Alfa Romeo 4C | The Angry, Unpredictable Lotus Elise | Reviewed and Compared

[@AutoSugar]

Have you driven the Alfa 4C and/or the Lotus Elise? How do you feel they compare?

[@deviklovecraft3835]

Little Lost Lotus Agree with your basic impressions of this car. I own a 2005 Elise and was in the market for another sports car that I could daily drive. I tested a 4C and loved the styling and interior but the car was waaay too nervous with spirited driving... and I don’t mean on the limit, I’m talking 4 or 5/10 . Get mid corner and then have this lump of torque dumped in your lap and then what the hell to do ? It certainly is exciting I guess, the way all near death experiences are 😏. I ended up buying a highly modified Evora. If the 4C is a pretty knife then the Elise is a scalpel .

[@AutoSugar]

That's totally how I felt - so long as I didn't push it too hard, I found it really fun, but pushing it in any way did indeed evoke a fear of a near death experience!

[@RobertKarlBerta]

haven't driven a Elise but did drive the US version of the Exige with 4 cylinderToyota engine. The 4C needs to dump the stock tires that emphasize tramming. Michelin SS transform the car. Also lots of suspension mods and recommendations to make it a monster track car are well known. Stock the Elise or Exige is a bit better handling but once better tires and some more negative camber added the 4C is equally good n handling,better in braking, but the power of that 4C engine takes it to a different level. That plus many find putting firmer bushings (I use uniballs) in the rear triangle eliminate any high speed cornering nervousness. Wish I could compare the 6 cyliner version of the Exige but sadly those aren't sold in the US. The Lotus Elise and Exige are a couple of steps down in fitment and QC too. But bottom line....both cars are nice niche cars that are really the last of true sports cars along with the new Renault (also not sold in US). I love the 4C for looks, specs, and with some easy mods a real track monster. To see what is capable, go to KZbin and look for tracking videos by Tom Burgess.

[@davieman3443]

I'm a 4C owner and an ex-Lotus owner. The 4C is more of beast and you need to learn on how to tame it. It's the more exciting car to drive although the lotus' steering and handling is better. Fundamentally the 4C is brilliant but poorly set up from the factory. My car has the alfaworks geometry mods, uniball bushes, semi slicks and remapped. Performance is now on another level, steering is now as good as a lotus with the feedback you expect from a manual rack. I always take out lotus owners on the track and they are always blown away by the performance and handling. All these mods transform the car into a serious weapon for a minimal cost. Check out my track vids.

[@djbrianc]

As an Elise owner. You are so wrong. The 4c is way more special. The 4c is an occasion that the Elise can not match. Well in my opinion anyway.

[@AutoSugar]

I like both cars for different reasons, and as I said, I think they are two very different, and special animals.

[@lotusupra]

I am an elise owner and have driven a 4c recently as well. 4c feels much more powerful in every way. I feel more rush and kick when I go full throttle. Feels a lot more luxurious and a bit more comfortable as well. However, the elise feels more connected to the road, handles better, and feels more like a hardcore racecar. Both are great cars and offer different driving sensation. Very hard to say which one is better.

[@AutoSugar]

daaayim totally agree with all of those points!

[@RobertKarlBerta]

Every car can be improved with simple mods. With ECU swap 4c has a bit over 300 rwhp and 300 ft lbs torque. Put unibals on rear trail arms, better tires than crap PZeros. Add some more neg camber....maybe a bit more caster. You have a track monster. Same thing for Lotus....stock cars are compromised for street only use.

[@DrivenGarage]

So glad to see a lotus owner review the 4c!!! Thank God I have a Evora and 4C to go hand in hand!❤❤❤

[@AutoSugar]

Thank you! That sounds like an awesome combination!

[@charleslaull2602]

Agreed. Awesome combo. I’m Trying to decide between the 2 for my next purchase. What do you recommend?

