Alfa Romeo Spider (07-10) - Review

Review by David Ross on
Last Updated: 16 January 2009
What's most notable about the Spider aren’t its sharp lines or charismatic engines. Or even the attention to detail in the interior. After all these are bread-and-butter to Alfa Romeo. The biggest surprise is what you can expect after you’ve bought the car - and for a change it's good news. For once passion is starting to translate into decent service from dealers - many new, upmarket, sites have been appointed while those with bad records have gone. There's now better performance when it comes to reliability and customer service that’s more fitting for buyers spending BMW and Audi money on a car. It means for the first time, it’s possible to recommend an Alfa on all its merits – not just those that are skin deep.
3.5 out of 5

Other Alfa Romeo reviews

3 out of 5

Running costs

Depreciation is the biggest burden, but it's unlikely to be as bad as Alfa Romeos have previously been. This is due to restricted supply (just 700 are expected to be sold each year) and lower discounts on new cars from dealers. Fuel economy, insurance, road tax and servicing costs are in line with rivals.

* based on most recent data

Estimated fuel cost for 10,000 miles per year

Unleaded

£1,805 - £2,668 *

Diesel

£1,233 - £1,831 *

The estimated fuel cost figure is a guide to how much this model will cost to fuel each year, so you can compare between cars. It's calculated by using the model's average mpg (calculated from both town centre and motorway driving) and the average fuel price. It's based on the following cost-per-litre: petrol 135p and diesel 141p. Prices are updated daily.

Summary Running Costs

Servicing period

Two years/18,000 miles.

Warranty

Three years/unlimited mileage

Road tax (12 months)

£135.00 - £475.00

Vehicle excise duty (VED) varies according to the CO2 emissions and the fuel type of the vehicle. For cars registered after March 1st 2001 VED or road tax is based on the car's CO2 emissions. For cars registered before March 1st 2001 it is based on engine size.

Full running costs data

2 out of 5

Green credentials

  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
    142
  • G
  • H
  • I
  • J
  • K
  • L
  • M
    288

CO2 emission figure (g/km)

Fuel economy rating

The arrows indicate the best and worst CO2 bands for this model.

Emissions summary

The Spider scores fairly badly on the eco front. With an average of 241g/km CO2 across the model line-up, its emissions are quite high for a sports convertible thanks mainly to the all-wheel drive V6 model. Equally the range is not very frugal, averaging 30mpg. However there is the option of a diesel, with a far better 179g/km CO2 output and 41.5mpg fuel consumption.

Find the exact engine and CO2