56% Which? works for you

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1 Which? works for you Which? Car review Alfa Romeo Spider ( ) On sale: Feb 2007 Class: New price: 27,665 38,180 Used price: From 12,150 Performance: Boot & Storage: Ride comfort: Safety: Dramatic design, and a true oldschool roadster. Excellent roadholding and suspension. Willing engines and very strong brakes. Poor visibility and a rather awkward cabin layout. Short gearing and motorway noise. High fuel consumption from the petrol versions. handling: Reliability: Total score: 56% Recommended models in the range Which? Car Top Choice Model 2.2 JTS 2dr New price: 27,665 Used price: 12,150 Fastest Model 3.2 V6 JTS Q4 Italia Independent 2dr New price: 36,648 Used price: 21, mph: 7.0 secs Most Efficient Model 2.0 JTDM Italia Independent 2dr New price: 30,833 Used price: 19,295 Combined fuel economy: 52.3 mpg Cheapest Model to buy new 1.75 TBi 2dr New price: 27,665 Overview The Alfa Romeo Spider is dramatically styled and undoubtedly exclusive it s certainly rarer and more exotic than an Audi TT. Unfortunately Alfa Romeo s general reliability is still rated as very poor in the latest Which? Car survey. The Spider is very good fun to drive, however, and comes with a selection of excellent powerful engines: even the entrylevel 2.2 JTS petrol and 2.4 JTDm diesel are swift, whilst the 3.2 V6 JTS is very fast indeed. The V6 can be had with Alfa s Q4 allwheel drive system, and the Qtronic semiautomatic gearbox (also offered with the diesel). The Spider roadster has headturning looks, and the pace to match the 3.2 dispatches 060mph in less than seven seconds. The 2.2 is swift, too, and the sixspeed manual gearbox is slick, but you need to rev the engine hard. Our tested 29.7mpg isn t far off Alfa s near31mpg claim. Suspension comfort is adequate at best, but the Spider handles very well and is great fun to drive. Body roll is subdued, corners can be taken at speed without trouble and the steering is responsive. Very tall people will find it hard to get comfy, though, and you can forget about sitting in the back the Spider, which features a traditional folding fabric roof rather than a heavy hardtop, is strictly a twoseater only. Extravagant styling and flamboyant detailing can be seen throughout the car, but sadly Alfa s overall brand reliability is rated as very poor in the latest Which? Car survey. Buy a Spider with your eyes open. Cheapest Model to buy used 2.2 JTS 2dr Used price: 12,150 Cheapest Model to Run (new) 2.0 JTDM 2dr New price: 27,667 Running costs: 22,626 (3 years/36,000 miles) Owner s View Still brings a grin of happiness every time I drive it, makes me feel like a young man again.

2 Alfa Romeo Spider ( ) On the road An Alfa Romeo should be sporty to drive, and a roadster should be fun to own: the Spider, for all its flaws, comes up to the mark on both counts it satisfies the driver like few other cars in its class. Its engines have more power than the average, offering strong performance, while the suspension and steering provide excellent feedback during cornering. The Spider looks and feels like a true sports car, but without going to extremes and being unusable on a day to day basis. Performance The Spider is quite a large and heavy vehicle, so it needs strong engines to deliver good performance. All three engines on offer are powerful: the 2.2litre JTS petrol unit has 185bhp, the 2.4litre JTDm diesel has 210bhp and the 3.2litre JTS V6 has 260bhp. The petrol engines are capable of revving very freely which, combined with very short gearing, makes the Spider s acceleration keen. The 2.4 diesel has more torque (pulling power) than either of the petrol engines, so it feels especially strong in the middle rev range. The sixspeed manual gearbox changes precisely and easily. Appropriately for a sports car, the gear ratios are low to boost performance, but that also means that the engines rev high, which can get uncomfortable on long journeys. QTronic automatic transmission is optional with the 3.2 V6 JTS and 2.4 JTDm engines, in combination with Alfa s Q4 allwheel drive system in the JTS. Acceleration (3762mph) 5.1 secs diesel 2.4 JTDM 20v (200bhp) manual 2door 4.7 secs (2007) 5.6 secs Performance We use the sophisticated electronic timing equipment to record standingstart and ingear acceleration, and repeat each test several times. Ride comfort Ride comfort is assessed by our laboratory experts who have driven hundreds of thousands of miles in a myriad of different models. Ride comfort Despite its stiffness, the suspension offers adequate ride comfort most of the time, but occasionally bumps in the road are felt quite sharply. diesel 2.4 JTDM 20v (200bhp) manual 2door (2007)

