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Alpine A110 vs Alfa Romeo 4C Review | Two sports cars enter

YORKSHIRE, U.K. – A proven ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory is all part of Alfa RomeoÂ’s romantic charm. With bodywork like red satin draped over a carbon fiber tub and the promise of a mid-engined, Italian exotic for Cayman money, the 4C was certainly a bold vehicle to relaunch the brand to the American market. Pebble Beach types could appreciate its inspiration in the gorgeous, minimalist Alfa Romeo coupes of the past. Everyone else could kid themselves it was basically a baby Ferrari, never mind the fact it only had 237 horsepower and a four-cylinder engine. At first blush, the 4C was a riot, and remains so in the Spider form itÂ’s still sold in. And it gets the blood pumping in the way a fling with an exotic Italian should, especially compared with the Germanic 50 shades of gray alternatives. I can remember the thrill at driving one back in 2014, its Italian license plates making it feel all the more exotic. It may only have cost $60,000, but it hogged attention like a Ferrari worth four times that. The fun didnÂ’t last. As seductive as the fundamental formula was and still is, time and more measured eyes ultimately found the 4C to be lacking. The ugly, fat-rimmed steering wheel turned out to be a useful visual metaphor for the feel it delivered, simultaneously under-geared and punishingly heavy, especially at low speeds. At higher ones the kickback was violent enough it needed quarter-turn corrections even traveling in a straight line. And the binary power delivery smothered whatever finesse there might have been in the chassis. Its on-limit handling, on track and in the wet, was spooky. Shocked, I called a friend with an old Exige and asked to drive his car along the same route. That I concluded youÂ’d be better off with a 10-year-old Lotus definitely didnÂ’t win me many friends in Milan. Which begs the question: What does the apparently similar Alpine A110 do differently to have earned such overwhelming praise among the same reviewers here in Europe who damned the 4C? Performance stats are comparable, as is the AlpineÂ’s pricing in markets in which it is sold. Both tap into the nostalgia and heritage of their respective brands, not least in the historic long-distance European road rallies both excelled in.

2020 Alfa Romeo Giulia Luggage Test | Time for an Italian vacation

When it comes to handling and being fun to drive, the 2020 Alfa Romeo Giulia is right at the top. From its engaging and tossable Ti trim, to the totally bonkers Quadrifoglio, Alfa Romeo has some excellent options for those who love to drive. However, we aren’t exploring 0-60 mph times or steering feel today, so letÂ’s see how the Italian sedan holds up when it comes to suitcase stacking. Alfa Romeo doesnÂ’t list an official trunk capacity on its media website or its consumer-facing site, but itÂ’s very similar in size to the last luxury sedan I luggage tested: the 2020 Volvo S60. WeÂ’ll place the estimate to be around 12 cubic-feet. Just by eye-balling it, Alfa appears to be on the smaller side of the spectrum here, with its competition being the BMW 3 Series, Audi A4, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and several others. Note that I use different equipment than Riswick out in Portland: Two carry-on suitcases sized (24 inches long, 15.5 wide, 10 deep); one carry-on suitcase (21.7L x 13.7W x 9 D); one medium-size suitcase you have to check (24.5L x 16.8W x 11.5D) and two larger, full-size suitcases (33.8L x 21.5W x 13D) and (28.1L x 18W x 10.5D). It's not a power trunk, but you can pop it via the fob, a button by the driver footwell or a button on the trunk itself. Once open, I started with the carry-on suitcases. All three of those fit when turned on their sides, but a fourth would be impossible to squeeze in using that formation. ThatÂ’s due to the GiuliaÂ’s trunk becoming more restrictive in both depth and width deeper inside of it. YouÂ’ll notice the curved intrusions at the back of the trunk pictured below. They make shoving a suitcase all the way back in there impossible, as there isnÂ’t enough space next to the other three suitcases. The opening itself is rather small, too, forcing me to contort the suitcases as I lay them in. Instead, I decided to stick the fancy bag (22L x 8.8W x 12D) in there. ItÂ’s smaller and better suited to the space that remains, fitting perfectly within that nook. ThatÂ’s not ideal, but plenty of room for two people on a longer getaway. Next up: full-size suitcases. One of them fit right in without issue, but the second full-sizer I use for testing would not. Once again, this is due to the width restrictions imposed by the trunk walls coming in on both sides at the back. I did manage to fit the medium-size suitcase next to the one full-sizer if both were turned on an angle.

Top Gear's latest trailer shows off a golden Bugatti Chiron

Top Gear is returning on March 5, and after a lackluster first series with the new hosts, the new group seems determined not to hit a sophomore slump. Chris Evans is gone, and the latest teaser trailer shows the new trio of Matt LeBlanc, Chris Harris, and Rory Reid strapped into some pretty fantastic cars, including the Bugatti Chiron and the Ford GT. All of the typical Top Gear segments appear to be present, though the quick cuts don't give us many details. The trailer shows a copious amount of powerslides from an assortment of cars, and even Chris Harris racing around Daytona. Aside from the Bugatti and Ford, cars from Porsche, Lamborghini, Ferrari, BMW, Aston Martin, and Alfa Romeo are all present. Co-hosts Eddie Jordan and Sabine Schmitz don't appear at all, so it seems their roles may be downplayed to focus on three guys, as was the case pre-reboot. We have some hope for this re-relaunched show and will be keeping an eye out for more details in the lead-up to the series premiere. Related Video: News Source: YouTube Celebrities TV/Movies Alfa Romeo BMW Bugatti Ferrari Ford Lamborghini Porsche Top Gear chris harris Bugatti Chiron matt leblanc