2015 Alfa Romeo 4C Spider

2015 Alfa Romeo 4C Spider

Episode 3507
Auto Value and Bumper to BumperTire Rack "The Way Tire Buying Should Be"

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
2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV 2

2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV

Nothing Like The Equinox You Used To Know

Episode 4424
Auto Value and Bumper to BumperTire Rack "The Way Tire Buying Should Be"

General Motors may have slowed their EV plans a bit, but they’re still committed to an all-electric future and have many full battery-powered options to choose from across multiple brands, the latest of which is this Chevrolet Equinox EV. Now, it’s nothing at all like the gas-fueled Equinox we’re all familiar with. So, let’s find out if batteries are better.

General Motors has made the biggest EV push out of all the big three American carmakers, coming up with the dedicated Ultium platform that now underpins a host of trucks and SUVs throughout their brands, and even Honda has made use of it. GM’s latest Ultium-based EV uses a familiar name, the Chevrolet Equinox EV. And not to worry, this is not a replacement for the gas-powered Equinox, just a parallel path for those more comfortable joining the EV world with a familiar name.

And like its counterpart, the Equinox EV comes standard with front-wheel drive, rated for as many as 319 miles from its 213-horsepower motor and 85-kWh battery pack. Adding a rear motor for all-wheel drive boosts output to 288 horsepower and 333 lb-ft of torque, but drops range to 285 miles for our ’24 test vehicle, though ‘25s get a bump up to 307 miles.

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Though even our ‘24 AWD appears capable of well over 300 miles as we were on pace for 329 miles in our driving loop. 150 kW max charging speed delivers some 77 miles for every 10 minutes on charge. And using 35 kWh of electricity per 100 miles earns the Equinox EV a good efficiency rating.

Much like every other Ultium-based vehicle we’ve been in, Equinox EV’s ride quality is quite pleasant. But where it really stands out is in exterior design. Available in both LT and RS families, the Equinox EV is easily the sportiest-looking Ultium vehicle we’ve seen yet. Its long 116.3-inch wheelbase is 8.8 inches longer than the ICE Equinox. As with many EVs, there’s lots of active LED lighting elements; plus, flush door handles and smooth body panels to help aero efficiency.

Very little body roll and quick steering added a playfulness to the process that made the Equinox feel smaller than it is.

Of course, the dedicated EV platform allows for a very spacious feel inside, with plenty of room for five adults and 26.4 cu.-ft. of cargo space in back; folding rear seatbacks leads to max of 57.2 cu.-ft. An AutoSense liftgate is available for hands-free operation.

2RS comes with some very nice cloth heated seats that Chevy calls Evotex; but more impressive is the 17.7-inch widescreen infotainment setup. In addition to looking great, it responds quickly to inputs, is Google-based, and features EV-specific route planning through the MyChevrolet App. There are multiple settings for regen braking, including two for one-pedal driving; plus, there’s a regen-on-demand paddle behind the steering wheel that works like a hand brake.

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There was enough torque here in our all-wheel-drive tester to spin up the tires a bit at launch, and when it did hook up, it left the line with a decent amount of thrust. Enough to get to 60 in 6.1 seconds, almost 3 seconds quicker than we got in the ICE Equinox just a few months ago. The power flow stayed consistent the whole way down the track, with no major upticks or drop-offs throughout the 14.9-second quarter-mile, finished at 91 mph.

It felt equally smooth and steady through our handling course, very little body roll and quick steering added a playfulness to the process that made the Equinox feel smaller than it is. Results were very consistent in our 60-0 panic braking test. A short 116-foot average, stops were smooth and straight.

‘24s are still available, with prices starting at $43,295 for a 2LT, but a base 1LT that goes for just $34,995 arrives for ’25; adding all-wheel drive is a pretty steep $3,300 increase.

The Chevrolet Equinox EV is an incredibly nice SUV regardless of what’s under the hood. GM has certainly built some impressive EVs recently, but delivering a family friendly EV with this much range for this low of a price is probably their most impressive feat yet. That’s why it earned our recent MotorWeek Drivers’ Choice Award for Best of the Year, and why you should have it on your list if a sensible EV purchase is in your future.

Specifications

As Tested

  • Motor Setup: Dual Motor
  • Battery Size: 85-kWh
  • Horsepower: 288
  • Torque: 333 lb-ft
  • EPA Range: 285 miles
  • Peak Charging Rate: 150 kW
  • 0-60 mph: 6.1 seconds
  • 1/4 Mile: 14.9 seconds at 91 mph
  • Braking, 60-0 (avg): 116 feet
  • MW Test Loop: ~ 329 miles