3 Alfa Romeo Spider ( ) On the road continued... Handling The suspension is set up very stiffly, which suits the sporty character of the Spider. Body roll is very welldamped, even during fast cornering. The steering is responsive, precise and sensitive, giving the driver a good feel of the road. The handling is remarkably neutral on frontwheel drive models, with almost no torque steer in evidence, and very little understeer. Cornering speeds can be very high as a result. The 3.2 V6 Q4 version, with its fourwheel drive, adjusts the handling balance a little more to the rear wheels, but has even more grip than the frontwheel drive models. Standard traction control and electronic stability control keep the car on course in slippery or extreme conditions. Directional stability is also very good. diesel 2.4 JTDM 20v (200bhp) manual 2door (2007) Brakes Braking is responsive, very effective and can be finely controlled. Standard antilock braking with electronic brake distribution and brake assist helps in emergency situations. Braking distance (620mph) 39.5m diesel 2.4 JTDM 20v (200bhp) manual 2door 37.5m (2007) 35.5m Refinement and noise Below motorway speeds, the noise level is low. But at higher speeds, wind noise increases significantly and, while the engines are smooth and suffer very little vibration, the high revs make for a lot of engine noise, too. The bodywork is very well finished and there are no creaks or rattles to be heard, even when travelling over poor roads, while the gaps around the doors and boot lid are small and consistent. Inside, there are highquality, wellfitted plastics; only the titaniumlook inserts on the central console and steering wheel lower the tone. Handling Onthelimit handling is explored well away from public roads to ensure a fair test. Our obstacle avoidance test is one of the harshest tests in the industry.. Brakes The Which? Car braking test measures stopping distance from 620mph and is repeated ten times in quick succession to highlight any brake fade issues. Refinement and noise The Which? Car experts use a decibel meter to record interior sound levels at common UK motorway speeds, and combine this with subjective assessments to arrive at an overall score. Cruising noise 71dB diesel 2.4 JTDM 20v (200bhp) manual 2door (2007) 71dB 72dB

4 Alfa Romeo Spider ( ) On the road continued... Cabin and controls A height and reachadjustable steering wheel makes it easy to find a comfortable driving position, although the driver s seat adjuster is only accessible when the door is open. The wheel contains many controls, which work well, and the gear lever is conveniently positioned within easy reach. While the switches for the exterior mirrors and windows are wellplaced, you have to take your hand off the steering wheel to sound the horn, whose button is too far in towards the centre of the steering wheel. The seatbelts are difficult to reach and can get caught when retracting, while the spring to retract them is too weak. Also, there is not enough foot room around the pedals and the main instruments are difficult to read. diesel 2.4 JTDM 20v (200bhp) manual 2door (2007) Visibility and parking Vision to the sides is pretty good, thanks to wide windows and narrow pillars. Rearward vision is restricted, although the rear window does afford an adequate view when reversing. Bixenon headlights are available at extra cost. The direct steering is always light, which makes manoeuvring easy, although the turning circle could be smaller. Front and rear parking sensors are standard. Cabin and controls We penalise cars with difficult controls, and we look for things like backlit light switches and easytouse heating and ventilation adjustments. Visibility and parking Visibility is a major issue for motorists today, so each car gets a 360degree swivel view test to reproduce the driver s eye view and any obscured areas. Turning circle 11.4m diesel 2.4 JTDM 20v (200bhp) manual 2door (2007) 11.4m 11.4m

