Giulia veloce

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Discussion

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

53 months

Monday 29th July 2019
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kiseca said:
Not directly comparable... I've driven a Veloce and a current 520i so big difference in performance. The BMW is awfully pretty and far more impressive inside, but it's numb. The Veloce is alive... all the time. Ride wise, I guess the 5 had the edge but the Giulia was good too, and for ride the XE beats both of them while still beating the 5 series for feel and feedback.

When I say numb, even considering it's a mid sized luxury cruiser, the 5 series could be more involving than it is without sacrificing ride or refinement. There may be a great handling car under there but if there is, they hide it well.
That's the thing. I suppose the question is how relaxing is the veloce in traffic. I imagine it's far better when on the open road and a roads. Up and down a motorway though?

kiseca

9,339 posts

218 months

Monday 29th July 2019
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euphoricmess said:
kiseca said:
Not directly comparable... I've driven a Veloce and a current 520i so big difference in performance. The BMW is awfully pretty and far more impressive inside, but it's numb. The Veloce is alive... all the time. Ride wise, I guess the 5 had the edge but the Giulia was good too, and for ride the XE beats both of them while still beating the 5 series for feel and feedback.

When I say numb, even considering it's a mid sized luxury cruiser, the 5 series could be more involving than it is without sacrificing ride or refinement. There may be a great handling car under there but if there is, they hide it well.
That's the thing. I suppose the question is how relaxing is the veloce in traffic. I imagine it's far better when on the open road and a roads. Up and down a motorway though?
I didn't find it a nervous car as such, or tiring. The seats weren't quite as comfy in the Alfa but the driving position was good (for me), the ride isn't crashy, it's not particularly noisy, and the gearbox works well as a full auto.

I haven't driven the 520i as long as the other two cars, but from my recent experience my choices would be thus:

For daily driving that will make every journey a bit more fun, the Alfa
If I wanted a comfy car with a good ride that would keep me comfy for 4 hours at the wheel, I'd take the XE
For a continental tour which combines long motorway stretches with some nice mountain pass destinations, I'd take the XE again because it's the best compromise of comfort, fun and engagement.
If I needed a bigger boot or more room in the back, I'd take the 5 series.

The 5 could do the long trip, but whenever the road got interesting, the car would let me down. The Giulia has enough toys to be comfortable in a grind and is always reminding you that you're in something interesting, so even boring journeys are a bit more fun, and when the road gets twisty, it's in a league of its own. The XE sits comfortably between the two.

I'll put it another way. The Alfa could only be an Alfa. No other manufacturer makes cars that feel like the Giulia. I'm sure they could, but they don't. Similarly, The XE has a ride / handling compromise that Jaguar is famous for. Noone else strikes quite that balance either. The BMW, for me, felt like it could have come from anyone.

AlfaPapa

277 posts

159 months

Thursday 1st August 2019
quotequote all
euphoricmess said:
That's the thing. I suppose the question is how relaxing is the veloce in traffic. I imagine it's far better when on the open road and a roads. Up and down a motorway though?
The majority of my miles are for work up and down motorways in traffic.
For me the Veloce is perfect. It goes into full auto, "a" mode, adaptive cruise on and I get some nice music on. It's quiet, the driving position is excellent (for me, as a height-challenged individual with a gammy left knee that needs stretching out every 20 minutes), with loads of visibility and presence. I did a trip to Rochdale and back from south of Birmingham yesterday, she averaged a very impressive 42mpg and dealt with the roadworks, accidents and rain comfortably enough that I arrived home calm and relaxed despite the >3 hour return journey.

Once it's on an open road, it's a different beast entirely. I sometimes feel I have two cars in one.

cayman-black

12,625 posts

215 months

Friday 2nd August 2019
quotequote all
kiseca said:
Not directly comparable... I've driven a Veloce and a current 520i so big difference in performance. The BMW is awfully pretty and far more impressive inside, but it's numb. The Veloce is alive... all the time. Ride wise, I guess the 5 had the edge but the Giulia was good too, and for ride the XE beats both of them while still beating the 5 series for feel and feedback.