[@TheMarkB2024]

Drive it in dynamic or race mode in manual mode shifting yourself.. The auto mode isn't good. I own one and have tracked it..its a surgically precise car on track.. Ditch the pzeros and the twichyness goes away The car is a blast to drive..ive come from high horsepower cars and this car is impressive..for the size tires and rims and street tires at 1G grip is awesome ...and the brembos..you can brake late in this car..all the time It rewards a smooth driver 👍

[@Silentwitness1978]

What tyres do you recommend? My P zeros are dead and with the Alfaworks ECU it just bakes the tyres.

[@AutoSugar]

Curious here too!

[@AutoSugar]

Thanks again for watching and sharing!!!

[@edwardclark2653]

An auto technician from Britain once told me, "Before you bang your Alfa, make sure she is at operating temperature! And you won't break the engine!" When you open the driver door of an Alfa, and peer at three pedals and center console stick-shift lever. It is time to fall in love ❤️!

[@paulgigas]

Glad to see not a half hour getting in and out etc. Nobody else has made the point about traffic. Worried about handling on unimproved back roads. I don’t think it is rugged enough. Good show about the steering.

[@AutoSugar]

Thank you - the other review is meant to be very thorough and while i know not everyone cares about getting in and out - it does make a make or break difference for some.

[@paulgigas]

Donno. Dramatic was an excellent word. You have good words. Alpha has always had that thing about them. If you feel who wants a Porsche, you are a sucker for an Alpha. That was in Germany in the 60’s and 70’s. Looks like it hasn’t changed much.

[@RobertKarlBerta]

With a few tweaks the 4C is a track monster. Dump those crappy P Zero tires and tramming goes away. My neighbor had an Exige highly modded with bigger turbo, IC, suspension, tires, etc. Now has a 4C with same amount of tweaking and ECU. He says the 4C is far faster. This is with the 4 Cylinder Toyota motor that came with the US version of the Exige. The V6 might be fun to compare but sadly it isn't sold here in the US. I also have a 4C....with same mods it is an amazing car. To see what a 4C fully modded is capable of check out KZbin videos of Tom Burgess tracking at many tracks around mid and West US....and that is a street driven car. By the way I had a 69 ALFA Spider bought new, modded, and kept for over 40 years before selling for garage space for the 4C....and also a 67 GTV B/Sedan SCCA racer. Long time ALFA lover.

[@AutoSugar]

Good points all around - I hope to try a 4C with a better track setup this year! It's always hard to do comparisons with modified cars, however, since they are hard to replicate for others when shopping.

[@workingwithricky694]

Keep the videos coming, I'll support and share your channel

[@AutoSugar]

Thanks Ricky!

[@allenpotts8809]

The lotus people I have met that have owned them says it’s the middle line between an Elise and an evora and I could see that.

[@TamiyaPhilippW]

So whats an exige then? An elise on steroids?😂

[@AutoSugar]

Pretty much!

[@93mlo]

Love your camera quality and editing style

[@AutoSugar]

Thank you!

[@OurCognitiveSurplus]

Elise owner thinking of a 4C. Thanks 😃

[@AutoSugar]

It's a great car, and I loved the turbo whoosh - there are other cars I'd want to own first, and the Elise is not going anywhere... so, at some point at the right price, I could see owning one in addition to the Elise, but I'm more interested in adding another Lotus, Porsche, Ferrari or Gordon Murray.

[@samueldowney2806]

Great subjective impressions on the 4C! Really gave an idea of what the car feels like compared to the Elise. Thanks for this. I feel like the 4C was compared directly to the Elise on release and found wanting, hence a lot of the criticism. But your review points out that is has a different attitude, more fun, less serious etc. Maybe it should be thought of as an alternative to a Lotus, not so much a competitor. It sounds like the Alpine has since come along and absolutely nailed the more liveable, comfortable alternative to an Elise though. Any chance of the new Alpine from a Lotus perspective (and in comparison to the 4C?).

[@AutoSugar]

Thanks! If I can find my way to a country where I can rent (or borrow) an Alpine for review, I'd love to do that!

[@samueldowney2806]

@@AutoSugar Oh wow! No Alpine in the US? That's too bad. I would love to try one also.

