Alfa Romeo 4C vs Tuned Lotus Exige Track Review One Track Mind Ep 3.
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00:00Okay, does this thing have air conditioning?
00:30How much supercar can you get for under $100,000?
00:59For me, a supercar is something that astonishes you and makes you feel like you are driving
01:05something really special.
01:07Something that's worth taking to the track to experience it in its element.
01:11Something mid-engined, something with two seats, and something that is so much fun to
01:15drive that you don't care about how impractical it is.
01:18These two are considered baby supercars to some, and can be purchased by us mere mortals.
01:23They both have a very similar philosophy, but how different are they to drive, and which
01:27one can deliver more excitement when you take them to the limit?
01:31Hello, welcome to Toronto Motorsport Park.
01:35Today we are going to put an Alfa Romeo 4C head-to-head with a heavily modified Lotus
01:40Exige S240.
01:41When I say heavily modified, it's had enough things done to it that I couldn't memorize
01:46them.
01:47So I brought a piece of paper.
01:48It has a 3-inch pulley, an upgraded intercooler, supplemental cooling, a BOE Fastworks tune,
01:56a DiFlo 5-element diffuser, carbon fiber front lip, carbon fiber side intakes, carbon
02:00fiber wing, PPE headers, 550cc fuel injectors, a BOE silence touch exhaust, and an ITG intake.
02:08Let's go drive it.
02:10Two super hot mid-engine sports cars in Cayuga, Dragway.
02:14Let's put it to good use.
02:18All right, so we are in the Alfa Romeo on the drag strip.
02:22Now we put me in this car because of the launch control, and we've put the racing
02:25driver in the Lotus because it does not have launch control.
02:29And he has a better chance of launching that car properly.
02:31Now it's on super sticky tires, and I'm on street tires, so he's going to get a better
02:35launch than I am, but I'm going to see if I can catch up.
02:38Here we go.
02:41Oh, it's squirrely, it's squirrely.
02:45Woohoo!
02:46And there goes the Lotus.
02:52Yeah, we're going to have to do that again.
03:02As it turns out, the Alfa is a bit of a handful, even with the launch control, and I genuinely
03:06almost put it into the wall.
03:08You have to be careful with the throttle, or you'll end up like me, needing to lose
03:11a layer of clothing, because this is a car that will make you sweat.
03:15So the last time I tried to launch in this car, it nearly killed me.
03:17So I'm going to give it a go in the other lane, to see if there's more grip here.
03:22And the racing driver is in the Lotus.
03:243, 2, 1, go!
03:34Oh, I got him!
03:36Haha!
03:37Come on!
03:39160!
03:41160!
03:44Whoa!
03:50Whoa!
03:53I win!
03:55Hahaha!
03:57So these two cars are matched close enough on the drag strip that it comes down to surface
04:02grip, tire compound, and driving technique.
04:05So I took the 4C out onto the track to find if there was anything that differentiated
04:09it, and it didn't take very long for it to leave an impression.
04:17I'm not even driving it hard, and I'm already smiling like an idiot.
04:25There's just so much character!
04:29This 4C has a tuned 1.7 liter turbocharged engine, which is putting out about 255 to
04:35260 horsepower.
04:36That doesn't sound like much, I know, but this car is light.
04:40So honestly, it's very, very quick.
04:43But it's the location of the engine that makes it special for me.
04:58Let me tell you something about mid-engine cars.
05:01If you've never driven one before, or you don't really know what I'm talking about,
05:05there's a few things you should know.
05:08First of all, the engine is behind you, it's not in front of you.
05:10That means most of the weight is over the rear tires.
05:13The advantage to this is when you get on the throttle, the rear hooks up and blasts you
05:16through the corner.
05:18But there's a few problems with that.
05:20There's a certain way that you have to drive them, or they try and kill you.
05:25So, if you go into a corner too hot, and you turn in too aggressively, you'll spin.
05:30If you turn in and give it too much gas, you'll spin.
05:35If you turn in and then let off the gas, you'll spin.
05:39So pretty much you only have one choice.
05:41That's to do it properly.
05:43And the 4C lives up to its mid-engine design.
05:48It doesn't want to power oversteer like you think it would.
05:52You more use the balance of the car to sort it through the corner.
05:57It took me a bunch of laps to get the hang of it,
05:59but once you do, it's very rewarding to drive fast.
06:07You control the attitude of it with your right foot.
06:11You kind of move your foot around on the throttle,
06:14and the throttle response is fantastic, by the way.
06:16And that controls the angle you're at at the corner.
06:21It's a race car. It's a race car.
06:27The steering in the 4C is unassisted,
06:30and while it still felt a little bit light off-center like I felt when I drove it on the road,
06:34it becomes very heavy mid-corner and encourages you to wrestle with it.
06:40The steering is so talkative.
06:42I think you can probably see my hands constantly going back and forth.
06:47When you go into the corner, you feel every little part of the racetrack.