5 Alfa Romeo Spider ( ) Comfort and practicality The Spider is a tightlypacked twoseater; it is very much a car designed around the driver and there isn t even much room for luggage. Things are reasonably comfortable for two people, although it can get a bit wearing on long journeys. Getting in and out Getting in and out of the front seats is quite easy, but you can bang your head on the door frame because the seats sit so high. Remote central locking is standard. diesel 2.4 JTDM 20v (200bhp) manual 2door (2007) Seat space and comfort Space in the cabin is acceptable: the driver s seat can be slid back far enough to accommodate people up to around 1.85m tall. If you re taller than this, your head will brush the roof. Both seats are very firm and offer plenty of support for your back, although there is too little support when cornering. diesel 2.4 JTDM 20v (200bhp) manual 2door (2007) Getting in and out We take measurements all around the driver and passenger s door apertures and note the height of the seat, door sills and step down onto the car floor. The best cars don t require too much bending or stretching to get in and out. Seat space and comfort We assess seat comfort subjectively, using our road testers expert knowledge and experience from thousands of different cars. And we measure the head, legand elbowroom on offer in every seat, to see how well the car caters for people of all shapes and sizes.

6 Alfa Romeo Spider ( ) Comfort and practicality continued... Boot and storage The boot is quite small (only 200 litres) but the boot lid is easy to open and close, although you have to use the remote control to lock it and there is a high loading lip to lift luggage over. Cabin storage is limited to only a few compartments. Boot space (seats up/down) 180 litres / litres diesel 2.4 JTDM 20v (200bhp) manual 2door 180 litres / 180 litres (2007) 180 litres / litres Heating and ventilation The cosy cabin warms up and cools down very quickly thanks to standard climate control. The dualzone system means that the driver and passenger can set different temperatures for themselves. However, in wintry weather, the side windows tend to mist up. Boot and storage Carmakers give official stats for boot space, but our tests are more realistic. We load the boot up with measuring blocks only as far as the rear window line, so that luggage is well secured and won t obscure rear visibility. We repeat the test with the rear seats up, and folded down (where possible). Heating and ventilation diesel 2.4 JTDM 20v (200bhp) manual 2door (2007) Feel sorry for the tester who has to warm each car up from a frosty 10 degrees in our climate chamber. Starting with a cold engine, we measure how long it takes to warm up the front and rear of the cabin. Diesel cars usually take longer. We also check the effectiveness of air conditioning, where fitted.

7 Alfa Romeo Spider ( ) Running costs and depreciation Servicing is on the expensive side, and Alfa dealers have a poor reputation; there are many wellrespected independent Alfa Romeo specialists around, however. Insurance is high, too, and fuel consumption and tax liabilities are costly for all models. On the plus side, the Spider holds its value fairly well. Fuel consumption Fuel consumption Our test of the 2.2 JTS produced an average fuel consumption of 29.7mpg, which matches quite closely the official figure of 30.7mpg. The 3.2 V6 is the thirstiest engine, with an official figure of 24.6mpg, while the 2.4 JTDm diesel returns 41.5mpg. Petrol (combined mpg, claimed) Diesel (combined mpg, claimed) 23.2 mpg 34.5 mpg 35.8 mpg 52.3 mpg We test fuel economy under strict lab conditions using realistic test cycles to reveal the facts behind the figures. Our figures rarely match manufacturer claims as, unlike the official mpg test, we measure economy with both a hot and cold engine, and on the motorway. diesel 2.4 JTDM 20v (200bhp) manual 2door (2007) diesel 2.4 JTDM 20v (200bhp) manual 2door (2007) diesel 2.4 JTDM 20v (200bhp) manual 2door (2007) diesel 2.4 JTDM 20v (200bhp) manual 2door (2007) Urban (claimed/tested) 24.8 mpg/23.2 mpg 30.7 mpg/30.1 mpg 21.7 mpg/20.5 mpg Extra urban (claimed/tested) 47.7 mpg/43.5 mpg 52.3 mpg/51.4 mpg 38.7 mpg/40.9 mpg Motorway (measured) 29.1 mpg 37.2 mpg 29.7 mpg Combined (claimed/tested) 35.8 mpg/31.4 mpg 41.5 mpg/39.8 mpg 30.1 mpg/29.7 mpg