[@93mlo]

How would the ND mx5 feel compared to a Lotus or Alfa Romeo 4c ?as , it's also a light weight car

[@AutoSugar]

I really like the ND Miata - I will work on finding one to do a video on ASAP!

[@volodymyrshoniia2424]

ND is around 300 lbs heavier than the Elise. 4c is around 500 lbs heavier than the Elise. Both 4C and Elise have manual steering, Miata has dead electric power steering. Miata is front engined while others are mid engined. 4C has a turbo, Elise has 2 cam profiles, ND has a simple boring four cylinder. ND is very soft in the way it drives as well as its controls. Not as sharp either. ND has a wonderful manual transmission that breaks in early cars and a meh automatic, 4c doesn't even have a manual option, elise is manual only. S2000 is a closer car to the Elise because of VTEC, you can have it with no nannies like the elise, it does not depreciate just like the Elise. All of these cars are on different levels, in different categories, and better at different things.

[@salvatoreshiggerino6810]

@@volodymyrshoniia2424 I still think it's hard to argue against the people who say the MX-5 is the best sports car under $50k. Or even $60k looking at the MSRPs for the Elise and 4C. I certainly can't think of any.

[@volodymyrshoniia2424]

@@salvatoreshiggerino6810 who cares about msrp when used cars exist? 😝

[@salvatoreshiggerino6810]

@@volodymyrshoniia2424 Comparing the MSRP is being generous to the Elise and 4C. TCO for a Miata compared to an Elise or 4C is even lower when the cars are used. It obviously can't compete with the latter two in performance, but in terms of bang for the buck it's in a really unique place in the auto industry.

[@TamiyaPhilippW]

Is there a huge pricedifferents in spare parts? I mean cause there is so much in carbon fibre at the alfa and the clams arent cheap ether to replace...

[@AutoSugar]

Good question! I don’t know the answer but I will try to find out!

[@Lite_Lotus]

Let’s see an Evora review next!

[@AutoSugar]

Working on it! :)

[@Silentwitness1978]

4c can be modified quite cheaply and the issues are gone. Alfaworks make some spacers for the front end and some rear arms for the track. The tuned ECU makes a massive difference and it's not the 40 horsepower it's the torque jump of another 100nm at 2750rpm.

[@AutoSugar]

Thanks Steven - I am going to revisit the 4C soon to further explore all of its modes, but unfortunately there's no real way for me to try out the car with all the modifications that many suggest -- and I must also admit that I'm not terribly convinced that aftermarket mods can ever fix a car.

[@Silentwitness1978]

@@AutoSugar Cars are tuned to meet certain emissions and economy targets for starters. They are also built to a price and to deadlines. Short cuts are made in the process and this is where the aftermarket can make a difference.

[@AutoSugar]

@@Silentwitness1978 All fair points! Out of curiosity, do you happen to own an Alfa 4C?

[@Silentwitness1978]

@@AutoSugar Yes I own a Launch edition which comes with the race pack. I am also in Australia so my car is lighter than the ones in the US. I plan on adding some Bilstein coilovers because they made a massive difference on my 996. It's worth noting the car really needs the tire pressures to be what it states in the manual. 26psi front and 29psi rear. If they are too high it bounces down the road like a rollerskate.

[@peebow1000]

The Alfa has "a lot more power, bout 240ish". You're comparing this to an older Elise though yeah? In my market (Australia), A supercharged Elise with 220hp is still less expensive than the 4C. I understand a lot of ppl incidentally have only older Elises for a couple different reasons, and maybe Elises aren't selling like they used to, but ppl have got to stop constantly comparing Lotuses against distinctly higher expense machines. Think I remember EVO magazine comparing the latest Evora 430 Sport, and shunning it against a Porsche 911 at about an extra 20% sticker price (or about $30,000 AUD)

[@AutoSugar]

Good points and thank you for watching!

[@An3dmax]

The alfa looks and sounds great, price is more like an exige, you have to compare with an elise 250

[@AutoSugar]

Well, we don't have an Elise 250 in the states :) however, either way, if the Lotus 111R beats the 4C, then the 250 would beat it even further!