06:53Sideways.
07:03This is such an unbelievable experience.
07:05I've done roller coasters that are way less fun than I'm having right now.
07:11You have to know what you're doing to drive this car,
07:13because I'm missing an apex there, messing up an exit here.
07:16And that's why I love it so much.
07:18And that's why I love it so much.
07:20It rewards progress, and it forces you to be a good driver.
07:24Eventually, the 4C's quirks stop mattering.
07:28The only thing that I have looked at since I started this
07:31was the camera, my digital gauge, and the road.
07:36That makes you very quickly realize that the rest of it doesn't really matter that much.
07:43The radio and the climate control system.
07:48Parts of the interior that might be a little bit cheap.
07:50How impractical it is.
07:52You simply just don't care.
07:54If you take this thing to a track once a year and have a blast with it,
07:58you won't care about any other part of it.
08:03For the sake of being fair, I looked for something that I didn't like.
08:08Well, boost comes on quite aggressively in the middle of the corner.
08:14That sometimes makes it a little bit difficult to modulate the throttle.
08:18Other things that I don't like?
08:30That's about it.
08:32This thing has just as much character on a racetrack as you want it to.
08:37You've seen pictures of it, you've seen videos of it,
08:39you've heard the noises that it makes, you've heard other people talk about it.
08:42And I want you to know that when you get this on a track and you drive it at the limit,
08:46it's just everything you want and more.
08:51So obviously the 4C is very, very good.
08:54But the Lotus Exige has a similar formula.
08:57Super light, mid-engine, unassisted steering.
09:00So the question is, how much different could it really be?
09:09Oh my.
09:10Oh my.
09:14The whine from the supercharger.
09:18Oh my god.
09:20The Exige has a 1.8 liter supercharged Toyota engine
09:23that after tuning is making around 320 horsepower.
09:27And since it's light like the Alfa, it's very fast and angry.
09:31It's hot in here.
09:33The fan's loud.
09:35The steering is so active.
09:37Very much like the Alfa.
09:40But you know what?
09:41I like the steering in this better.
09:43Right off center, there's a lot of feel.
09:47And there's a directness to the direction the car goes.
09:50Very little lock is required.
09:52Very quick rack to make the car turn in.
09:59Oh my god.
10:00I could be wrong.
10:01This could just be my perception of it.
10:03It feels like there's a little bit more body lean than the Alfa.
10:09I've never driven anything like this.
10:11Actually, yes, I have.
10:12I have driven something like this before.
10:14It's called a go-kart.
10:16This is the closest thing to a go-kart that I have ever driven.
10:19Not like a $20 for five laps go-kart.
10:22I mean, like a racing go-kart.
10:24These tires are so grippy.
10:26Not coming anywhere near the limits.
10:29It just turns in.
10:30Oh, there goes the back a little.
10:34But it's just so raw.
10:36So raw.
10:39There's little things crinkling around.
10:40I can hear the road.
10:41It's loud.
10:42It's hot.
10:43It's angry.
10:44I love it.
10:46I don't know.
10:47I don't know.
10:48I don't know.
10:49I don't know.
10:50I don't know.
10:51I don't know.
10:52I don't know.
10:54Without a doubt, driving the Exige is a very physical experience,
10:58as you can probably tell from my facial expressions.
11:06Turn in.
11:07Fast.
11:08Oh, yeah.
11:09Oh, very much like the Alfa mid-engine.
11:10You can feel the rear hook up.
11:14And then off I go.
11:15I'm pretty sure the supercharger is right there.
11:20Since it is very light, just like the Alfa,
11:22it does not have a lot of mass to move around,
11:24so turning and braking is very aggressive.
11:27Braking, braking, braking.
11:32Oh, yeah.
11:33Oh!
11:36The heel-toes are easy.
11:38The pedals are perfectly spaced.
11:40The gear shift, the throws are actually fairly long,
11:43but they're so precise.
11:44They go bang into gear.
11:46Like the Alfa, the Lotus has unassisted steering.
11:49There are no bothersome hydraulic pumps or electric motors
11:52to interfere with feedback from the road's surface.
11:55The level of steering feel.
11:57Yeah, that's like nothing I've ever seen.
12:00Every little bit of the road is communicated to my hands.
12:05I forced myself to slow down,
12:07so that I could stop sweating and think about this car's purpose.
12:13OK, so the Lotus Exige, a heavily modified Lotus Exige.
12:17What do we have?
12:18What is this?
12:21This is a car that is so stripped out
12:25that it removes every last little layer of insulation
12:29to give you a driving experience
12:31that's as pure as physically possible in a car with suspension.
12:37If you're looking for a car that you only want to drive with,
12:41you don't care about anything else,
12:44the Alfa is a fantastic choice.
12:47I think this might be better.
12:50The Alfa feels a lot more lively.
12:52It has more character.
12:55This just feels like it is engineered to go fast.
12:59It is engineered to go around a corner perfectly.
