Drove a new (25 miles when I got in) 4C Coupe this morning for about 25 miles. Spider is a showroom car only.
Ride on 18/19" wheels was much better than expected. The damping is very good, you get the go kart feel without any crashiness. Yes, the really bad roads are not fun, but they are tolerable.
Power is excellent, engine is powerful, very revvy and plenty responsive, even in normal mode (had to stay there as car had less than 200 miles, during which no other mode is selectable). I was amazed how little lag there is, it feels almost supercharged. Fantastic little unit.
Exhaust noise is loud but monotone -- a bit of loud fart sort of sound. Not musical, just noisy. A bit boomy too. In fact, I would say it is sometimes annoying. Unfortunately, there is no switch to soften it. There is no variation in tone or tune, and no delight when you go through the revs.
For me, steering is the worst part of the car. Heavy at parking speeds, but very little feel, if any. It also hunts out cambers all over the place. As a result, you get surprised by the steering's sometimes violent and unexpected reactions when you are least expecting it. A real shame about the steering. If it were better, it will be a stonking car. I wonder whether the problem is the very light front end, and lack of power steering, which might mean less frenzy. Having said that, once you are travelling over 50mph, the steering does settle down, but it doesn't offer any feedback, nor is it especially sharp or accurate. The weighting doesn't seem to change much either once you get going. All very surprising for unassisted steering, it feels like there is a lot of masking and inconsistency. Perhaps one can get used to it.
Seats are firm, provide good support and are comfortable. Range of adjustment fine for me. Steering come in/out and up/down. Easy to find perfect driving position. Brake pedal is floor hinged which is a lovely touch. Pedals made of metal too.
Rear visibility is poor due to having to look through rear window and engine cover. Spider much better as no engine cover glass in the way.
Build quality is impressive. No rattles, no bits falling off or loose. Plastics are a bit thin, HVAC controls are last century, stalks are a bit flimsy, but overall, well put together. No complaints there. I was very pleasantly surprised.
The roof is also very thought out -- leagues ahead of any Lotus roof. Once on, it is sturdy, and attached tightly. Not fiddly, but there are a few steps. Impressive piece of design and engineering; you could easily describe it as Germanic.
Road noise on main roads at 70mph is high, worse on rough concrete roads, where you get a sort of deafening roar. A sort of echo chamber.
UK prices for a 4C spider starts at GBP59,500. In my modest(ish) spec, it comes to 63,500. No waiting list at all, so clearly not huge demand.
A tempting proposition. The one worry I have is steering.
Ride on 18/19" wheels was much better than expected. The damping is very good, you get the go kart feel without any crashiness. Yes, the really bad roads are not fun, but they are tolerable.
Power is excellent, engine is powerful, very revvy and plenty responsive, even in normal mode (had to stay there as car had less than 200 miles, during which no other mode is selectable). I was amazed how little lag there is, it feels almost supercharged. Fantastic little unit.
Exhaust noise is loud but monotone -- a bit of loud fart sort of sound. Not musical, just noisy. A bit boomy too. In fact, I would say it is sometimes annoying. Unfortunately, there is no switch to soften it. There is no variation in tone or tune, and no delight when you go through the revs.
For me, steering is the worst part of the car. Heavy at parking speeds, but very little feel, if any. It also hunts out cambers all over the place. As a result, you get surprised by the steering's sometimes violent and unexpected reactions when you are least expecting it. A real shame about the steering. If it were better, it will be a stonking car. I wonder whether the problem is the very light front end, and lack of power steering, which might mean less frenzy. Having said that, once you are travelling over 50mph, the steering does settle down, but it doesn't offer any feedback, nor is it especially sharp or accurate. The weighting doesn't seem to change much either once you get going. All very surprising for unassisted steering, it feels like there is a lot of masking and inconsistency. Perhaps one can get used to it.
Seats are firm, provide good support and are comfortable. Range of adjustment fine for me. Steering come in/out and up/down. Easy to find perfect driving position. Brake pedal is floor hinged which is a lovely touch. Pedals made of metal too.
Rear visibility is poor due to having to look through rear window and engine cover. Spider much better as no engine cover glass in the way.
Build quality is impressive. No rattles, no bits falling off or loose. Plastics are a bit thin, HVAC controls are last century, stalks are a bit flimsy, but overall, well put together. No complaints there. I was very pleasantly surprised.
The roof is also very thought out -- leagues ahead of any Lotus roof. Once on, it is sturdy, and attached tightly. Not fiddly, but there are a few steps. Impressive piece of design and engineering; you could easily describe it as Germanic.
Road noise on main roads at 70mph is high, worse on rough concrete roads, where you get a sort of deafening roar. A sort of echo chamber.
UK prices for a 4C spider starts at GBP59,500. In my modest(ish) spec, it comes to 63,500. No waiting list at all, so clearly not huge demand.
A tempting proposition. The one worry I have is steering.
). Just sounded like it had a blown exhaust 
