First Drive: 2007 Alfa Romeo Spider

Alfa Romeo is the Quentin Tarantino of the automotive world. It's been years since either one made something really great, but their fans keep believing that another blockbuster hit is just around the corner.

Just as every Tarantino movie is greeted as the rightful heir to Pulp Fiction, so, too, every new Alfa Romeo Spider is expected to rekindle the spirit of the original Spider of the 1960s, which Dustin Hoffman made famous in The Graduate. There is something evocative about that famous badge and triangular grille that lifts even mediocre cars above the mainstream. Here in Europe, people really want Alfa Romeo to succeed.

The latest 2007 Alfa Spider is no different. When it was unveiled at the Geneva auto show in 2006, it was immediately named Cabrio of the Year, even though nobody outside the factory had driven it. This new Spider, the Alfisti whisper in hushed tones, will seduce a new generation of American customers.

In two years, you will be able to walk into a Maserati dealer in the U.S. and place an order for a 2010 Alfa Romeo Spider, which will celebrate the company's 100th anniversary. Should all of us begin singing La Traviata and sipping cappuccino in anticipation, or is this latest ragtop just another Alfa Romeo that flatters, only to deceive?

Labradoodle Styling

In some celebrity circles, the Labradoodle has become the must-have accessory. This unfortunate canine — a cross-breed of a Labrador retriever and a poodle — is now more expensive to buy than the pedigreed alternative. And like the Labradoodle, the new Alfa Spider has the look of a charming mongrel. Sensationally stylish, but a mongrel nevertheless.

The front of this Spider and its interior have been borrowed from the Alfa Romeo Brera, a handsome coupe styled by ItalDesign, the company made famous by Giorgetto Giugiaro, who has been responsible for cars as disparate as the De Tomaso Mangusta and the original Volkswagen Golf. The rear of the Spider, however, has been penned by Pininfarina, the company associated with Ferrari design.

It's a risky proposition, but like the Labradoodle, the result is strangely appealing. An aggressive snout that gives the car a permanent scowl manages to blend harmoniously with a voluptuous rear. The Spider looks just as you expect an Alfa Romeo should, like an Italianate sculpture with a faint spirit of menace. When it comes to America, this car should definitely turn some heads.

Practical Style for the Interior

The Spider shares its platform with the Brera coupe, and both have a 99.5-inch wheelbase. The convertible measures 173.0 inches from nose to tail and it's 72.0 inches wide. Although the coupe is a compact 2+2, the space behind the Spider's front seats is taken up by a small rear shelf incorporating two lockable cubbies, plus there's the electric-powered convertible top. There is also a good-size trunk, making the Spider a sensible tool for everyday use.

The bulky instrument fascia angles toward the driver in the traditional Alfa style and focuses the eye on a series of circular pods. For smaller drivers, it might all seem a bit imposing, but at least it asserts its own identity. The driving position is good and the leather-wrapped seats offer decent long-distance comfort.

In days gone by, Alfa cabins were put together with all the integrity of an origami giraffe, but in recent years, the company has taken a giant stride forward when it comes to quality. Some of the ergonomics are still a tad curious (the stereo in our test car is outrageously fiddly) but the fit and finish looks good. The interior of the Alfa Spider makes you think this car might just last long enough to become a classic, something no Italian-made convertible in this price class has done in decades.

Here's What Alfa Romeo Has Always Gotten Right

Even in the company's darkest days, Alfa always made great engines, and those fitted to the Spider are no exception. Here in Britain, the Spider is offered with three engines: a 181-horsepower 2.2-liter inline-4, a turbocharged 2.4-liter 196-hp diesel inline-4 and a 256-hp 3.2-liter V6. The last is the engine that's most likely to come to the U.S.

This all-aluminum DOHC V6 with a 24-valve cylinder head and continuously variable valve timing debuted in Alfa's 159 sedan last year. It's called the JTS V6, which stands for Jet Thrust Stoichiometric, Alfa-speak for direct fuel injection. The net product of all this technical trickery is an engine that develops 256 hp at 6,300 rpm and some 237 pound-feet of torque at 4,500 rpm. That's enough power to get the Spider to 60 mph in a tick less than 7.0 seconds on its way to a top speed of 149 mph.

The Spider weighs in at 3,726 pounds, and it's all this weight that leads us to describe the Spider's performance as pleasantly brisk rather than searingly quick. The Spider also guzzles gas. Even so, the V6 sounds magnificent, with a rich melody reminiscent of Alfa's engines of old.

Here's the Disappointing Bit

Let's get straight to the point. The Spider is not a sports car — not even close. This car is half as stiff as the Brera coupe, and on any road surface that's less than perfect, it shakes like an alcoholic in rehab. You can feel it through the steering wheel, through the seats and even through the trim. We'll admit that the Spider feels better than a touring sort of car like the Volvo C70, but it's not good enough for a sports car.

Alfa has wisely decided not to risk trying to put 260 hp through the Spider's front wheels, so all-wheel drive is standard. The Alfa Romeo Q4 system uses a Torsen differential to distribute torque between the front and rear wheels. Normally the split is 43 percent front/57 percent rear, but the system adapts to any wheel slip and can deliver as much as 72 percent of power to the front wheels or 78 percent to the rear.

There's certainly no shortage of grip and the steering is pleasingly direct, but this is not a car to hustle. It's at its best on highways, or through long, sweeping corners, where it can be allowed to settle its weight and work its 225/50R17 tires. At least the ride is supple and it should be adequate on U.S. highways. But the Alfa Romeo Spider is nothing like the Nissan 350Z roadster that it resembles in specification, so hard-core enthusiasts should look elsewhere.

Perhaps Alfa has spent too much time trying to come up with a shape that can rival the Audi TT roadster and BMW Z4, when it should have focused a little more on driving performance. Even the shift action of the six-speed manual transmission feels slightly clunky (an automatic transmission is optional), and the brakes could stand more initial bite and more feel. You will enjoy being in the Alfa for the sound and the style, but not for the speed.

Dear Quentin, What Happened?

In many ways, the Spider is a classic Alfa Romeo. Objectively speaking, this car is not a match for the BMW Z4 or the Nissan 350Z, yet it has more panache than both. The 2007 Alfa Romeo Spider is a car that you will either dismiss out of hand as a triumph of style over substance, or fall in love with, warts and all.

Me? I'll take mine in red.

source: edmunds