Alfa giulietta confusion

[sthodgson]

Hello all,

I enjoy reading all the post on here but rarely contribute. My bad. I’ve had a 156 veloce sport wagon in the past so know about Alfa quirks and I’m looking at a giulietta as a new set of wheels. I test drove a ma 170 a few years ago but the time wasn’t right and it didn’t happen.

Doing searches for the them is a land of confusion. There are so many trim levels and it makes it hard to compare cars. Question is, when did the multi air 170 stop being produced as that is what I would ideally be looking for. I would prefer the facelift with the updated interior but was it available then. Also a manual is preferable which removes the 1750 veloce from the list, which is a shame.

Having said that, Harry Metcalfe seemed to be impressed with his son’s veloce with the tct but I’m not sure I could bring myself to do it. The family mule is automatic which is fine, but I like changing gear in a proper car.

I couldn’t really get a good feel for the car when I drove it so I have a very subjective question: do they “come alive” on faster B roads? I’m still searching for a car that transforms from a dull family hatchback to a sublime, joyous go-kart when pointed at a back road like a car I had back in 2000.

Opinions welcome.

Cheers!

[ITP]

You can get a manual 1750, the cloverleaf model up to 2013/14 or so. Not facelift though of course. It’s a great car, I have one. It’s no renaultsport megane, but it’s better than journalists have you believe.

Edited by ITP on Saturday 27th March 21:36

[Munter]

Problem I found with the manual is no left foot rest. Not even a space. So I'd have to keep my leg in an uncomfortable position. Passed on that and got a 170 with the auto.

[Highway Star]

We have a 1.4 manual multi air petrol Giulietta with 170bhp if that's the 170 model you mean, it's a 16 reg in Exclusive trim, we've had it since new - it was the very last of the pre-facelift cars, so we got it at a discount.

It's my wife's car mainly but I do drive it regularly and to be honest, I never get that 'go-kart' feeling from it and don't really enjoy driving it hard that much. It just doesn't feel like other Alfas or Fiats I've had, the steering feels quite numb (despite living in D all the time) and the steering wheel and shiny gear knob are just too big (I'm not a small bloke either). As mentioned above, the lack of footrest for the left foot is a real pain and I find the pedal box quite narrow and have had issues either getting my left foot stuck under the clutch or pressing the accelerator and brake at the same time with my right foot, something I've not had in much smaller cars. I'd like more of a characterful exhaust note and don't get me started on the lethally slippy metal pedals!

Her previous car was a Panda 100HP, which most certainly did have the go-kart feel but we had to get rid of that due to a growing family and my wife was tiring of the hard ride. She loves the Giulietta and I like it for pottering around, but it never feels 'sporty'.

[sthodgson]

Thanks for the replies.

I seem to remember it feeling pleasant but not that exciting. Maybe I should try one again to see what I think.