When I say numb, even considering it's a mid sized luxury cruiser, the 5 series could be more involving than it is without sacrificing ride or refinement. There may be a great handling car under there but if there is, they hide it well.
Kiseca, i have never before heard anyone say a 5 series BMW is prettier than the Giulia!

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

53 months

Friday 2nd August 2019
quotequote all
cayman-black said:
Kiseca, i have never before heard anyone say a 5 series BMW is prettier than the Giulia!
I dont think he said that explicitly. He i said the 5 was pretty, which I wouldnt call it and then said the interior is better, which it really really is

kiseca

9,339 posts

218 months

Friday 2nd August 2019
quotequote all
cayman-black said:
kiseca said:
Not directly comparable... I've driven a Veloce and a current 520i so big difference in performance. The BMW is awfully pretty and far more impressive inside, but it's numb. The Veloce is alive... all the time. Ride wise, I guess the 5 had the edge but the Giulia was good too, and for ride the XE beats both of them while still beating the 5 series for feel and feedback.

When I say numb, even considering it's a mid sized luxury cruiser, the 5 series could be more involving than it is without sacrificing ride or refinement. There may be a great handling car under there but if there is, they hide it well.
Kiseca, i have never before heard anyone say a 5 series BMW is prettier than the Giulia!
I didn't say that either smile

I would say though that the 5 series feels more luxurious inside, though I don't think many will find that insight surprising.

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

53 months

Wednesday 14th August 2019
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Finally had the chance to test drive a Veloce today. Having tried a 4 series, 3 series, c class, e class, a4 and s5 I can safely say the Veloce is a stonkingly fun drive. Go kart type steering and a great engine to give endless fun. Makes a decent noise too. Central console and infotainment is poor in comparison to the Germans, but who cares when its this much fun to drive, and them paddles... superb motor

parabolica

6,703 posts

183 months

Sunday 8th September 2019
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Hi everyone,

A question to current Veloce owners - how are the headlights? Plenty powerful enough on both beams? I noticed the models up to and including the Veloce get 25w units but the Veloce Ti and Quad get 35w.

Reason I ask is due to plans of moving back up to Scotland in the coming months when I'll potentially be signing on the line for a Veloce and will be doing a lot of driving in the dark; a decent set of headlights is one of the things I routinely prioritise with new cars weirdly enough. I test drove a Veloce Ti yesterday and loved it, but looking at the standard Veloce as I think the Ti bits are mostly cosmetic and I can live without them, or spend some of that saved cash on a few options.

velocemitch

3,795 posts

219 months

Sunday 8th September 2019
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The standard lights are adequate, not brilliant I noticed a drop in night vision when I moved from a Skoda Yeti with Zenons to the Veloce. Could have been the slightly higher position on the Yeti, but I don’t think the Alfa lights were as good.

Might be worth ticking that box, it dark a lot up north and big Animals keep jumping out too!.

ColdoRS

1,796 posts

126 months

Monday 9th September 2019
quotequote all
parabolica said:
Hi everyone,

A question to current Veloce owners - how are the headlights? Plenty powerful enough on both beams? I noticed the models up to and including the Veloce get 25w units but the Veloce Ti and Quad get 35w.

Reason I ask is due to plans of moving back up to Scotland in the coming months when I'll potentially be signing on the line for a Veloce and will be doing a lot of driving in the dark; a decent set of headlights is one of the things I routinely prioritise with new cars weirdly enough. I test drove a Veloce Ti yesterday and loved it, but looking at the standard Veloce as I think the Ti bits are mostly cosmetic and I can live without them, or spend some of that saved cash on a few options.
Its not something i've noticed to be particularly good or bad; I've found them to be totally adequate in all conditions. Mine is a 2017 Veloce.

Since im here, my lease is up in March so i've been starting to think about what i'll do next. Lease again or go back to buying and holding onto my car for 3/4/5 years? Undecided as yet but it will definitely be an estate car, perhaps an SUV. Saloons are fine 75% of the time but the only thing wrong with the Guilia for me is the boot size and opening - just not practical enough.