13:04Some cars are so impressive because of their electronics.
13:09Take the Nissan GT-R for example.
13:11It goes around corners really incredibly well.
13:14Probably faster than this thing can.
13:17But it's so impressive because it's electronic.
13:20This is so impressive
13:22because the mechanical engineering of it is just shocking.
13:31Now, it's time to let the racing driver set a lap time in each.
13:35I want you to watch the driver handle these cars.
13:37Driving a mid-engine car at the limit is a sight to behold.
13:40And honestly, I have no idea which one of these will set the better time.
13:44The Alfa might be more of a handful,
13:46but it potentially has the better chassis.
13:48The Lotus is very, very fast and has sticky rubber,
13:51but it doesn't feel as light as the Alfa.
13:53Let's find out.
14:02OK, coming into Turn 1.
14:04This is where the mid-engine design of the Alfa
14:06tries to bite you a little dab of opposite lock
14:08as he flies through the first corner.
14:10And on the power fully, flat out towards Turn 2.
14:16Braking hard, turning in,
14:18he can carry quite a lot of speed through here
14:20and then dives hard on the brakes before this next corner.
14:25If you get on the power too early there,
14:27the Alfa wants to understeer.
14:29OK, so watch how smooth he is through the S's.
14:32Uses the balance of the car to walk through as best he can,
14:35taking the curb on the exit.
14:37OK, coming up to the hairpin.
14:40Braking late, turning in very late,
14:42hunting for the apex and powering out.
14:44I got the car sideways there very many times.
14:49Trying to keep the car as straight as possible through the kink,
14:51trying not to upset it on that final curb.
14:53Turning in here to Mustang Alley.
14:55I call it that because it's been known to kill a Mustang or two.
14:57He brakes hard to set up the car for patience.
15:01Carrying as much speed as he can through there.
15:03Watch how fast the car is through that.
15:06Braking hard to set the car up.
15:08Apex 1 of the final corner.
15:10He sets the car up for Apex 2, which is the important one,
15:12so he can carry as much speed as he can onto the straight.
15:14Takes as much as he can towards the wall.
15:16Flat out.
15:18Previous lap was a 1.23.6.
15:20This one is a 1.23.2.
15:22Very nice.
15:24Let's look at the Lotus.
15:31The Lotus is a little bit faster on the straight,
15:33which he uses to his advantage.
15:35Brakes hard.
15:37This car is much more stable than the Alfa through this corner.
15:39Even though it is still more planted than the Alfa,
15:42the steering wheel likes to talk back at you quite aggressively
15:44and keeps his inputs very, very smooth
15:46as he comes through here.
15:48Uses the grip of the front tires to get the car turned in.
15:50Downshift.
15:52Follow through there.
15:54Carrying a lot of speed.
15:56Then hard braking into this corner here.
15:58This car does want to understeer as well,
16:00so you have to be careful and use the front grip,
16:02which it does have.
16:04Keeping his inputs at the controls as smooth as possible
16:06so he doesn't scrub any speed through there.
16:08Man, the sound of that supercharger is insane.
16:10The Lotus is a little bit more of a linear power band.
16:12The Alfa turbo comes on
16:14and it tries to kill you in the middle of the corner.
16:16Lotus is easier to modulate the throttle.
16:18Through there onto the straightaway,
16:20coming up to the kink.
16:22Just like the Alfa, trying to keep it as straight as possible
16:24through the kink.
16:26Downshift, turning into Mustang alley,
16:28setting the corner up for patience.
16:32Turns in carefully, holding the car through,
16:34balancing the throttle, powering out.
16:36Watch the speed through here.
16:39That's just crazy.
16:41OK, braking hard for the first apex of the final corner.
16:43A flick of opposite lock to make sure
16:45the car doesn't slide around too much.
16:47Taking as much as he can towards the wall.
16:49Flat out onto the straight.
16:51And we do a 1...
16:5322.2.
16:55There you go.
16:59The Lotus took it by a full one second.
17:01Not a massive margin,
17:03but a notable one.
17:05Mark my words though,
17:08with some sticky rubber on the Alfa
17:10and maybe a few power modifications,
17:12I think that it would be able to lay down the better time.
17:14Which just goes to show you
17:16how impressive that chassis really is.
17:18So which one of these is the better car?
17:20Well, that's the beauty of it.
17:22Even though they are so similar in philosophy,
17:24they are actually very different experiences.
17:26The Alfa is playful.
17:28It dances around the track.
17:30Occasionally trying to inflict serious bodily harm.
17:32And Lotus feels like a real race car
17:34that wants to help you put down real lap times.
17:38But that doesn't mean that it isn't also a riot to drive.
17:40In the end,
17:42if you were looking for a car like this,
17:44I think that you were spoiled for choice.
17:46Each of these two provide a unique mini supercar experience.
17:48And even though the Alfa is the one
17:50that seems to steal your heart,
17:52if you offered either of these to me,
17:54my answer would be yes.