RE: Is the Alfa Romeo Giulia good enough? PH Blog
Discussion
Oilchange said:
You know it's getting quite tiresome that people keep harping on about Alfas alleged reliability problems, mine' a 98 car on 126000 and going just fine, more than can be said about the poor fellows Passat in the other thread. Or the VW caddy in the other thread, or a clleague at work whose BMW grenaded its engine.
Ah, but it is an Alfa so we come to expect this.
They are no worse than the rest, maybe not as good at covering it up.
ETA, it may explain why my car gets so much attention, they simply can't believe a 19 year old Alfa could survive. Although I kid myself it's the looks, the noise etc
Exactly...I'm so tired of The Alfa bashing that goes on...the reliability is no worse than other marques. I have owned 2 Alfas...a 1998 V6 GTV and currently a 2001 Spider 3.0 V6 which I've had for almost 4 years now-as long as it's maintained and looked after they will serve you well and mine have. No problems and it has NEVER let me down unlike a lot of BMW , Saab and Mercedes owned by friends. Travelled back from Newquay to Bath last weekend and counted six Range Rovers being attended to by the AA/RAC but that gets glossed over.Ah, but it is an Alfa so we come to expect this.
They are no worse than the rest, maybe not as good at covering it up.
ETA, it may explain why my car gets so much attention, they simply can't believe a 19 year old Alfa could survive. Although I kid myself it's the looks, the noise etc
Edited by Oilchange on Saturday 25th February 13:29
Anyway I wish Alfa well with the Guilia and hope my V6 Busso is still singing for many years to come!
Looks a bit like all the rest, but is it a case that if your are creating a rear drive 4 door saloon of this size there is only so much that can be done with the overall profile etc. I just has a look at the Alfa site and it looks like there is no manual on the 200bhp petrol car. That could have been a sweet spot in this cars line up. Disappointing if it is not available with the manual. As a side to this story I was surprised to see a current model 3 series BMW with bubbling rear arches and flaking paint with what looked like corroded aluminium metal. Is the rear quarter panels on these aluminium? Sorry a bit off the topic of the Alfa.
cymtriks said:
Google the classic Giulia.
Observe the awesomeness.
Look at this model.
Weep.
Goes for pretty much any car that.Observe the awesomeness.
Look at this model.
Weep.
Look at an e30 or even earlier a 2002, now look at the current F30, is it? Weep.
Look at a Merc 190 and the latest C-class..weep.
Look at a BMW e38 compared to the latest 7er...weep.
Nothing special going on with the Alfa, I think it looks good being a new car.
I saw a blue Quad demonstrator parked outside Manchester Exhibition centre at Castlefield a few weeks ago.
In the flesh, it is the best looking saloon car in years, inside and out.
The drives done by the big mags also say the Quad is the best driving saloon car in years. Have a gander at some of the vids on the tube.
I am looking forward to trying this car to see if indeed Ferrari have sprinkled their magic.
FYI - the finance deal Alfa were (are?) offering on the Quad is very tempting. You can see it on the Alfa UK website.
In the flesh, it is the best looking saloon car in years, inside and out.
The drives done by the big mags also say the Quad is the best driving saloon car in years. Have a gander at some of the vids on the tube.
I am looking forward to trying this car to see if indeed Ferrari have sprinkled their magic.
FYI - the finance deal Alfa were (are?) offering on the Quad is very tempting. You can see it on the Alfa UK website.
Edited by Carl_Manchester on Sunday 26th February 10:25
Quickmoose said:
45 years ago I doubt the owner of that Brand new Alfa ever thought that someone would restore that car though.
In 45 years from now, who is to say what or if we'll be driving, so personally given the oportunity then absolutley yes, someone might want to re-create the hey-day of 2017 sporting saloons.
There were many many rubbish, ugly, bland and just plain bad cars 45 years ago.
the same is true right now.
Alfas were regarded as being a bit desirable and a bit special back then. I remember old people wanting to own an Alfa now that they'd retired, before they got too old. They may not have had the foggiest expectation that the car would be lovingly restored one day but they did know, or at least this was how they saw it, that they'd bought a poor mans exotic.In 45 years from now, who is to say what or if we'll be driving, so personally given the oportunity then absolutley yes, someone might want to re-create the hey-day of 2017 sporting saloons.
There were many many rubbish, ugly, bland and just plain bad cars 45 years ago.
the same is true right now.
I certainly didn't suggest that all old cars were good or that they were all desirable.
Quickmoose said:
That retro concept is w
k btw.
