Guilia experiences wanted! (the cheaper cars)
Discussion
Greetings Alfa fans. BMW owner here starting to get a bit bored. I have a conundrum because I am a hybrid worker who does a 260 mile trip to the office each month in Wirral from Bournemouth area and so I do appreciate the motorway munching abilities of my humble 318d. But I can't lie, maybe its the runflats but I've had mixed feelings about the handling/ride and the N47 engine is not the quietest or smoothest. Anyway, I keep looking longingly at Alfa Guilias when I see them. As a young man I owned an Alfasud and its left me with a soft spot for the brand, even though I have never owned another Alfa.
I am wondering whether I could swap for a Guilia. Either the 2 litre diesel, or the 2 litre petrol model would seem to be the best bet for my use. So I am looking for feedback from any Guilia owners, especially any who made the move from a diesel BMW 3 series. I imagine there must be a few. A few questions
1. Can you get them without run flats. 2. Is the ride better than it is on the F30 3 series? 3. Good points, bad points, happy, or regrets?
Thankyou.
I am wondering whether I could swap for a Guilia. Either the 2 litre diesel, or the 2 litre petrol model would seem to be the best bet for my use. So I am looking for feedback from any Guilia owners, especially any who made the move from a diesel BMW 3 series. I imagine there must be a few. A few questions
1. Can you get them without run flats. 2. Is the ride better than it is on the F30 3 series? 3. Good points, bad points, happy, or regrets?
Thankyou.
Liking all the positive reviews. Is the Veloce the 200PS one or 280PS? I am not really an expert on Alfa engines. I know Auto Express said the basic 200PS petrol felt more like 240/250PS.
Does anyone know which models come with run flats as standard and which ones don't?
The important thing for me is that it entertains and feels like a RWD car should. My F30 has a nice balance, but for me seems understeer biased if you go into corners too quickly or take roundabouts just a tad too fast. The only time it feels remotely RWD is on cold roads where a bootfull of throttle can get a bit of slip at the back. Also, it falls to pieces on country lanes with any crests/compressions. Combination of the ride set up and the run flats. Its disappointed me to be honest as I was always led to believe the BMW 3 was best in class and I want something that can take apart a B road like you would hope a RWD sports saloon would. Sounds like the Guilia can do that sort of stuff ok.... thanks for the feedback all.
Does anyone know which models come with run flats as standard and which ones don't?
The important thing for me is that it entertains and feels like a RWD car should. My F30 has a nice balance, but for me seems understeer biased if you go into corners too quickly or take roundabouts just a tad too fast. The only time it feels remotely RWD is on cold roads where a bootfull of throttle can get a bit of slip at the back. Also, it falls to pieces on country lanes with any crests/compressions. Combination of the ride set up and the run flats. Its disappointed me to be honest as I was always led to believe the BMW 3 was best in class and I want something that can take apart a B road like you would hope a RWD sports saloon would. Sounds like the Guilia can do that sort of stuff ok.... thanks for the feedback all.
chopper602 said:
Had my Giulia close to 4 years and made a bit of a profit on it when I sold it about 18 months ago. Nothing went wrong really, faultless in almost 30k miles, but I do have a very good independent dealer very close to where I work, so was never a worry. Likes to have a decent charge on the battery, the Intelligent Battery Charging system isn't very intelligent. An overnight trickle every couple of months was enough to prevent any problems and I think that has been fixed now, as my wife's Stelvio Veloce has never needed this maintenance.
I changed the runflats to Michelin Pilot Sport 4 and they were superb (my wheels were staggered 18" too). Rear pads likely to need changing before the fronts due to all the stability control gubbins.
Would have one again, but I got my name on the GR86 list and just picked it up . . .
An Alfa Giulia AND then a GR86. You, sir, are a man of considerable taste!!I changed the runflats to Michelin Pilot Sport 4 and they were superb (my wheels were staggered 18" too). Rear pads likely to need changing before the fronts due to all the stability control gubbins.
Would have one again, but I got my name on the GR86 list and just picked it up . . .
Edited by greenarrow on Thursday 23 March 15:01
Donkey44 said:
What did you do OP? I've just started a thread in Car Buying considering one of these or an XE.
I've put any decision on hold until Feb 2024 when I turn 55 and have a few more financial options...Has anyone seen the Car magazine you tube video released today featuring the Veloce?? Highly complimentary. Basically says that 7 years on from launch it remains the best sports saloon to drive and own.....
ShortShift811 said:
I bought a 2020 Veloce Ti in April this year. Beautiful machine. Build quality difference between it and anything German is so small as to be imperceptible and the handling / steering set up is sublime. Some people bemoan the interior tech but as I use CarPlay I've never found that an issue. Expect a couple of Italian quirks - known battery issues in cold weather or if not driven and mine almost constantly has the 'low washer fluid' light on, even when full.
Easily the best looking car in its class and you still don't see too many on the road. My only wish would be for a better exhaust note out of the factory, but that can easily be resolved...
How bad are these battery issues? Is it just a case that in the cold weather it can go flat if not used for a few days, or worse than that? Might be an issue for me as I spend a week working away from home and staying in a Travelodge where there is no capacity to charge a battery and the car is sometimes not driven for 4-5 days....Easily the best looking car in its class and you still don't see too many on the road. My only wish would be for a better exhaust note out of the factory, but that can easily be resolved...
Also, I note the significant price differential between Super and Veloce. I really don't need the performance of the latter and coming from a 318d, the humble petrol Super would be more than adequate (not sure I want another diesel at this stage...) Is the Super a decent enough car? I mean, you can find them online for the mid teens price wise, whereas most Veloces are towards the £25k mark still....
velocemitch said:
once the Veloce came out and settled down, they were doing such good deals on them it was pointless buying a Super, so you won’t find many post 2017. Stuff like the Techno, must have hardly sold at all!
the earlier Super’s could be mapped to 280, but later ones had small mechanical differences, which meant they couldn’t be mapped. not sure when the change was, maybe 2018 ish.
Ah, I assume these were lease deals? Unfortunately the difference on the second hand market is substantial. The Veloce does appear to be the sweet spot in the range in many ways, its a shame they appear to be "above budget" at the moment. But for me the humble Super would be fine. A modest 197 BHP as standard is more than enough on our traffic choked, speed camera infested roads so I wouldn't bother remapping it if I went the Super route...the earlier Super’s could be mapped to 280, but later ones had small mechanical differences, which meant they couldn’t be mapped. not sure when the change was, maybe 2018 ish.
Have to say that these cars remain absolutely stunning. I have become more and more fed up with my BMW of late, I think its the awful ride quality that is the killer, plus that rattly 4 cyl diesel engine which just sucks the joy out of motoring on anything other than a motorway cruise. Removing the run flats would probably help, but the understeer biased handling means you don't feel the benefits of RWD as much as you should either. I believe the Alfa is much more RWD feeling which is what I am looking for....
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