new spider ti

[hypermarc]

anyone ordered one of these?
apparently on offer for 320 per month contract hire.seems cheap and little risk.

[flattotheboards]

They are cracking looking cars!

[Andyt25]

I agree lovely looking car and that sounds like a good deal...but as above they are not selling well. Drove one a few months ago and def does drive as good as it looks. Shame.

[cirvy]

Lets face it, they're just poorly engineered, too heavy with lousy dynamics.

As one of the motoring journos said a few weeks back, they're one of the biggest motoring contradictions of today, great to look at, lousy to drive!

And i'm afraid, he's right

[jamieboy]

cirvy said:

Lets face it, they're just poorly engineered, too heavy with lousy dynamics.

As one of the motoring journos said a few weeks back, they're one of the biggest motoring contradictions of today, great to look at, lousy to drive!

And i'm afraid, he's right

Given how much you hated your Brera, I'm surprised you've tried the new '08-spec cars. Did you not think there was any improvement?

[cirvy]

jamieboy said:

cirvy said:

Lets face it, they're just poorly engineered, too heavy with lousy dynamics.

As one of the motoring journos said a few weeks back, they're one of the biggest motoring contradictions of today, great to look at, lousy to drive!

And i'm afraid, he's right

Given how much you hated your Brera, I'm surprised you've tried the new '08-spec cars. Did you not think there was any improvement?

I think there was some improvement, unfortunately just tinkering rather than the overhaul the cars really need.

I spent the earlier part of this week in a new 159 1.9. After my Q2, it felt ponderous & leaden, & it had an awful gearchange, such a disappointment to drive

[jamieboy]

cirvy said:

jamieboy said:

cirvy said:

Lets face it, they're just poorly engineered, too heavy with lousy dynamics.

As one of the motoring journos said a few weeks back, they're one of the biggest motoring contradictions of today, great to look at, lousy to drive!

And i'm afraid, he's right

Given how much you hated your Brera, I'm surprised you've tried the new '08-spec cars. Did you not think there was any improvement?

I think there was some improvement, unfortunately just tinkering rather than the overhaul the cars really need.

I spent the earlier part of this week in a new 159 1.9. After my Q2, it felt ponderous & leaden, & it had an awful gearchange, such a disappointment to drive

Same engine (isn't it?) in a much bigger car likely would feel ponderous.

And the new Brera and Spider?

[cirvy]

jamieboy said:

cirvy said:

jamieboy said:

cirvy said:

Lets face it, they're just poorly engineered, too heavy with lousy dynamics.

As one of the motoring journos said a few weeks back, they're one of the biggest motoring contradictions of today, great to look at, lousy to drive!

And i'm afraid, he's right

Given how much you hated your Brera, I'm surprised you've tried the new '08-spec cars. Did you not think there was any improvement?

I think there was some improvement, unfortunately just tinkering rather than the overhaul the cars really need.

I spent the earlier part of this week in a new 159 1.9. After my Q2, it felt ponderous & leaden, & it had an awful gearchange, such a disappointment to drive

Same engine (isn't it?) in a much bigger car likely would feel ponderous.

And the new Brera and Spider?

It's not so much bigger, & with a much more modern chasis & updated drivetrain, it should still sparkle, don't you think?

I had a quick drive in a new JTDM Brera recently ( last one i drove being at launch two years ago ), it wasn't run in so a bit unfair to judge, but i couldn't tell the difference.

What are they meant to have done to these cars anyway?


Edited to add: I gather they're doing the whole ti range in white, i reckon the revised ( lightened & RWD ) 159 2.4 in white with grafite 19"s will be the car

Edited by cirvy on Thursday 17th April 15:08

[jamieboy]

cirvy said:

It's not so much bigger, & with a much more modern chasis & updated drivetrain, it should still sparkle, don't you think?

Well, the 159 is longer, wider, and taller than the GT, and we know it's more solidly built. General consensus seems to be that it handles much better than the 156 once you get used to it, and a chap on another forum who owns both a 159 and a GT reckons the 159 to be a better car.

cirvy said:

I had a quick drive in a new JTDM Brera recently ( last one i drove being at launch two years ago ), it wasn't run in so a bit unfair to judge, but i couldn't tell the difference.

What are they meant to have done to these cars anyway?

Mustn't have been an '08 car, or you'd have noticed the new seats (a big complaint of yours, IIRC). The weight loss and the new seats are the two big changes, I think, as well as offering the V6 without 4wd.

cirvy said:

Not driven the spider, but

...but just fancied calling it lousy anyway?

[cirvy]

Hey, maybe me & every journo roadtester in the land has got it wrong then, they sound great & i look forward to improved sales as a result & being able to see lots of them on the roads in the very near future

Edited by cirvy on Thursday 17th April 15:22

[cirvy]

euroboy said:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zON4bWsl2Ek

Best handling car its in class in German tests!

That looks great......if you want to swerve round cones in a wet car-park! What a bizzare way to test a car!

[cirvy]

jamieboy said:

Mustn't have been an '08 car, or you'd have noticed the new seats (a big complaint of yours, IIRC). The weight loss and the new seats are the two big changes, I think, as well as offering the V6 without 4wd.

The car i drove was brand new a month ago at a main dealer, but it still had the older seats.

When are these changes coming in, & how have they achieved the weight loss???

[jamieboy]

cirvy said:

jamieboy said:

Mustn't have been an '08 car, or you'd have noticed the new seats (a big complaint of yours, IIRC). The weight loss and the new seats are the two big changes, I think, as well as offering the V6 without 4wd.

The car i drove was brand new a month ago at a main dealer, but it still had the older seats.

When are these changes coming in, & how have they achieved the weight loss???

Reading on another forum, HR Owen got their first '08 Brera this week - I'd be surprised if your dealer had one a month ago.

AFAIK the weight reduction comes mostly from the suspension and brakes, and I read that the wheels are lighter too.

[V6Alfisti]

I drove a V6 Q4 Spider yesterday and I wouldn't call it ponderous.

It stuck like glue, nicely weighted steering wheel, high quality interior, short throw gearbox which is more snatchy than older Alfa's, definitely not an awful change, it felt more lotus like. (Though I have read when the cars are brand new, they can be quite poor, but after a few hundred miles they work as expected- certainly my experience!).

The engine made a great noise (not as nice as my Arese V6 unit), but a more progressive power delivery, I felt it could have done with a little more power, also around corners I could feel a bit of that extra weight (I say slight), but it wasn't nearly as noticeable as people mention (maybe the Q4 solves this).

Also sat in a Brera MY08 that literally just came in, looked very nice with its new dark alu panels, black roof lining, push button release on Alfa boot badge (not sure if that was there before), different climate control switches and I think they have lightened the wheels e.t.c

Edited by V6Alfisti on Friday 18th April 14:52

[brerasv]

Can't find any info on Alfa uk website on this? Anyone found anything on the net or do I have to make the 80 mile round trip to my nearest dealer???

[jamieboy]

brerasv said:

Can't find any info on Alfa uk website on this? Anyone found anything on the net or do I have to make the 80 mile round trip to my nearest dealer???

Some dealers have heard about it, some haven't yet.

Mangoletsi has this page up:
http://www.mangoletsi.com/alfa/news/alfa-romeo-spi...

[brerasv]

Cheers jamie, luckily mango's are my 'local' dealer too!