[dgoldenz]

Test drove the Stelvio QV yesterday, that car was a beast for an SUV. Interior surprisingly nice, would be better if the entire front was leather instead of just the upper dash and a few panels. I'd buy it.

[irishbimmer]

would like to hear about the 500HP model if anyone has the car...

[cmyE93M3]

Family member has one, we traded cars for a few days as he kept bragging how awesome it was. He took my E90 M3, his Giulia is an '18 model year. I have to admit, the tech in the car is pretty good, comfortable to drive, rather different because there are not many of them on the road as of yet so it has a unique factor. When we swapped back, he did say he loved the power on the M3, the exhaust note, but felt the car was "old". He is right compared to his.

Given the choice, I would keep my M3 over it though, like others have commented, I look at that car like I do a Maserati, unless it is leased, in time I would be "car broke" with maintenance which I believe would be much worse than an M3. At least with our cars popularity, parts are readily available and often reasonable considering the options. These cars (Giulia) would never sell like an M3, making 3 to 5 years out an expensive proposition as parts will be dealer source in my opinion.

No hate for those who like them, I just prefer a more mainstream vehicle like our M3 for performance.

[zx10guy]

Seems par for the course for Italian vehicles. While it's not a car, I have a Ducati. If the maintenance scares you with the Alfa, having a Ducati would terrify you. I just had the 15,000 mile service done on my 848 and it cost me around $1500. And because Ducati doesn't have a full up parts warehouse here, unless a dealer happens to have the part in their inventory, the part has to be shipped over by boat.

And there are various quirks of owning an Italian designed vehicle. My 848 developed a condensation issue within the headlight assembly. The fix from Ducati was to have my dealer drill small holes in the rear cover/cap. And then there's the infamous plastic fuel tank debacle.

[Darth One]

Du never came back after making his two posts in this thread, and just registered very recently. Looks like this is the forum equivalent of a seagull shitting on a rock and flying away

[Germanauto]

Originally Posted by Darth One

Du never came back after making his two posts in this thread, and just registered very recently. Looks like this is the forum equivalent of a seagull shitting on a rock and flying away

Loll somebody's angry.

[Darth One]

Originally Posted by Germanauto

Loll somebody's angry.

I wanted an answer to my brake by wire question!

(I asked it in another thread and got an answer)

[notquiteanewbie]

I'm a former owner of a 2017 Giulia TI AWD w/Performance Pack. I put 10,000 miles on the car and 2 track days.

I also had a tune on it, along with intake and exhaust. Estimated crank figures were 360 hp, 390 tq.

AWD is 100% rear wheel drive until slip is detected which can shuffled up to 50% to the front.

I recently got an M3 but I can certainly help answer any questions.

The Brake By Wire is absolutely not difficult to modulate. I was actually quite disappointed by Matt's review. Yes, it's a little different at first, but after about 100 miles or so I was pretty used to it.

Also to answer the question with regard to the interior, infotainment wise yes the BMW is superior. The Alfa gives you the essentials.

With regard to materials / quality you can spec a non QV very similarly with full leather dash and the same sport seats as a base model QV. Only the colors are different..

[tbonanno]

I had a 2011 335 with sports package, staggered wheels, etc. Loved that car. Replaced it with the 435 Grand Coupe with full M-Sport package including suspension and exhaust. Loved that car even more than the 335. Was working with BMW dealer to replace the 435 when I heard about Alfa being back in the US. Drove a Giulia and immediately canceled my BMW plans. As much as I liked my BMW's, I really am amazed at the Giulia. Can't stop driving it.. want to drive it everyday.. It is incredibly fun and exciting to drive. And it is just the 4 cyl 2.0. Admittedly, have less than 5000 miles on it, but NO problems or issues at all. My Giulia is a 2018 Ti Sport AWD with Sport Performance package (LSD, 19" wheels, adaptive suspension, etc.). Vesuvio Grey with Red leather. Body panels and hood are aluminum, car is relatively light which contributes to the performance and "nimble" handling. Of course I leased it (just in case). The only downside is the exhaust note is relatively tame, but at least it's not piped through the speakers.

