How Does the Alfa 4C Stack Up Against the Toyota GT 86 / Scion FR-S and Porsche Cayman?

As the newest arrival and first sensibly priced (affordable might be kind of a stretch) rear-wheel driven Alfa Romeo since, well, the days of the Spider in the 1990s, the new mid-engine 4C has attracted some well-deserved attention from the press and gearheads alike, but does it make the cut against the competition?

That's what Autocar magazine's Steve Sutcliffe set to find out, at least partially, and by that, we mean on a twisty track.

Taking into consideration its mechanical layout and entry price in the UK at £45,000 (equal to $73,900 / €54,600), the 237hp Alfa 4C's direct competitor is a no brainer: the £41,616 ($68,400 / €50,500) Porsche Cayman (you can see how Carscoops readers voted in a poll between the two models here).

Just to shuffle things up and make the video review a bit more intriguing, Sutcliffe also brought along the Toyota GT 86 (Scion FR-S in North America). While not a real challenger to the 4-cylinder Alfa, it does have an excellent fun-to-price ratio that's really hard to overlook.

Since you don’t like spoilers, we'll just let take a look at the video below and then by all means, head to the comments for your thoughts.

Screenshots via Autocar/YouTube

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VIDEO

Scoop: New Porsche Cayman GTS and Boxster GTS Caught Undisguised

We first came to learn about the upcoming GTS versions of the related Porsche Cayman coupe and Boxster roadster through a leaked dealer presentation document last September, and now, we can give the first camouflage-free photos of the two models.

Much like the existing GTS variant of the Panamera saloon, the new editions of the Cayman and Boxster are based on their respective "S" models and will gain slightly more potent engines, chassis improvements and some limited styling revisions.

In the spy shots, we can see the redesigned front bumper with re-trimmed and modified air channels, and at the back, a new rear diffuser. While the two testers were wearing 19-inch wheels with winter tires, the production cars will feature different 20-inch rims. Some minor upgrades to the interior trim and colors are also to be expected.

The presentation document that surfaced online last year mentioned a humble 15hp bump for both cars, with the Cayman GTS rated at 340PS (335hp) and the Boxster GTS at 330PS (325hp), plus standard PASM damper control.

The same paper said Porsche will host the world premiere of the two GTS models at the 2014 China Auto Show in Beijing this April with sales to kick off this summer.

Photo Credits: CarPix for CarScoopS

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