The 8C proves Alfa can do retro FAR better
the 4C proves they can do current/forward thinking pretty well
That retro concept is designed, judging by the proportions, to be a small RWD 2+2, more a Giulietta sized car, an alternative to the standard Euro hot hatch. It clearly isn't meant to be an 8C successor. Believe it or not if the 8C had been designed to be a small hatchback alternative it would look very different.k btw.The 8C proves Alfa can do retro FAR better
the 4C proves they can do current/forward thinking pretty well
cymtriks said:
Alfas were regarded as being a bit desirable and a bit special back then. I remember old people wanting to own an Alfa now that they'd retired.
Same with BMW. I can just about recall a time when there were really not many about, and a new E21 or E28 - even in steel wheel and wind up spec - was considered a very nice thing to have.cymtriks said:
Quickmoose said:
45 years ago I doubt the owner of that Brand new Alfa ever thought that someone would restore that car though.
In 45 years from now, who is to say what or if we'll be driving, so personally given the oportunity then absolutley yes, someone might want to re-create the hey-day of 2017 sporting saloons.
There were many many rubbish, ugly, bland and just plain bad cars 45 years ago.
the same is true right now.
Alfas were regarded as being a bit desirable and a bit special back then. I remember old people wanting to own an Alfa now that they'd retired, before they got too old. They may not have had the foggiest expectation that the car would be lovingly restored one day but they did know, or at least this was how they saw it, that they'd bought a poor mans exotic.In 45 years from now, who is to say what or if we'll be driving, so personally given the oportunity then absolutley yes, someone might want to re-create the hey-day of 2017 sporting saloons.
There were many many rubbish, ugly, bland and just plain bad cars 45 years ago.
the same is true right now.
I certainly didn't suggest that all old cars were good or that they were all desirable.
Quickmoose said:
That retro concept is wk btw.
The 8C proves Alfa can do retro FAR better
the 4C proves they can do current/forward thinking pretty well
That retro concept is designed, judging by the proportions, to be a small RWD 2+2, more a Giulietta sized car, an alternative to the standard Euro hot hatch. It clearly isn't meant to be an 8C successor. Believe it or not if the 8C had been designed to be a small hatchback alternative it would look very different.k btw.The 8C proves Alfa can do retro FAR better
the 4C proves they can do current/forward thinking pretty well
Because it's an Alfa and a bit left field from the ubiqutous Germans they will always be more coveted, that was the case 45 years ago and will remain the case 45 years from now. So whilst it's true not all old cars were good, not even the Alfas, it is true that some enthusiasts will choose to maintain or rebuild they're chosen 'classics'.... to suggest in 45 years this won't be one, is pure guesswork.
Alfas were regarded as a bit special back then sure...but they made soe dross too.
Alfas are regarded as a bit special now and they still make some dross... nothing has changed in that regard.
What has needed to change and hopefully will the latest outcrop, is their profitability and relative quality and perfromance in the face of the competition.
That was the case back then too I'd wager.
So whilst the 156 and 159's were chosen on the basis of style and never really came close in terms of dynamics...here we have a bit of a sea chnage. Subjectively for me the style remains, but by all accounts the Guilia is MUCH more on par in all the other good stuff.
and I didn't suggest the 8C was meant to be a small 2+2. I said Alfa "can do retro far better" regardless of the sector.
Carl_Manchester said:
I saw a blue Quad demonstrator parked outside Manchester Exhibition centre at Castlefield a few weeks ago.
In the flesh, it is the best looking saloon car in years, inside and out.
The drives done by the big mags also say the Quad is the best driving saloon car in years. Have a gander at some of the vids on the tube.
I am looking forward to trying this car to see if indeed Ferrari have sprinkled their magic.
FYI - the finance deal Alfa were (are?) offering on the Quad is very tempting. You can see it on the Alfa UK website.
I too saw one (QF) in the flesh in our local shopping centre and was allowed to sit in it and agree, in the flesh its a very handsome machine. Better than in pictures but so are a lot of other cars.In the flesh, it is the best looking saloon car in years, inside and out.
The drives done by the big mags also say the Quad is the best driving saloon car in years. Have a gander at some of the vids on the tube.
I am looking forward to trying this car to see if indeed Ferrari have sprinkled their magic.
FYI - the finance deal Alfa were (are?) offering on the Quad is very tempting. You can see it on the Alfa UK website.
Edited by Carl_Manchester on Sunday 26th February 10:25
Although the interest rate is good on the current offer (3.2% APR), the relatively poor residuals makes it an expensive PCP option.
Carwow managed to get £4k off on the car I spec-ed but still too rich for me.
One good thing in its favour is its pretty well spec-ed and the options list is very short. Compare that to an M3/M4/AMG or RS.