Edited by ColdoRS on Monday 9th September 17:59

Bullett

10,873 posts

183 months

Monday 9th September 2019
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In the end the practicality question (boot vs hatch) was what made me discard the Guilia. I have youngish kids and play in a band so need to move a fair amount of gear.

I have a Stelvio delivered on Friday. Very happy with it so far apart from the Air Con not seeming to work.

chopper602

2,172 posts

222 months

Tuesday 10th September 2019
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As far as comfort is concerned, we have a 2018 Jag E-Pace as well as the Veloce and I would much rather drive the Veloce any distance than the Jag. Did a trip to Salford and back on Sunday and the seats were not comfortable and the ride wallowy. A similar trip to Grangemouth a few weeks prior in the Veloce was much more pleasant with the added bonus of lots of overtaking fun !

The Chemist

92 posts

141 months

Tuesday 10th September 2019
quotequote all
velocemitch said:
The standard lights are adequate, not brilliant I noticed a drop in night vision when I moved from a Skoda Yeti with Zenons to the Veloce. Could have been the slightly higher position on the Yeti, but I don’t think the Alfa lights were as good.

Might be worth ticking that box, it dark a lot up north and big Animals keep jumping out too!.
My night sight isnt great but I too have noticed the lights on my giulia to not being that great, compared to my previous 2011 A6.

On another note I do adore this car but I dont think I will have another one. It's isnt powerful enough for me (although, it is by driving the veloce that I have become numb to how quick it is), the engine and exhaust note isnt great and I need a little more space in the back seats. I'm now stumped on what to get in Feb, as I occasionally cycle between choosing a QV, to an m5 and even the 5.0 Mustang.

parabolica

6,703 posts

183 months

Wednesday 11th September 2019
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Thanks; looks like you only get the lighting pack (35w lights with directional beams) on either the Veloce Ti or the Nero. I'm torn between a Veloce with a few options or a bare-bones Veloce Ti (as the spec is pretty generous) that comes with the Light Pack as standard. Seems the lease deals are roughly the same for both.

velocemitch

3,795 posts

219 months

Wednesday 11th September 2019
quotequote all
Seems odd that you can't spec a Veloce with 35w Lights. I appreciate that's what the configurator says but have you checked with a dealer?. The configurator is notorious for being wrong.

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

53 months

Tuesday 29th October 2019
quotequote all
Decent deal back on one of these. So it's between this and a 330i. Difference is about £1200 over the two year lease term for the BMW. Veloce in red with no options or a 330i m sport with the tinted glass and blue.

Not driven the 3. Did love the alfa.

velocemitch

3,795 posts

219 months

Wednesday 30th October 2019
quotequote all
1200 seems quite a lot, 50 a month.
You didn’t say which was cheaper.

What miles ?

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

53 months

Wednesday 30th October 2019
quotequote all
velocemitch said:
1200 seems quite a lot, 50 a month.
You didn’t say which was cheaper.

What miles ?
10k miles

Alfa is the cheaper one.

ikonic

403 posts

197 months

Wednesday 30th October 2019
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I picked up my Misano Blue on lease last month for £360 on a 3+23. 8k pa.

I’ve got a couple of extras though such as the paint and 19 inch wheels.

DRFC1879

3,437 posts

156 months

Friday 1st November 2019
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Day four of running my Misano Blue Veloce and I'm utterly in love with it (as it would appear are the would-be thieves who were scared off by the neighbours on Wednesday night!). And on the flip side I'm completely fed up of the amount of traffic I've encountered on every road this week. Not had chance to have a proper blast yet but on the few occasions I've had space to do so on country roads, overtaking has been a hoot!

Not going to write too much here as I'm toying with the the idea of doing a readers cars thread.

Got mine on a PCP from Beechdale Derby. Adrian and Russell were an absolute pleasure to deal with. I'm not sure I should openly disclose the deal but the only others who got close were Mangoletsi.