Alfa Romeo Spider Limited Edition : LIMITED ONLY IN NAME

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Adding extra value to what was already a pretty exclusive proposition should pay dividends for Alfa Romeo with their Spider Limited Edition. Jonathan Crouch reports

If you're going to treat yourself to an Italian sportscar, then you might as well go the whole hog and get one that gives you goose bumps every time you twitch the curtains in the morning. A car fitted with all the extras you'd really like but probably can't afford: a car like Alfa Romeo's Spider Limited Edition.

The proposition here's pretty simple: you pay the same money as the standard car and get more for it. Complete with £3,000-worth of extra features at no extra cost over the standard £25,500 2.2 JTS model, this Alfa aims to effortlessly unite both head and heart with dramatic effect. With this Limited Edition, you get a choice of four colour combinations, plus alloy wheels, Italian `Frau' leather upholstery, electrically adjustable and heated memory front seats and power door mirrors.Â There's also Alfa's unique BlueandMe hands-free system with voice recognition and media player. And those colour combinations? Well, the Carbonio Black version has a `natural' leather interior finish, while the Alfa Red exterior paintwork is matched to a black leather interior.Â The super-cool Ghiaccio White colour scheme comes with a choice of either black or natural leather upholstery.Â Equipped with 19" spoked alloy wheels, this car looks purposeful and powerful.Â Under the bonnet the 2.2 JTS petrol engine produces 185bhp. There are faster roadsters out there - not least the 260bhp 3.2-litre V6 version of the Spider itself - but this one will still scuttle up to 60mph in 8.8s before topping out at 139mph. The engine thrives on revs so it stays quite placid at cruising speeds then screams into life when you keep your foot down to bring real drama to the driving experience. The front-wheel-drive layout of the Spider 2.2 JTS doesn't lead you to expect a serious driver's car and certified performance nuts would be better with the four-wheel-drive V6 model if they pick an Alfa Spider at all. The car handles sharply enough with inputs through the over-large steering wheel prompting quick responses with tight body control. The ride is firm and the absence of the extra bracing that a fixed roof would afford results in poor surfaces sending shudders through the car. If you give the Spider some pristine asphalt and some clement weather, it definitely qualifies as an entertaining drive. It's not particularly at home on the UK's rutted B-roads but do you really want to stick to the backwaters in a car that looks like this?

"This Alfa aims to effortlessly unite both head and heart with dramatic effectâ€¦"

People thought the Brera coupe looked good but the Alfa Spider has to be even easier on the eye - especially with the fabric roof folded. That front end with the chrome bars across the raised triangular grille and those headlamps like jewels set against the darkness behind is fast becoming an Alfa Romeo trademark. The 159 used it as did the Brera but the Spider does so to even greater effect. At the back, the Brera's rather bulbous rear disappears with the hood folded, thus illuminating the fixed roof car's only major aesthetic Achilles heel. Actually folding the roof takes some 25 seconds, not quick by modern standards but it means more passers by will be able to witness the spectacle. Alfa chose not to include the ludicrously-tiny rear seats that are so popular in modern convertibles. Instead, you have a pair of lockable storage bins built into the rear bench that supplement the 200-litre capacity of the boot with a further 100-litres and are a far more practical solution. The amount of usable storage as a whole is on a par with the likes of Audi's TT Roadster and the Nissan 350Z Roadster but you'll still need to travel light. The interior can't quite live up to the standards set but the Audi, despite some high quality materials and attractive aluminium detailing. The centre console is actually angled towards the driver, making its controls and displays that bit easier to use, while the overall feel is suitable special for a car of this type in this price bracket. This Spider can return a less than spectacular 30.1mpg according to the official combined economy figures. CO2 emissions are pegged at 221g/km and the insurance group is 16. The Alfa's price-point puts it head to head with rivals from Audi and BMW and it would be dangerous to expect the Italian car to hang on to its value with quite the iron fist that the Teutonic contingent do. The Brera's popularity has kept used values surprisingly high, however, and with the Alfa Romeo brand on the up in the UK, the Spider should follow suit to an extent. It may not drop the depreciation clanger than some evisaged. Roadtesters will highlight the Alfa Spider's dynamic shortcomings in a sector that hosts some serious drivers' cars but many buyers just want a fun, fast convertible with a pretty face and that's the Alfa Romeo Spider down to a tee. It's only against the cream of the hardcore Roadster crop that the Spider feels the bit off the pace. It's an involving drive that serves up plenty of fun on the right road and is more refined at cruising speeds than many of the sector's top performers. Overall? Well, it's true to say that there's nothing quite like an Italian sportscar and it's particularly nice that in this case, we're talking, rather unusually, about one that a lot of people can realistically afford. Who said that motoring exclusivity was the preserve of lottery winners? Â

Facts At A Glance
CAR: Alfa Romeo Spider Limited Edition
PRICE: £25,500 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 16
CO2 EMISSIONS: 221g/km
PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 8.8s Max Speed 139mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (urban) 21.7mpg / (extra urban) 38.7mpg / (combined) 30.1mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front, side and knee airbags, ABS, traction and stability control, ABS with brake assist
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height, 4393/1830/1318mm