Alfa Romeo SPIDER 2.0JTS
Vanessa Hinkley Tries Out Alfas Spider JTS
Whenever I think of Italy, I think of passion, pizza, pasta, Pisa and Pininfarina. Which is actually quite fitting, because the
Alfa Romeo Spider is a car designed with passion by Pininfarina for those who like stylish roadsters. If there is power and loads of it, a 2+2 set-up and a fold-away hood, youre halfway there. Throw in the sensual Alfa styling and flame red interior and you have something that really looks like fun to cruise around in.
It appeals to me already. The styling is a little different to how you may remember it with a deeper front grille and a few extra shiny bits. The Spider is aiming itself at
Audi TT and Mercedes SLK convertible buyers, but it beats both of these cars on price. With the hottest part of the summer beckoning at the time of my test, it seemed like the right moment to fold the hood down and get to grips with Alfas ageing baby.
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Lets get one thing straight you wont buy the Spider as your only car unless you are an ambitious thirty-something with no fixed plans on marriage or offspring. If it were anything other than a two-seater with laughable luggage space, it wouldnt be the roadster that it is they just dont make them like that. From one perspective at least, the car begins with a head start. Women who enjoy driving will love this car and thats important.
By the year 2010, so the statisticians tell us, there will be as many women drivers on Britains roads as men. Current thinking suggests them to be more open-minded, more fashion-orientated and less badge conscious, so they are liable to love the Spider with its funky styling, luxurious leather interior and drop-top desirability. It has to be said though that the Spider is feeling its age. Certain things are missing from the formula the class around it has moved on.
What you dont get, and probably will really notice the lack of, are the kind of electronic aids weve come to take for granted on rival German roadsters like Audis TT and Mercedes SLK. Things like ESP electronic stability control to help you out of a sticky situation should you barrel into a corner too fast or even four-wheel drive like the TT. The interior has been slightly upgraded with a revised centre console to house an optional satellite navigation system.
The Alfa Spider is a fun drive. Granted, the chassis didnt feel as rigid as Teutonic contemporaries and the controls werent as obvious as they might be, but that couldnt detract from the ambience of the cabin. Despite the facelift it still doesnt appear quite cutting edge but theres an elegance to it thats deliciously appealing. The red carpet contrasting with the blue interior is classic and timeless.
It is also nice to know that no one will be able to get at the few loaves of bread and half pint of milk that you can fit into the boot thanks to a rotating bezel that hides the key hole nicely. This also prevents the key slit disfiguring the otherwise very elegant lines of the Spiders backside. On the road, the JTS engine feels gutsy at low revs, but
Alfa Romeo driving isnt about chugging about with the needle barely registering above tickover. Instead the needle should be zinging up to the redline, the engine filling the cabin with all manner of yowls, crackles and fizzes.
Here the JTS is a little disappointing, doing sterling work in the midrange but lacking a little charisma when really given the treatment. With 1405kg to haul about that may not be surprising, but it feels a little more sensible than the up-and-at-em Twinspark. The hood is simple to operate - just press a couple of switches to release and pop up the steel lid that covers the roof storage area, undo a couple of catches to fold the hood back and click the lid back into place over it. In the V6, the theres electric assistance, but you still have to fix in the final catches yourself.
Then just get in and drive, joining the ranks of the mad hair brigade on the way.
It isnt for nothing that Alfa have been the fastest growing manufacturer in Europe, increasing their year-on-year sales in a way that must delight their accountants. Such prosperity is the product of genuinely excellent build quality and technological innovation. The Spider range might lack a fancy folding metal roof but that doesnt mean that it is devoid of its essential Alfa-ness: that compensates for the fact that in some areas, it has fallen behind where newer class rivals have moved on. While were talking figures, its clear that Alfa holds a big advantage over its German competitors on price. Priced at £23,510, the 2.0JTS Spider is several thousand pounds cheaper than its equivalent German rivals.
And, for your hard earned money, you know that you are buying something of high quality and durability.
For sheer driving passion, definitely. But life isnt always about passion. Since my husband doesnt drive, this would be the only car in the household and there is no way that I could get all the shopping in there. On second thoughts, maybe I should have the groceries delivered.
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