[@Nemoticon]

Alfa is all about wide-tracked, wide-tyre grip with boosted power... Lotus is about feedback, handling and teaches you how to carry speed. Very, very different cars even though they appear similar on the face of things. The 4C I drove hard very hard and the steering was numb and yet tramlined, the exhaust note was awful, my old GTV sounded infinitely better. Compared to an S1 Elise, the Lotus is much much easier to drive, less stressful and more rewarding, it dances over bumps and crests whereas trhe 4C just crashes through them. I believe under the skin somewhere the 4C is potentially a good car, but in my experience, they're so poorly set up, a 20 year old Elise is still miles better.

[@AutoSugar]

Great insight! Thank you!

[@CanadianCaymanRS]

Not sure you get this car. Not in fashion? Prices are slowly appreciating.

[@AutoSugar]

These sold...terribly, hence "not in fashion."

[@64Alvis]

I have owned and loved Alfas, but when the 4C is reviewed by people I respect the reaction has varied from meh to rude. Not so the Alpine Renault A110. Same price, weight and power as the 4C, also dual clutch, but rave reviews, with a relatively soft suspension set up for the road, not the circuit, just like ACBC made them!

[@AutoSugar]

I may just have to take a trip somewhere and find an Alpine for rent so that I can compare them - sounds fantastic!!

[@Joe-eg7ml]

Are they as reliable as the Lotus?

[@AutoSugar]

Oh man - neither are a winner in that contest, lol!

[@Joe-eg7ml]

@@AutoSugar have 06 exige with supercharger and it's been solid for the past 10yrs I have owned it

[@BlatentlyFakeName]

Considering Lotus use Toyota engines and gearboxes, I doubt it :P The construction is quite similar though, even things like the way the roof locks in to place and shape of the chassis. I suspect they may have either bought some patents from Lotus or Lotus quietly had a hand in the design somehow.

[@fpl_bailey]

Quality video like always

[@AutoSugar]

Thank you!

[@allenpotts8809]

Are you in California yet?

[@AutoSugar]

Yep!

[@jankostojanovic1653]

Wow ,such a beautiful thing , especially the spider version .In a few years this cars Price will skyrocket ,trust me just buy it ,this is a futures classic. The Elise too ,Lotus killed the whole line up ,i thing future lotuses will be garbage. I would get the 4c simply because hell it's so beautiful ,elise is too but next to alfa it just looks ordinary. 4c with a few mods is a fucking ferrari .If you have the money just buy it ,in a 5 years it gonna cost a hell of a lot of money .

[@AutoSugar]

The Elise definitely does not look ordinary next to the Alfa - I like them both, doesn't have to be either/or. The Lotus is a better driver's car, the Alfa has more drama...because it's Italian!

[@piasite]

I'll keep my 2005 Force Fed turbocharged, 1,925 lbs., 300 HP Elise, thank you.

[@AutoSugar]

That car must be an absolute monster!

[@dm9103]

Did anyone actually asked you to review the 4c?

[@AutoSugar]

No, no one ever asks me to review anything, really.

[@bilgiguctur8404]

If u wanna drive agressive...........there r some paddles to shift......c mon man

[@AutoSugar]

That's fair - I will be revisiting the Alfa soon...

[@JoTokutora]

I have more fun on the alfa than the elise

[@AutoSugar]

I think it's totally driver specific - I can easily see why some would prefer one over the other, they are similar yet different enough to evoke a strong preference for one over the other depending on what you enjoy most about enthusiast driving.

[@daveblock1688]

Not knowing what gear you are in or when and how the power comes on makes it not for an enthusiast. Fatter and dumber says it all. I love my Elise and if I ever feel my power is insufficient can supercharge.

[@AutoSugar]

Totally!

[@daveblock1688]

I enjoy your Vlogs. I have a 111R, Larini Stage II, Sector 111 shocks, Yoko 048s, Carbon Wing, front air dam, Evora TRD intake w/K&N. Would not want anything else for any money.