The Spider's style and character make it a worthy contender, though it is flawed.
There's a good dollop of charisma to be found under the bonnet of any Spider. Engines include a raspy 2.2-litre four-cylinder, a sonorous 3.2-litre V6 and a characterful 2.4-litre five-pot turbodiesel. But the Spider's hefty kerbweight doesn't help performance. The petrol engines in particular struggle; the extra torque of the big diesel means maintaining progress isn't as hard work. The extra kilos can be felt in the Alfa's handling, too, because while it's grippy, it never feels as agile or adjustable as you'd like. There's some body roll and the Alfa is slow to react, and when the tyres reach the limit of grip, the car tends to run wide round corners readily. As a result, the Spider works its stability control hard, while the steering offers kickback under heavy load. It doesn't offer great feedback at lower speeds, either, so the driving experience feels rather remote. More crucially, the Alfa shows its weaknesses over bumpy surfaces, because it transmits shocks into the cabin, and vibrations can be felt around the windscreen. While the suspension isn't overly firm, it's not as composed as we'd like. The brake pedal is soft, too. Despite all this, the Spider is a far more likeable car than the raw data would have you believe. As with many other Alfas, it has real charm, and is a machine you buy with your heart, not your head.
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