Was passing local alfa dealership today so popped in for a good nosey at a few of these today, the QV is a monster in real life, i'd have one in an instant if I was in the position to buy (might hopefully be in a few months time). But what actually supeused me is how nice the interior is in the normal model, the tan leather looked lovely and the integrated screen is somuch better than the German rivals, although the normal mideld don't really have that much of an advantage over the rivals on the exterior .
The salesman also started the QV up and it does sound epic.
The salesman also started the QV up and it does sound epic.
iSore said:
Alfa may have pulled a real blinder in getting the OMG! model out first. This is the one everyone talks about and it may well rub off on the lesser versions as a halo effect. Who knows?
The lesser models inherent much of the same tech as the QV, such as the carbon prop/quick steering e.t.c So even if it doesn't, the cars own capability will shine through.dinkel said:
Styling wise the 156 / 147 were great (FWD) lookers and everything after that (10+ years ago) looked GM bland.
Really?I mean, you can talk about it dynamically, but in terms of look (even though eye of the beholder and such), I find it hard to call this GM bland, better still, I find it hard to name a contemporary counterpart that looks half as good, inside and out:
I will dismiss the MiTo and Guilietta (again, eye of the beholder), but put them next to a Golf, Focus, 1 series, and ask any non-car person which one they like best in terms of looks and I'd say you're in for a shocker.
Saw two this weekend at dealerships. The QF 500bhp version is an absolute monster to look at in all the best ways. It's muscular, but not silly-big, sounds amazing and looks absolutely menacing. I also think it distances itself from the rest of the range the right way, rather than the German variants which plaster the same badges all over a 2.0 diesel, with the exhausts the only real giveaway. Like everyone else here, I could see a 3yr old one just coming out of warranty to be a serious contender as a purchase if it depreciates at a reasonable rate.
I also saw a mid-spec blue diesel, and I was even more impressed, because it stands out so well vs the usual m-way pounders. For a start, the deep blue is absolutely epic. I also thought the fit and finish was decent. No, it's not an Audi in that respect, but it is a long way past most other cars. I also think it's a handsome thing, it has shades of the Mazda 6 which I am a big fan of style-wise. I didn't hear it start up, I wouldn't expect miracles, but I think it will hold up well vs the other competition in your average road test. It looks good, it's economical, and it's decent to sit in. What's not to like?
My view is this - if the Giulia, Stelvio & Giulietta (replacement) allow Alfa to go out and make 4c/8c type cars, then I am ALL for it. I'd like to see them, hold their money, become established options, and return Alfa to the top of the tree. For that to work, they HAVE to fix their dealer network - they need shiny white floors, decent coffee, stupid "VIP Weekend" invites - basically, copy BMW. That;s the sort of thing that will get them filling volumes, but to do it they need big showrooms in prime locations, an increased network.
It'll take time but if the Giulia/Stelvio are the start then the next few years could be great. Wishing I hadn't sold my 156 now
I also saw a mid-spec blue diesel, and I was even more impressed, because it stands out so well vs the usual m-way pounders. For a start, the deep blue is absolutely epic. I also thought the fit and finish was decent. No, it's not an Audi in that respect, but it is a long way past most other cars. I also think it's a handsome thing, it has shades of the Mazda 6 which I am a big fan of style-wise. I didn't hear it start up, I wouldn't expect miracles, but I think it will hold up well vs the other competition in your average road test. It looks good, it's economical, and it's decent to sit in. What's not to like?
My view is this - if the Giulia, Stelvio & Giulietta (replacement) allow Alfa to go out and make 4c/8c type cars, then I am ALL for it. I'd like to see them, hold their money, become established options, and return Alfa to the top of the tree. For that to work, they HAVE to fix their dealer network - they need shiny white floors, decent coffee, stupid "VIP Weekend" invites - basically, copy BMW. That;s the sort of thing that will get them filling volumes, but to do it they need big showrooms in prime locations, an increased network.
It'll take time but if the Giulia/Stelvio are the start then the next few years could be great. Wishing I hadn't sold my 156 now
Looks wise I think it's the best of a pretty dull bunch. This segment isn't exactly known for taking risks but I think the Alfa does just enough looks-wise to raise it above the other humdrum options in this class.
However as others have mentioned no 3rd pedal is a deal breaker for me. It seems BMW are the only manufacturer who are persevering with manual gearboxes for which they should be applauded, it's just a shame the rest of the car is so dull now.
If I could have got the 280bhp petrol Veloce or even a QV with a manual, I'd probably have one on my drive by now.
However as others have mentioned no 3rd pedal is a deal breaker for me. It seems BMW are the only manufacturer who are persevering with manual gearboxes for which they should be applauded, it's just a shame the rest of the car is so dull now.
If I could have got the 280bhp petrol Veloce or even a QV with a manual, I'd probably have one on my drive by now.
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