Alfa Romeo Spider

Alfa has disappointed its fans for years, but this new version of its iconic ragtop is a return to form. What do David Wilkins and our testers think?

Peter Hawes with the Alfa Romeo Spider

Price: £31,250
Engine: 3.2-litre petrol
Performance: 0-62mph in 6.8 seconds; 24.6mpg
CO2: 273g/km
Worth considering: Audi TT, Mercedes SLK, Nissan 350Z Convertible

The Alfa Spider is a thing of beauty. That was something upon which everyone who saw it in the course of our testing agreed. I spent ages looking at it, and I still couldn't work out quite how the sharp-edged nose merges so convincingly with the curvy tail, which narrowly escapes looking like the fat back end of a dodgem by just a few inspired strokes of a designer's pen, but instead works brilliantly.

It's a similar story inside, where features such as the heavily ribbed sporty seats and the hooded instruments recall the glories of Alfas past. Gauges, buried deep in the centre console, retain their Italian labels even on UK models – unless, that is, they were fitted to our test car as the result of a production-line glitch.

I'd be inclined to rule that out, given how well made the Spider seems to be. Whatever; the inscriptions "olio", "acqua" and "benzina" are so much more impressive than "oil", "water" and "fuel", you'll agree.

Of course, the crucial question is whether the driving experience offered by the Spider lives up to the car's appearance. The overwhelming expectation, of course, is of something sporty – and that is encouraged by the specification sheets, which show that the variant of the Spider tested by our readers, the 3.2-litre JTS V6 Q4, is on many measures a near-twin of the fastest Audi TT. That should make for some interesting games of Top Trumps one day.

A V6 engine producing 260 horsepower and a permanent four-wheel-drive system that puts most of the power through the rear wheels are just two of the features that feed the sense of anticipation.

When you actually drive the Spider, though, it impresses you but in a rather unexpected way, because it turns out to be soft rather than sporty, and refined rather than rorty. Take the V6 engine, for example; this still sounds nice enough to have you opening the roof and windows in order to listen to it, but is rather muted.

And, while the Spider gets around the corners just fine, the really impressive thing about its suspension is the ride comfort it manages to deliver – although the open body-shell isn't above surprising you with the occasional shimmy on rougher surfaces.

The Spider's slightly unusual mixture of fast looks and relaxed driving won't appeal to everyone, but I liked it a lot. For many years now, in the face of endless disappointments, enthusiasts carried in their hearts an idea of what an Alfa could or should be. Today, after years of sustained effort by the manufacturer, the cars are starting to live up to the badge once again.

Alan Burdett, property developer from Ormskirk

Other car: Porsche 966 Carrera 2 Convertible

This was a blind date, and I wasn't disappointed. Dressed in red, with a black top, styled by Pininfarina – beautiful. The exhaust note was superbly of the after-market variety, but it's standard, apparently. This was getting better. On the road, everything inside this strict two-seater is neat, tidy and well designed – but why aren't the electric windows one-touch? Similarly, the overall driving experience is nothing less than you'd expect of a vehicle from this marque at this price. But with 3.2 litres of V6 4WD to play with, when driven hard it felt soft, not sporty; I couldn't get involved enough with the car to want to own it.

Peter Hawes, lead production technician from Cheshire

Other cars: Peugeot 206 GTI, Toyota Rav4

First impression is that this is another piece of Italian motoring beauty. The triple headlights are reminiscent of the early 1990s Alfa RZ and SZ. At the wheel, it's easy to find a comfortable driving position with good visibility. One niggle is that the petrol gauge is in an odd position, in a deep binnacle in the centre of the dash. On the road, the V6 is the perfect soundtrack. The suspension could be a little stiffer to cope with the lanes around Cheshire. On the motorway it could not be faulted; plenty of power for quick, safe overtaking. The Spider would be a great GT tourer for Europe, where it could be opened up a little.

Jeremy Tickle, charity operations manager from Formby

Other cars: Alfa 156, MG Midget (restoring)

Time was when Alfas frustrated as much as inspired, either diabolical or fantastic – but always special. This is special. Roof down, it looks fabulous. Its glossy paint is fault-free and doors close with Germanic precision. It's the same inside; swathes of leather, soft-touch plastics, no rattles. The engine is a new GM-sourced unit, missing its predecessor's chrome pipes but retaining its spirit. It sounds sublime, the V6 burbling at tickover and, when extended, people hear it coming before they see it. It's quick and grips well, but it's not a genuine sports car. As a beautiful, elegant and well-made convertible, it's superb.