Road TestCar reviews - Alfa Romeo - Spider - 2.2 JTSAlfa Romeo modelsOverviewAlfa's latest Spider may look the part, but underneath its spicy skin it has gone soft9 Nov 2007 THE latest Alfa Romeo Spider is not a lightweight two-seater, or a sports car, or even very Italian-feeling frankly, which is what we were expecting. Instead, and despite oozing alluring Latino style, today’s Spider is a luxury two-seater grand tourer. It cannot catch a Mazda MX-5 for alacrity or fun – and a VW Golf diesel will probably beat it through your favourite set of corners. Indeed, this Alfa is now a softer and cheaper alternative to a BMW Z4 or Mercedes SLK, but without their inherent driver appeal. Model release date: 1 November 2006 to 1 February 2012 All car reviewsAlfa Romeo Abarth Alpine Alpina Audi Aston Martin BMW Bentley Chevrolet Chery Citroen Chrysler Dodge Cupra Ferrari DS Ford Fiat FPV Foton GWM Great Wall Holden Haval HSV Honda Hyundai Hummer Isuzu Infiniti Jeep Jaguar Lamborghini Kia LDV Land Rover Lotus Lexus Maserati Mahindra McLaren Mazda Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-AMG Mini MG Nissan Mitsubishi Peugeot Opel Proton Porsche Renault Ram Rover Rolls-Royce Skoda Saab SsangYong Smart Suzuki Subaru Toyota Tesla Volvo Volkswagen Previous modelWearing a sharper new corporate nose, the facelifted version of the front-wheel drive Spider that spearheaded Alfa Romeo’s return to Australia is a dear old thing – concept-car gorgeous in its style, cramped in its execution, and wobbly but fun in the way it drives. The switch from a 2.0-litre Twin Spark four-cylinder engine to the 121kW/206Nm JTS unit (mated to a five-speed manual gearbox) brought more refinement and performance, but less crackle and fizz, sadly. Not at all sports-car-like to drive, at least this Spider still possesses a crazy Italian charm. |
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