Monday Sep 23
It's a busy week at CompleteCar.ie for launches and I reckon I've got the best gig this week with the very first drive of Alfa Romeo's new 4C sports car. It's in Italy of course and to get there in time for the presentation I take two flights via Heathrow. On arriving in Milan we're bussed to our hotel to check in before jumping back in the bus to Balocco, home of the Fiat Group's massive proving ground. Sadly there's no driving until tomorrow, but Alfa Romeo puts on a good show all the same.
A bespoke presentation 'arena' has been constructed right on the tarmac of one of the many test tracks and in between feeding us with information about the exciting new coupé the car itself is driven in to demonstrate various aspects - including launch control and a 100km/h to rest emergency braking manoeuvre. It's all refreshingly different and our first view of the 4C reveals it was worth waiting for. Not only that, but it sounds outrageously loud.
Other than a terribly cheesy piece of video featuring Giancarlo Fisichella (ex-F1 racer) it's a good presentation and more than enough to whet our appetites for the next day's driving. Alfa Romeo has a surprise up its sleeves though, as, just before we head for dinner a convoy of 4Cs line up in grid formation and we're told to go sit in the passenger seat. Then it's two (very) fast laps in the pitch black.
I do my best to video it on the iPhone, but it comes out dark. Nonetheless, it does capture the noise, which is one of the most memorable aspects of the experience. This engine roars. The race driver at the wheel doesn't hang about, but seemingly no matter how hard he drives (we see 240km/h on the straight and there's a long sweeping left-hander he maintains 190km/h on...) the 4C grips. The tyres screech a few times, but the car is utterly capable.
We get out of the cars and sit around grinning like idiots while typically fantastic Italian food is served up. Everyone is keen to get to bed early to be fresh for the following day.
Tuesday Sep 24
And what a stunning morning it is. The sun is bright and it's already warm enough to wear just a short-sleeved shirt when we arrive back in Balocco. There's the shortest of driving briefings before we pair up and go claim our ride for the day. I'm sharing a car with Adam Towler, a well-known British motoring journalist, and we're like kids on Christmas Day as we're given the keys to the only grey 4C at the event. It looks spectacular, even more so as someone has removed the front number plate and stuck it behind the driver's seat. Nobody seems bothered about putting it back on so we leave it be.
After a momentary game of "no, after you" polite tennis I get to take the hot seat first and we burble out of the grounds onto the public road. Within yards I have a chance to test the 4C's straight line performance and it doesn't disappoint.
The official test loop is about 100 kilometres long, which Alfa reckons will take us two hours. It takes rather less, so we consult a map and go looking for more interesting roads. We end up high up in some mountains on a road barely wide enough for the car and spend several enjoyable hours doing nothing but driving for the sake of it, specifically seeking out interesting corners. We're agreed that this car is very special indeed.
We're having so much fun that I forget my flight time home and we wander back to Balocco expecting to have more time to experience the 4C on track. Sadly I'm quickly informed that my shuttle to the airport should have left 40 minutes earlier so I say my goodbyes and pile into a Fiat Freemont (a surprisingly comfy and solid feeling SUV thing that's not sold in Ireland) for the journey. There was no panic. This is Italy and everyone drives quickly.
I make it to Bergamo airport with time to spare and spend the flight writing up three completely different articles on the 4C: one for CompleteCar.ie, one for this weekend's Sunday Business Post and another for the FortyOneSix website in the UK. It's good to download your thoughts on a car such as the 4C as soon as possible, though I do write way more than I should...
Wednesday Sep 25
Major catch-up day in terms of sub-editing other people's copy, getting articles online and doing a little writing of my own. I've had an Audi A3 Saloon on test since we did the photographs on Friday and I write up a review of it for the Sunday Business Post in case there's room in this week's paper for it. It's a thoroughly likeable car and one I love the look of. More than one of my neighbours asked if it was the new Audi A4 as well.
The 1.4-litre TFSI petrol engine produces plenty of power and, thanks in part to cylinder-on-demand technology, returns some pretty impressive emissions figures (109g/km). However, I'm not getting on with its pairing with the S tronic automatic gearbox. It's either sluggish off the line or attempting to spin its wheels - something it does rather too easily for my liking. That's not a sign of a good engine; it shows that traction is poor. Regardless, this is a lovely car. I'd have it with a manual gearbox though. Well worth considering over the 2.0-litre TDI 150 diesel engine if you're not a high mileage driver. It's averaging 7.8 litres/100km (36.2mpg) in my hands, which isn't great in truth.
Thursday Sep 26
I have just enough time to drop my kids to the crèche before hightailing it back to Dublin Airport. This time I'm off to London with my Car Enthusiast Editorial Agency hat on. Kyle Fortune and I meet up with an important client to discuss doing more work with them. It's a very positive meeting and should ensure we're all kept even busier!
Downtime in the airport is spent uploading news and preparing more articles for the site, while I also write up my weekly road test for the Evening Echo paper in Cork, this time on the Dacia Duster.
Friday Sep 27
I like to make Fridays a short work day and spend more time with the kids so there's a lot to cram in, including swapping the Audi A3 Saloon for Fiat's 500L. I've spent very little time with this car as yet so looking forward to testing it out as practical family motoring. Before I can spend any time driving it though I have to work on the latest Carzone Motoring Report. There are a lot of statistics and numbers from Carzone and from Cartell.ie to crunch into meaningful, legible pages of text so it's time to knuckle down and get it done. Looking forward to a relaxing weekend with the family.