The riotous 2020 Alfa Romeo 4C snorts like a baby Ferrari and drives like a souped-up Miata. For its incredible handling, ample turbo power, and sizzling Italian style we give it 5.8 out of 10 overall, with points shaved off for the iffy interior, lack of comfort, and rough ride. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
For 2020, the 4C (or 4C Spider, since that’s the only body style left) gets a new Italia edition with a unique blue paint, graphics, and trim pieces. This special edition is limited to only 15 units.
The 4C has presence and panache. It’s low, short, and impossibly wide for such a small car, with dramatic arches, a trademark triangular grille, and big wheels pushed to the corners. The interior is less impressive to look at, especially when you inspect the Fiat-grade trim pieces more closely.
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A snarling 1.8-liter turbo-4 puts out an impressive 237 horsepower to the rear wheels via a 6-speed dual-clutch transmission that fires off quick but rough shifts. Its mid-engine construction, carbon fiber tub, unassisted steering, and incredibly light overall weight make the 4C one of the sharpest-handling cars on the road, but ride quality is rough and the boost from the turbo comes on like a rally car from the 1980s.
Inside, the interior is bolted together from parts plucked out of the Fiat bin, and is lacking many modern touches. While we love the flat-bottomed steering wheel and floor-hinged pedals, there are actual unfinished sharp edges on the back side of the plastic that surrounds the climate controls, and where a glovebox should be, there’s just a simple elastic net. This is cost-cutting at its finest, so don’t expect any niceties here.
The 4C is also short on cargo space as the front end doesn’t open like on other mid-engine cars. Standard sport bucket seats are hard, flat, and barely adjustable, but do offer great bolstering when the going gets very twisty. Put simply: this is a delightful toy for shorter romps around the racetrack or back roads, but long road trips are not advised.
Though no crash test ratings or active safety features are available, the 4C does manage 28 mpg combined thanks to its tiny engine and light weight, so it’s at least relatively economical if not practical. When a car is this fun though, who really cares about the size of the trunk?
