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Alfa Romeo Spider 2.0 JTS
The Alfa Spider is one of the longest lasting - and certainly one of the most recognisable - convertibles ever built. Alfa Romeo have recently released the latest version of the Spider - upgraded to the new 147-style Alfa grille and equipped with the latest engines - the 2.0l JTS and the top of the range 3.2l V6 - the same engine as in the 147GTA. To read the full details on the new Spider and its cousin the GTV check the recent FACTfile on this site. ItalianCar had the chance to test drive the new Spider at the same time as we drove the new 156 on the Gold Coast and around the Nimbin/Byron Bay area. Just our luck - on the day we were test driving a convertible - the weather was 'changeable' to say the best and the roof was decidedly 'up' on the Spider when we jumped in. We were given a beautiful metallic blue 2.0JTS Spider for a whiz around the countryside. A muddy car park perhaps not showing the Spider off at its best (the Editor managed to put a muddy footprint on the driver's seat getting in) we set off from Nimbin for the drive. After the 156 the Spider felt decidedly cramped and a bit 'basic' - the Spider is missing a few of the features that are standard on other Alfas - for example the radio volume and station change controls on the steering wheel. About 20 minutes into the drive the weather cleared a little and the sun even came out for a little while. I pulled over and hit the electric button to put the roof down - it came down and folded automatically in about 3 minutes flat. Then off again. Wooooooooooo-Hoooooooooooo! If I had the choice I would never drive another car with a hard top on it again. With the roof down the Spider is a completely different car. With the wind in your hair - the open sky above - driving itself is a totally different experience. The Queen Greatest Hits CD miraculously found its way into the Spider's CD player and turned itself up to full volume as the ItalianCar Editor enjoyed an entirely new plane of enjoyment (including a thumbs-up sign from some admiring teenage girls en route - also a new experience). How to be objective in giving an opinion? To be fair I'm sure all convertibles are great fun - the Spider did exhibit a bit of 'scuttle-shake' particularly going over uneven road surfaces. This is common in convertibles where the rigidity of a steel roof is missing -some other convertibles apparently do not exhibit this tendency but… and this is a big but - we're talking Porsche Audi and Mercedes - all with at least $30K more on the price tag. The JTS engine is a great engine - the latest technology from Alfa. It revs up high and the power keeps coming and - thanks to the JTS lean-burn characteristics - fuel consumption is actually very reasonable. The hour and a half felt like 30 minutes and the
Editor was pretty cheesed off to have to hand back the keys - the Alfa
Spider may not be the fastest car - it may not hold the road as well as
other cars - even other convertibles… but this Editor is converted.
Car driven: Alfa Spider 2.0JTS Lusso 5-speed manual AUD$59,990 excl delivery, dealer + statutory charges
© 2003 italiancar 06/11/03
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