The Alfa is powered by a compact 1.75-liter turbocharged and intercooled four-cylinder engine. Power is stated at 237 ponies and torque at 258 pound-feet. Naturally, the engine's construction is all aluminum to keep weight down. The mill is mated to a six-speed, twin-clutch automatic transaxle sending power to the rear wheels. Sorry, purists: no manual transmission is available.

The dual-clutch transmission isn't the best gearbox for traffic or daily driving, where it can be a bit jerky and stuttery, but the shifts are sharp and lightning-quick when the pace quickens. The gearing was a tad tall for my favorite back roads -- I often found myself wishing second gear was a bit taller or third a bit shorter - but I figure this car was tuned for the higher speeds of a race track. The driver selects forward, reverse, or neutral, and toggle automatic or manual shifting with a bank of buttons on the center tunnel and can manually choose gears with standard paddle shifters.