RE: Alfa Romeo Giulia - official!

[loudlashadjuster]

Yes, terrible wheels and white not the most favourable colour, but I still think it looks ace. In the flesh I think it will impress.

[Esseesse]

Looks at least as good as the next car of this type. Would be nice to see a black one.

[crostonian]

I think it looks good, but then again so do most BMW saloons, Audis, Jags, Masers, Lexus, Mazdas, Infinitis, Fords etc. Why? Because they all look the same! Yes I know they don't really look the same but none of them are pushing the boundaries and they all seem to have a variation on a theme going on at the back. At least Mercedes seem to tread their own path and the French give us some variety but overall this sector is becoming very tedious design wise, that's globalisation for you.

[anonymous-user]

EricE said:

Video of it driving on the street... looks terrible to me, mostly because of the wheels I think?

https://youtu.be/Ib_fXfaafBo

That really does look awful. A real shame.

[swimd]

had ham said:

EricE said:

Video of it driving on the street... looks terrible to me, mostly because of the wheels I think?

https://youtu.be/Ib_fXfaafBo

That really does look awful. A real shame.

By golly, they did it again. One can always count on Alfa to ruin a nice concept just before production.

The proportions seem all over the place, wheels look small and "lost" even though they must be relatively big. Result is something that looks like a lowered 5 series with halfords wheels and a bodykit.

[trashbat]

swimd said:

By golly, they did it again. One can always count on Alfa to ruin a nice concept just before production.

There is no "concept" - this is the same car as was debuted.

Edited by trashbat on Monday 17th August 10:27

[Quickmoose]

Not sure what others have seen in that video that hasn't already been said?
There was no concept.
It was unveiled very shortly after a few leaks came out.
When we saw it, most (inlcuding me) have been disapointed to see a BMW/Jag/Audi clone... a smart and new one, but a generic 21st century 3 box saloon with Alfa details shot at it nonetheless...

It was/is obvious why this happened in the same way Jaguar have done exactly the same with XE and XF. Given they're aspirations, and current sales volmes, they cannot afford unique, ground breaking otherwordy styling, this market sector has proven to be a cash cow for MB, Audi and BM, so if their recipe ain't broke and you can't beat em'...you have to join 'em.

I'm hoping in the same way Jag have done that they can bring subtle nuance and driving chaacteristics that the others don't have to make them more attractive...the very fact there will be less on the road is a massive plus to start with.

White?...nah
Those wheels?...nah
That engine note?...hmmm
The metallic red?..yes please
The 8C-ish alloys?....yes again..

Looking forward to seeing it in the metal...

[Guvernator]

Agreed it's not ground breaking but overall it's probably a bit more interesting than the usual suspects and I think that engine certainly looks interesting.

I do find the "they had to play it safe" attitude a bit strange though, especially with this and the XE. Jaguar proved stunning\different design COULD be a sales success with the Evoque. OK it may not be everyone's cup of tea but it looks like no other SUV on the market and they are absolutely everywhere.

Let the Germans play it safe, I think both Jaguar and Alfa could have dared to be a bit more adventurous. I'm not saying they had to completely re-design the segment, just a little less copying would have sufficed. I think people are getting a bit bored of the cookie-cutter German offerings so this would have been a great opportunity to shake up the segment a bit.

[Ali_T]

I've seen it in the flesh at the Alfa museum and it's a lot more sculpted than pictures give credit for. The white dulls it down too much. The one thing I didn't like, and still don't, is the sheer size of the scudetto grill. It's massive. And the rather artless way the blanking plate for the tow eye is applied is very unItalian. Where I suspect they'll shoot themselves in the foot is pricing. I've hear nearly £70k for the QV model rumoured, though dealers think under £50k, but all Marchionne's talk about no longer devaluing the brand make me think he'll get too greedy and, with Alfa's current residuals, the PCP/lease market will end up with stupidly high monthly payments that nobody will pay.

Edited by Ali_T on Tuesday 18th August 02:25

[Guvernator]

Yep agreed, I said it earlier in the thread. It doesn't matter how good this car is, if they overprice it they'll loose. The QV HAS to be cheaper than the BMW M3 and the Mercedes C63 AMG and the other cars in the range cheaper than their 3 series\C class equivalents. Alfa are dreaming if they think they can go toe-to-toe on price with those two established powerhouses in the segment.

