Alfa Giulia Quattrocheese
Discussion
I bought a Misano red B7 RS4 in 2014 and kept it for 3 years. It was the only car I've ever owned that I said I'd never sell, but then I'm pretty sure I got followed home from work in it one evening so made the decision to sell it on. Traded it in for a Volvo V60 Polestar (build no 149/700 worldwide) in May 2017. I had no intention of selling the Volvo anytime soon, but a couple of weeks ago, I received an email from my local Alfa Romeo dealer (how they got my details I dont know!) inviting me to the opening of their new showroom with free food and passenger rides in the Giulia and Stelvio Quadrifolglios. To be honest, they had me at free food, but, with nothing else to do on a Saturday afternoon I thought I'd go along. I ate my burger and hot dog, drank their free beer and soft drinks and had a passenger ride in the Giulia. After returning to the dealership I thought I'd book myself a test drive for the following Monday, because I was "just curious"..... Monday came and I rocked up to the deaership. The (admittedly, very attractive) sales girl spent 2hrs trying to convince me that Alfa have done away with their electrical faults - after the hours test drive I pulled back in to the dealership and the car threw up an electrical fault. Regardless, the car was fantastic, but not without it's niggles. Even so, I wanted one! I started to scour AT and Pistonheads for cars within my price range (no way was I buying a new one!). A few popped up, most in Alfa red, which I'm not massively keen on, but then a Montecarlo Blue one popped up, within budget. The car was for sale at BMW Cardiff, which is a 2.5hr drive frm home - I sent a tentative enquiry and received a video of the car back. Spoke to the finance girl at BMW, went through some figures, did some haggling and got myself a good deal on the Alfa, but not such a good deal on the PX price for the Volvo. I managed to sell the Volvo elsewhere for a much better price than the PX / CAP guide, and after that everything went smoothly!
Picked the car up 2 days ago, and on the whole I love it. It's not without a few niggles - the seats aren't nearly as comfortable as the Volvo, no heated screen, the B pillar is huge. On the whole though - I can see what the fuss is about!
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And a photo of the Volvo before it was sold.
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Picked the car up 2 days ago, and on the whole I love it. It's not without a few niggles - the seats aren't nearly as comfortable as the Volvo, no heated screen, the B pillar is huge. On the whole though - I can see what the fuss is about!
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And a photo of the Volvo before it was sold.
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Lovely.
I saw that for sale at BMW. There's a few cheaper QF's popping up now, as the warranty and leases expire I suspect (I believe early 16/17 models had 3 year warranty, later 2018 cars had 5 year?) - what have you done about warranty, or ware you winging it? Unsurprisingly, these can throw up some serious bills (for the love of god, don't hit that CF active splitter on a low curb!)
I saw that for sale at BMW. There's a few cheaper QF's popping up now, as the warranty and leases expire I suspect (I believe early 16/17 models had 3 year warranty, later 2018 cars had 5 year?) - what have you done about warranty, or ware you winging it? Unsurprisingly, these can throw up some serious bills (for the love of god, don't hit that CF active splitter on a low curb!)
MattyB_ said:
Lovely.
I saw that for sale at BMW. There's a few cheaper QF's popping up now, as the warranty and leases expire I suspect (I believe early 16/17 models had 3 year warranty, later 2018 cars had 5 year?) - what have you done about warranty, or ware you winging it? Unsurprisingly, these can throw up some serious bills (for the love of god, don't hit that CF active splitter on a low curb!)
It's still got Alfa warranty until March so I have a little while to investigate other options for after it expires.....I saw that for sale at BMW. There's a few cheaper QF's popping up now, as the warranty and leases expire I suspect (I believe early 16/17 models had 3 year warranty, later 2018 cars had 5 year?) - what have you done about warranty, or ware you winging it? Unsurprisingly, these can throw up some serious bills (for the love of god, don't hit that CF active splitter on a low curb!)
Well, a quick update a month (and 1300 miles) in to ownership of the Alfa - I bloody love it! It gets so many positive comments from people! I never thought I'd own another car that I would love driving as much as I enjoyed the RS4 (I know some people will criticise the RS4 as too heavy / too uninspiring etc but I loved driving it), but I've found one! The exhaust noise in Dynamic mode when accelerating is very, very addictive!
I've swapped out the Pirelli P-Zero Corsas that came with the car for some Michelin PSS as the Pirellis were getting a bit low on tread and were a little 'squirmy' in colder temperatures. The Michelins give much better cold / wet weather grip. Also done was some 4 wheel alignment. Picked up at the time was a slightly buckled front N/S wheel, but it's not too bad - I'm living with it at the moment, but will consider either a repair or replacement wheel in due course.
