This 4C-engined Alfa Romeo Giulietta might not be the fastest hot hatch, but it is the coolest

A NEW hatchback which shares the same heart as Alfa Romeo’s 4C sports car will go on sale later this summer.

The Quadrifoglio Verde – or Cloverleaf, roughly translated into English – version of the Giulietta shares the same 240bhp engine as the mid-engined sports car tested last week by Life On Cars, but offers it in a more practical, five-door hatchback package.

The Italian manufacturer said of its latest hot hatch: "Under the bonnet lies a thoroughbred Alfa Romeo power-plant: The all-aluminium engine first seen in the Alfa Romeo 4C supercar. The four-cylinder, direct-injection, 1750 Turbo Petrol engine delivers 240hp at 5,750rpm and 250lb/ft (340Nm) of torque between 2,000 and 4,000rpm with 80 percent available from just 1,800rpm.

"In addition to the 1750 Turbo Petrol engine, the state-of-the-art, six-speed ALFA TCT twin dry clutch transmission has also been inherited from the Alfa Romeo 4C supercar. While the adoption of ALFA TCT as standard ensures more comfortable and relaxing day-to-day use, it also translates into a more exciting drive when the mood takes the drive."

While it's not the fastest hot hatch on the market or the most powerful - the new SEAT Leon Cupra offers up a pulverising 280bhp, while Volkswagen's Golf R closes in on 300bhp - the prospect of an charismatic Italian hatchback with an engine developed with a mid-engined supercar in miniature in mind does have a certain cool factor from the off.

The fastest Giulietta yet will cost £28,120 when it goes on sale across the UK next month.

Fire up the... Alfa Romeo 4C

YOU know as soon as you sink into the 4C’s leather-lined bucket seats that it isn’t like Alfa’s other offerings.

True, this slice of Italian exotica might share the same turbocharged 1.8 litre engine that you’ll find in the range-topping versions of the family-friendly Giulietta, but it’s been tuned to 240bhp. It’s also mid-engined, rear-wheel-drive and offers up room for you and just one of your friends in its snug cockpit, making it feel more like a Ferrari that shrunk in the wash!

The first thing you’ll notice when clambering in through the 4C’s curves is that it’s left-hand-drive, but don’t let that put you off if you’re in the lucky position of being able to afford one of the Milan manufacturer’s most striking offerings in years. It’s very similar to the cheaper Lotus Elise in terms of its size, and layout, and while its supercar-esque haunches make the 4C initially feel wider than it really is it soon shrinks around you and inspires plenty of confidence.

With the carbonfibre-clothed 4C weighing just 895kg, Alfa didn’t bother with power steering, and it’s all the better for it. Its low centre of gravity and light weight means this car thrives on tight, twisty roads, entertaining you with its feel and handling and utterly charming you with the charismatic howl from the engine and the whoosh of the turbocharger when you press on. The double clutch gearbox, operated from paddles mounted on the steering wheel, is also a joy to use, and you’re soon left in doubt the 4C is a truly special set of wheels to drive.

In fact, the only real letdown is that the interior doesn’t wow you in the way that wonderfully curvaceous exterior does – anyone familiar with the Giulietta or MiTo will feel instantly at home, but when you’re driving it’ll be other motorists appreciating the aesthetics most.

It might also seem expensive – particularly because the particular test car I drove came with a handling pack, costing an extra £3,500 on top of the £45,000 starting price. Think of it as a shrunken Ferrari, however, and it suddenly makes sense.

The 4C has the looks, the presence and the noise fit for any Italian supercar – it just happens to cost the quarter of the price of a 458 Italia. Count me in!

Alfa Romeo 4C is finally ready for the UK

It might have been a long time coming, but Alfa Romeo has finally confirmed the UK details of its striking 4C sports car.

The company said that the mid-engined coupe will cost £45,000 when it goes on sale next month, and will use a new turbocharged 1.8 litre petrol engine producing 240bhp. With the car weighing less than a tonne, Alfa expects the car to hit 60mph in just 4.5 seconds before rocketing on to a top speed of 160mph.

Just 3,500 will be brought into the UK, with the cars being delivered next year.

Alfa Romeo and Mazda announce sports car tie-up

THE successor to Alfa Romeo's achingly beautiful Spider could be one of the most mouthwatering sports cars ever created.

Fiat, the Italian automotive giant which owns the Milanese motor makers, has announced that not only is it working on a new two-seater roadster, but that it's joined forces with Mazda, the makers of the best-selling sports car of all time, to create it. In three years' time, if the two companies play to their strengths, you'll be able to buy a car with classic Italian styling and the fun-to-drive factor of the MX-5.

I saw a mid-nineties Spider being driven along Southport's seafront on a sunny summer afternoon the other day and really, really wanted to be the chap behind the wheel. It never really took off with Brit buyers in the same way the Mazda did, because while the MX-5 had a rear-wheel-drive set up singlehandedly designed for being sporty, all Spider's since the model's '94 reinvention have relied on front-wheel-drive bits from the Fiat Group parts bin. Not that any of that mattered with the savvy souls who did take the plunge, because the reason why you bought any Spider was because of the way they looked. They were and still are, a delight to behold.

So the news that Fiat and Mazda are planning to join forces is brilliant news if you care about simple, small, two-seater sports cars (and, let's face it, chances are if you read Life On Cars you almost certainly do).

Mazda president Takashi Yamanouchi, knows this full well, and said this week: "Establishing technology and product development alliances is one of Mazda's corporate objectives and this announcement with Fiat is an important first step in that direction.

"It is especially exciting to be collaborating with such a prestigious marque as Alfa Romeo on a new roadster based on the next-generation MX-5, which is such an iconic vehicle for Mazda and recognized as the best-selling roadster of all time."

 

The two companies plan to develop two different, distinctly styled, iconic and brand-specific light weight, rear-wheel-drive roadsters. The Mazda and Alfa Romeo variants will each be powered by specific proprietary engines unique to each brand, although both are expected to be built at Mazda's factory in Hiroshima, where it's made the MX-5 in its various iterations for more than 20 years.

The deal, which is expected to be finalised later this year, also includes the scope for further tie-ups between Mazda and Fiat. Does that mean we can have finally have a follow up to one of the best-looking sports cars of all time, the Fiat Barchetta?