Discussion
Good Evening everyone.
Just a quick note to introduce myself, and share my delight at having taken delivery of my first Alfa Romeo on Monday.
First impressions: It is the best looking car I have ever had particularly from the rear, and in a work car park full of Golfs and Beemers she stands out a mile. The interior is terrific, and the the overall sense of quality is far better than the magazines led me to believe.
Out on the road the Alfa is no faster than the BMW120D that I used to have, but interestingly it really does not seem any slower, which is surprising given that it gives away 30-odd horsepower. Driving in 'Normal' makes the engine feel breathless, so the DNA switch/gimmick has been flicked to 'Dynamic' whenever I get in. The ride is good given the size of the wheels and it turns in keenly with a pleasing weight to the steering, and stays nice and flat through bends so mechanical grip is pretty high.
It is a diesel - I know, I know - but that is the company policy; If I could have had petrol I would! But I think that it is the kind of take on a hatchback that only Alfa would or could do, and for that I am so pleased to have it.
Here's a couple of pics - apologies for the quality but my camera battery is flat so I used my phone. There is also two days of London's finest road grime all over it so the paint is not as bright as it could be. When I clean it I will get some better shots, should anyone be interested.
Just a quick note to introduce myself, and share my delight at having taken delivery of my first Alfa Romeo on Monday.
First impressions: It is the best looking car I have ever had particularly from the rear, and in a work car park full of Golfs and Beemers she stands out a mile. The interior is terrific, and the the overall sense of quality is far better than the magazines led me to believe.
Out on the road the Alfa is no faster than the BMW120D that I used to have, but interestingly it really does not seem any slower, which is surprising given that it gives away 30-odd horsepower. Driving in 'Normal' makes the engine feel breathless, so the DNA switch/gimmick has been flicked to 'Dynamic' whenever I get in. The ride is good given the size of the wheels and it turns in keenly with a pleasing weight to the steering, and stays nice and flat through bends so mechanical grip is pretty high.
It is a diesel - I know, I know - but that is the company policy; If I could have had petrol I would! But I think that it is the kind of take on a hatchback that only Alfa would or could do, and for that I am so pleased to have it.
Here's a couple of pics - apologies for the quality but my camera battery is flat so I used my phone. There is also two days of London's finest road grime all over it so the paint is not as bright as it could be. When I clean it I will get some better shots, should anyone be interested.
Edited by TheBigUnit on Thursday 9th June 06:21
Edited by TheBigUnit on Thursday 9th June 06:27
Interesting, I'm picking mine up tomorrow, 140JTDm Veloce in White, having just moved out of a 120D coupe (Actualy I've been running a 320D for a few weeks) so I'm looking forward to seeing the difference between the Beemer and the Alfa.
It's not my first though, it's more of a 'home coming'
I suspect I will be using Dynamic most of the time, but perhaps not for the first couple of thousand miles. I understand these engines loosen up quite a bit and I also heard that Alfa run a map which changes after a thousand miles or so to release the full power, it being restricted at first to protect it a bit during the bedding in period. This might be a load of balls but.......
It's not my first though, it's more of a 'home coming'
I suspect I will be using Dynamic most of the time, but perhaps not for the first couple of thousand miles. I understand these engines loosen up quite a bit and I also heard that Alfa run a map which changes after a thousand miles or so to release the full power, it being restricted at first to protect it a bit during the bedding in period. This might be a load of balls but.......
! But does it show up as a fault code come servicing time?TheBigUnit said:
To be honest I have been nursing it a bit - no full throttle and nothing over 3000 rpm, but it feels so much stronger and the throttle so deliciously responsive, that I think you will struggle to keep it in 'Normal'!
I noticed on the test drive that throttle response (In D) is the biggest difference between the Alfa and the BMW (Mind you if you want proper throttle response you should try my 2000GTV!!).I've Got mine now and just done 80 mile or so, all in N, I'm keeping it that way for a while yet though, just to let everything bed in. Mind you I think it is OK to let the revs go up now and again, there is a school of thought which says you shouldn't let them rev at a constant pace for too long better to keep varying it, given that there isn't much of a rev range on a Diesel I think it's reasonable to take it up to about 4k for a few moments.
It certainly feels like a very composed piece of kit so far.
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