The handling is absolutely spot on and belies the size of the car - the steering is so, so quick. The infotainment system is nowhere nearly as rubbish as reviews have made out - it's very similar to the E92 iDrive system I had in my old BMW - its fairly intuitive and simple to use. It has it's little foibles - when you stream music via Bluetooth, if you revert back to radio it defaults to Radio 4 on FM instead of going back to what you were listening to on DAB. The auto s/s is hit and miss in when it decides to work (quite possibly something to do with the intelligent battery system, or the battery). The front wheels 'skip' on full lock, but I think this is more due to the very quick rack / tight turning circle
I've managed to get a 3 years service plan from my local Alfa dealer, so that's all taken care of too. My concerns over reliability and the Alfa customer service experience so far have been unfounded. Hopefully both remain that way (although having had poor experience of Volvo and Audi customer service, I'm not sure Alfa would be any worse!).
Mods on the list - the AHS exhaust mod to keep the valves open in every driving mode. That is it. A friend did mention a remap, but, frankly, 510bhp through the rear wheels is more than enough - I don't think remapping to circa 600bhp (so say Celtic Tuning) is, for me, a worthwhile mod.
If someone is considering a performance saloon, I'd highly recommend looking at one of these!
I've swapped out the Pirelli P-Zero Corsas that came with the car for some Michelin PSS as the Pirellis were getting a bit low on tread and were a little 'squirmy' in colder temperatures. The Michelins give much better cold / wet weather grip. Also done was some 4 wheel alignment. Picked up at the time was a slightly buckled front N/S wheel, but it's not too bad - I'm living with it at the moment, but will consider either a repair or replacement wheel in due course.
The handling is absolutely spot on and belies the size of the car - the steering is so, so quick. The infotainment system is nowhere nearly as rubbish as reviews have made out - it's very similar to the E92 iDrive system I had in my old BMW - its fairly intuitive and simple to use. It has it's little foibles - when you stream music via Bluetooth, if you revert back to radio it defaults to Radio 4 on FM instead of going back to what you were listening to on DAB. The auto s/s is hit and miss in when it decides to work (quite possibly something to do with the intelligent battery system, or the battery). The front wheels 'skip' on full lock, but I think this is more due to the very quick rack / tight turning circle
I've managed to get a 3 years service plan from my local Alfa dealer, so that's all taken care of too. My concerns over reliability and the Alfa customer service experience so far have been unfounded. Hopefully both remain that way (although having had poor experience of Volvo and Audi customer service, I'm not sure Alfa would be any worse!).
Mods on the list - the AHS exhaust mod to keep the valves open in every driving mode. That is it. A friend did mention a remap, but, frankly, 510bhp through the rear wheels is more than enough - I don't think remapping to circa 600bhp (so say Celtic Tuning) is, for me, a worthwhile mod.
If someone is considering a performance saloon, I'd highly recommend looking at one of these!
18 months into mine now and there isn't another car I would swap it for. It does everything I need, perfectly and without quibble.
The Comp Red turns gold in the summer sun and looks stunning. Although I do like the blue too.
The Celtic tune gives you so much more than just headline figures. The extra midrange in 3rd is as addictive as that exhaust note that would be permanently activated alongside the tune.
Alfa Europe offer extended warranty packages to get you to the 5 year point. They won't advertise it though so you'll have to chase them. There are a few pointers in the forum's.
The Comp Red turns gold in the summer sun and looks stunning. Although I do like the blue too.
The Celtic tune gives you so much more than just headline figures. The extra midrange in 3rd is as addictive as that exhaust note that would be permanently activated alongside the tune.
Alfa Europe offer extended warranty packages to get you to the 5 year point. They won't advertise it though so you'll have to chase them. There are a few pointers in the forum's.
marky911 said:
Elatino1 said:
Lovely car. Think I prefer the Volvo though, awesome.
Me too. I love the Alfa’s and would choose one over say an M3 but that Volvo was even better.
Glad you’re enjoying it though OP. They do sound and look gorgeous. Great colour too.
CharlieAlphaMike said:
RC1807 said:
Is this really PistonHeads??
My thoughts exactly but the OP did refer to his Alfa Romeo as a Quattrocheese 
I guess it poses the question:
Q. What do you drive?
A. An Alfa Romeo
or maybe:
A. A Volvo
Elatino1 said:
RC1807 said:
Is this really PistonHeads??
You know it wasn't just any old Volvo right? I can understand how someone who isn't a car enthusiast might not see that though and just sees a badge.Wills2 said:
CharlieAlphaMike said:
RC1807 said:
Is this really PistonHeads??
My thoughts exactly but the OP did refer to his Alfa Romeo as a Quattrocheese I guess it poses the question:
Q. What do you drive?
A. An Alfa Romeo
or maybe:
A. A Volvo
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