Which car would you take to Stelvio ?
Discussion
Hi,
I need to draw on the collective PH brain to settle this once and for all.
I'm currently holidaying in Italy with a group of friends, and three of us took a fantastic Alpine roadtrip with an Alfa GTA, a BMW 135 Coupe (DCT) and a Mk1 MX5. It was an epic journey - the first davos / stelvio trip for all three of us and we found some fantastic empty roads just off the commonly used routes.
Now (after several glasses of wine) conversation has turned to the three cars. Specifically, which would we choose to take if offered all three sets of keys.
So - I put it to you, the Piston Heads collective - what would be your weapon of choice?
I'll start things off - I was in the 135, but I'd go for the MX5 if all three were on offer - it consistently punched above it's weight, had no electronic trickery and clearly offered the purest driving experience. It also brought the enjoyment of driving on the limit down to a sensible road speed. (it was also impressively handy on the twisty sections too...)
A couple of other observations from our journey:
1) The DCT 1 series pops beautifully when you flick up through the gears - it really is addictive.
2) The 156 GTA (with Q2 diff) pulls *amazingly* out of hairpins and gets attention everywhere it goes in Italy
3) Contintental Europe has some fantastic roads.
So - over to you. 135, GTA or MX5? The choice is yours...
I need to draw on the collective PH brain to settle this once and for all.
I'm currently holidaying in Italy with a group of friends, and three of us took a fantastic Alpine roadtrip with an Alfa GTA, a BMW 135 Coupe (DCT) and a Mk1 MX5. It was an epic journey - the first davos / stelvio trip for all three of us and we found some fantastic empty roads just off the commonly used routes.
Now (after several glasses of wine) conversation has turned to the three cars. Specifically, which would we choose to take if offered all three sets of keys.
So - I put it to you, the Piston Heads collective - what would be your weapon of choice?
I'll start things off - I was in the 135, but I'd go for the MX5 if all three were on offer - it consistently punched above it's weight, had no electronic trickery and clearly offered the purest driving experience. It also brought the enjoyment of driving on the limit down to a sensible road speed. (it was also impressively handy on the twisty sections too...)
A couple of other observations from our journey:
1) The DCT 1 series pops beautifully when you flick up through the gears - it really is addictive.
2) The 156 GTA (with Q2 diff) pulls *amazingly* out of hairpins and gets attention everywhere it goes in Italy
3) Contintental Europe has some fantastic roads.
So - over to you. 135, GTA or MX5? The choice is yours...
Edited by MattGTA on Thursday 8th July 22:13
I would say that you need absolute agility for Stelvio, therefore the MX5 would probably be my choice for that particular pass, as speed isn't really that necessary.
However on the whole and considering there is all the driving to/from, the GTA would probably be my preferred choice, as you won't feel short changed on the motorways and I love the pointyness of the 156.
However on the whole and considering there is all the driving to/from, the GTA would probably be my preferred choice, as you won't feel short changed on the motorways and I love the pointyness of the 156.
pilchardthecat said:
OnTheOverrun said:
MX5 for me - Alfa is wrong wheel drive for Stelvio and the 135 is quick but a bit remote IMHO.
This is it in a nutshell
You mentioned the noise the 135i makes when flicking up the gears. Do you mean downshifts, meaning that it has an automatic rev match?
Must have been a great trip- and what a great convoy too
i'll go against the grain- i'll say the beemer
had an epic road trip last year that took in many of the passes- we were in quite a nimble fwd car, but i always felt wanting for a little more torque at times.
roof down through the twistys though- bet that mx5 would be fun....
and i bet through the tunnels, that alfa must have sounded brilliant!
i'll go against the grain- i'll say the beemer
had an epic road trip last year that took in many of the passes- we were in quite a nimble fwd car, but i always felt wanting for a little more torque at times.
roof down through the twistys though- bet that mx5 would be fun....
and i bet through the tunnels, that alfa must have sounded brilliant!
Mafioso said:
You mentioned the noise the 135i makes when flicking up the gears. Do you mean downshifts, meaning that it has an automatic rev match?
It does rev match on downshift (also a cool noise) but it's the 'blip' during upchange I was talking about (with plently of loud pedal). almost like:"accelerate;accelerate;accelerate" where each ';' is a very short break in the power delivery.
MattGTA said:
Mafioso said:
You mentioned the noise the 135i makes when flicking up the gears. Do you mean downshifts, meaning that it has an automatic rev match?
It does rev match on downshift (also a cool noise) but it's the 'blip' during upchange I was talking about (with plently of loud pedal). almost like:"accelerate;accelerate;accelerate" where each ';' is a very short break in the power delivery.
MX5 - top down so you can see back up and around the roads above the hairpin you are roaring (do MX5s roar?) up to. Also good for looking around the fantastic scenary.
Been up (and down) Stelvio and plenty of other Alpine passes in a Caterham - great fun. (Even towed a Caterham 21 up and over a rather high pass with the 7 after the 21 had a bit of an miss the hairpin completely and miraculously stop 30m down the right way up!).
Bri
Been up (and down) Stelvio and plenty of other Alpine passes in a Caterham - great fun. (Even towed a Caterham 21 up and over a rather high pass with the 7 after the 21 had a bit of an miss the hairpin completely and miraculously stop 30m down the right way up!).
Bri
Fordo said:
Must have been a great trip- and what a great convoy too
and i bet through the tunnels, that alfa must have sounded brilliant!
It certainly did, especially between 6&7k when the induction roar comes into play as well and i bet through the tunnels, that alfa must have sounded brilliant!
. I have to say I've been immensly impressed by the Alfa's all-round abilities on this trip: it's an extremely competant cruiser on the motorways (returning surprisingly impressive MPGs), gives extraordinary drive and stability through the twisties (in no small part thanks to the Q2 diff and uprated suspension and ARBs) and then makes all the Italians smile!
Before this trip I probably would have agreed with those of you who say it's the wrong wheel drive for switchbacks, but you should honestly try it - it's a laugh and the Alfa just had the legs on the 135 despite its power deficit...
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