[dxg]

had ham said:

EricE said:

Video of it driving on the street... looks terrible to me, mostly because of the wheels I think?

https://youtu.be/Ib_fXfaafBo

That really does look awful. A real shame.

It has a saggy bum. They could solve it by raising the ride height on the rear axle a little bit.

[Kolbenkopp]

Guvernator said:

The QV HAS to be cheaper than the BMW M3 and the Mercedes C63 AMG and the other cars in the range cheaper than their 3 series\C class equivalents. Alfa are dreaming if they think they can go toe-to-toe on price with those two established powerhouses in the segment.

Not sure about the QV, looking at the spec sheet -- it will be expensive to bolt together. Perhaps they are fine selling a few thousand per year to hardcore Alfa fans and treat it as a halo car / marketing exercise? Agree for the rest of the range, if it turns out more expensive on lease than the Germans it is going to be a very tough sell to business customers.

Going to be interesting to see it in the metal. Hope I can make it to the Frankfurt show this year.

[ZesPak]

Guvernator said:

I do find the "they had to play it safe" attitude a bit strange though, especially with this and the XE. Jaguar proved stunning\different design COULD be a sales success with the Evoque. OK it may not be everyone's cup of tea but it looks like no other SUV on the market and they are absolutely everywhere.

It's part of the segment, the Juke looks ... different, yet it was a massive sales success for Nissan.
Nissan also had the advantage they practically re-invented the SUV space with the Quasthing.
In the compact exec saloon however, it seems buyers are buying a lot more conservative, and Jag and Alfa need to play ball with the Germans that basically have this segment on their own.

[dinkel]

trashbat said:

In what way does this stand out from a 3-series or A4?

[RoverP6B]

The grille, and that's about it...

[Quickmoose]

RoverP6B said:

The grille, and that's about it...

I'm hoping on the road it'll ahve something more about it...but yeah in a nutshell..the over sized grille is it.

[ZesPak]

dinkel said:

In what way does this stand out from a 3-series or A4?

:sigh:

As above, all much of muchness.
People expect a certain amount of cabin space, the height/width/length are determined by the market you want to position it in, as well as the wheelbase largely. You need a bit of nose to fit a certain engine and other gear. EU determines a lot of it by safety norms.

And then this class apparently doesn't like outrageous designs (if it were possible per the limitations above).

In short: You've got 4 wheels and a fixed "box size", you've got a lot of components to fit. There really ISN'T that much room to play with.
On the other hand, go drive a C-class, 3-series and XE (the A4 doesn't even deserve a mention here) back to back and tell me they're the same car again.

[Esseesse]

ZesPak said:

And then this class apparently doesn't like outrageous designs (if it were possible per the limitations above).

I find this hard to understand. Might be looking for a CLS in future because most regular saloons are too boring.

[Kolbenkopp]

ZesPak said:

And then this class apparently doesn't like outrageous designs (if it were possible per the limitations above).

Definitely. Even when BMW was in full-on Bangle mode, the E90 turned out pretty subdued because they preferred to play it safe in that segment.

Problem I have with the new Giulia's styling is the 156 and 159. These two sold a lot on looks alone, and I was expecting something in the same vein. To make matters more frustrating, I think there is an opening in the market for something more elegant than what the Germans are doing.

The current small exec kit from the big 3 looks so busy, aggressive, trying too hard -- with all of these creases, giant grills, the copious amount of fake aero and huge blanked off air intake bits. The XE and the new Giulia just seem to blend in sadly.

I wish AR just had the balls to take the 159 styling and refresh that for 2015 and a RWD application. Styling wise, it was close to perfect IMVHO. Sadly FWD (now fixed), heavy (allegedly fixed), and only one interesting petrol engine (hopefully fixed).

Opportunity missed IMO. But a) need to see it in the metal. And b) the proof is in the driving. Grapevine says that it is going to be class leading. Fingers crossed.

[dinkel]

Kolbenkopp said:

I wish AR just had the balls to take the 159 styling and refresh that for 2015 and a RWD application. Styling wise, it was close to perfect IMVHO. Sadly FWD (now fixed), heavy (allegedly fixed), and only one interesting petrol engine (hopefully fixed).

Which (2000-2015) sedan does the trick for you, stylingwise?