching to do the tuning yourself, perhaps the 2025 Subaru WRX tS is not for you. But if you want a plug-and-play experience, this is it. While it won’t exactly bestow the loose-cannon, top-level driving skills exhibited by famous WRC drivers upon you, the tS moves this WRX’s game in a direction we’ve so desperately wanted Subaru to take.
Specifications
As Tested
- Engine: 2.4-liter flat-four
- Tranmission: 6-speed manual
- Horsepower: 271
- Torque: 258 lb-ft