8 Alfa Romeo Spider ( ) Running costs and depreciation continued... Emissions Lowestemissions and therefore lowesttax model is the 2.4 JTDm diesel, which emits a manageable 179g/km with the manual gearbox (208g/km with the Qtronic auto). However, even the 2.2 JTS puts out a hightax 218g/km, and the 3.2 V6 GTS emits a topwhack 262g/km with manual gearbox, 272g/km with the Q4 system, and 288g/km with the Qtronic auto and Q4. Petrol (CO2, claimed) Diesel (CO2, claimed) diesel 2.4 JTDM 20v (200bhp) manual 2door (2007) 192g per km 288g per km 142g per km 208g per km Emissions (claimed/tested) 208g per km/231g per km 179g per km/187g per km 221g per km/220g per km Safety and security Standard front airbags, side airbags, driver s knee airbag and headprotecting curtain airbags provide a high degree of safety in the event of a crash, while a passenger s knee airbag was optional when new. Vehicle Dynamic Control is also standard, including hill holder, traction control, stability control, and ABS with electronic brakeforce distribution and brake assist. Our criticisms are: the external door handles cannot withstand the force required to open a door that may have jammed shut in the event of an accident; the front head restraints taper in towards the top, are too narrow and are only high enough for people up to 1.75m tall. The Spider has not been subjected to EuroNCAP crash testing. Emissions While testing fuel economy, we also collect exhaust gases to enable us to measure the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted. We also check whether particulate filters are effective at removing sooty emissions from diesel engines. Safety We rate cars for safety using Euro NCAP crash test scores (where available), alongside our own comprehensive safety checklist. Uniquely, we also feed in results from our accident avoidance test after all, it s far better to steer around a crash than rely on the airbags... Security Euro NCAP score No results available. Which? safety rating Active (crash avoidance) Passive (crash safety) Child Pedestrian Security scores come from the security experts at Thatcham, who break into hundreds of cars each year. Most modern cars are very difficult to drive away, but are still too easy to steal from. Security Theft of car: Theft from car:

9 Alfa Romeo Spider ( ) Which? Car Survey results The Which? Car Survey is the UK s biggest and best reliability and owner satisfaction survey. In 2013, drivers told us about 57,182 cars, covering more than 450 million miles in the previous 12 months (that s equivalent to driving 18,398 times around the world). This unique feedback allows us to rate satisfaction and reliability for hundreds of new and used cars. Note Star ratings below are from 15 (1 is very poor and 5 is very good). Percentages shown under Most common faults indicate the proportion of owners reporting each problem in the past 12 months. Brand Alfa Romeo ratings Sample size: 346 people Overall owner satisfaction for this brand 80% Brand reliability Dealer Sales Service Dealer Servicing & repair Model: Alfa Romeo Spider ( ) Ownership ratings Sample size: people Overall owner satisfaction for this range About our survey Brand ratings Everyone who takes part in the Which? Car survey tells us about their car and the dealers who sell and service it. We analyse this feedback across all cars to give toplevel satisfaction ratings for each brand, including the brand s reliability record over the last eight years. All star ratings are out of five. Model ownership ratings These show how owners score this car in 12 different areas, from performance to heating. Owners ratings are subjective so may differ from Which? Car test scores but they give a good idea of what the car is like to live with. Where relevant, cars are scored against other cars in the same class (e.g. for space). Owner s View Fabulous looks, revvy engine, lovely ride. Owner s View Appalling fuel consumption, Italian electrics (occasionally have a mind of their own).

10 Alfa Romeo Spider ( ) Which? Car Survey results continued... Reliability ratings Overall Reliability About our survey Reliability ratings Up to 3 years old 38 years old Petrol cars Reliability breakdowns average annual repair cost Diesel cars Reliability breakdowns average annual repair cost All cars Reliability breakdowns average annual repair cost Breakdowns: Percentage of cars suffering a breakdown in last 12 months Average annual repair cost: Average annual cost of repairs (not servicing), in past 12 months We split reliability into breakdowns (including failure to start), faults (where parts need replacing) and problems (minor issues e.g. squeaks and loose trim). Where the car has been on sale for some time, and we have numerous survey responses from owners, we also split scores by the age of car and fuel type. Star ratings are out of five the more stars, the more reliable the car. Most common faults Most common faults Up to 3 years old 38 years old Want to know what s most likely to go wrong as the car gets older? These are the five most common faults reported by owners, grouped by age into new, recent and older cars. A score of 40% means four out of 10 owners reported problems with that part of the car over the previous 12 months. Engine electrics and nonengine electrics (e.g. windows, stereo) cause more headaches than mechanical parts in most modern cars. Failure rate: The proportion of owners reporting this problem in the last year