[NoGuru]

I just drove a Guila about 30 minutes ago. Few things I liked and few I did not.
Overall quality of the build and materials, great.
Handling was great. Get up was a little slow but my 335is with DCT if FBO, Tuned with Flex Fuel.
I did not like the feel of the transmission. It was quick to shift but seems like the shift points are off.
Brakes felt fine to me.
"Infotainment" was nice.
But for the price I think I might opt for something else. I only drove it for about 30 minutes so that is not a lot of time to give an assessment but I just wanted to share my impression.

[Tyresian]

Originally Posted by NoGuru

I just drove a Guila about 30 minutes ago. Few things I liked and few I did not.
Overall quality of the build and materials, great.
Handling was great. Get up was a little slow but my 335is with DCT if FBO, Tuned with Flex Fuel.
I did not like the feel of the transmission. It was quick to shift but seems like the shift points are off.
Brakes felt fine to me.
"Infotainment" was nice.
But for the price I think I might opt for something else. I only drove it for about 30 minutes so that is not a lot of time to give an assessment but I just wanted to share my impression.

I think for the price it actually offers a lot, minus the reliability and repair time risk. Also there are deals to be had, I see you're in MI. I'm in WI and was even debating driving to OH as the dealers there have had a lot of deals since March. (They were offering 6k off any new 2018 Giulias and there was a week they offered 8k off trying to meet a sales goal, just checked and they have $7k off 2018s and they ship nationwide)

Also on the Giulia, the Ti Performance Package with the LSD is a MUST, it was so awesome even though I drove the AWD version which I believe isn't a true LSD but instead torque vectoring. Either way, it was a blast to drive.

I think your point on the transmission is valid, also the car felt like it ran a little rough, and this is a bit of a problem with direct injected turbo fours but my 230 isn't nearly as unrefined. But I guess it can feel "sporty" if that's what you're looking for. It wasn't bad, just was something I noticed.

[gokcer]

After owning 4 BMWs, Now that I switched to Alfa, I have to admit RWD Alfa Giulia Sports puts a smile on my face everytime I drive it. It may not be as fast as 335 but it is heck alot more exciting and fun to drive. Feels like Proper sports car like BMW used to be. New BMWs just dont feel like it anymore.

[Never_Enough]

Originally Posted by gokcer

After owning 4 BMWs, Now that I switched to Alfa, I have to admit RWD Alfa Giulia Sports puts a smile on my face everytime I drive it. It may not be as fast as 335 but it is heck alot more exciting and fun to drive. Feels like Proper sports car like BMW used to be. New BMWs just dont feel like it anymore.

Since I doubt you tracked it, how does it compare on paper to the BMW M cars or current 435i in handling then?

[tbonanno]

Originally Posted by Never_Enough

Since I doubt you tracked it, how does it compare on paper to the BMW M cars or current 435i in handling then?

I can tell you my Giulia ti Sport AWD with the adaptive suspension and LSD, etc. is definitely a better handling machine than my 2015 435ix M-Sport Grand Coupe with M-Sport dynamic handling package. As good as that BMW was, the Alfa just seems to have something special. I couldn't believe how well it handles ... feels like you are driving a race car glued to the road (although admittedly, I've never driven a race car)..

[The Automotive Enthusiast]

I've seen two Qudrafolio's now locally. Love them. Residual and Money Factor suck though. So, until those improve, I don't think you'll see many on the road. The wealthy like to lease.

[prompt]

What about reliability?

Any issues so far?

[tbonanno]

Originally Posted by prompt

What about reliability?

Any issues so far?

The 2017's had some teething issues, mostly software related. 2018's have been very good and problem free. Most 2017's have been updated and they are fine now. A lot of happy owners (including me). The whole Alfa "reliability" stuff was based mostly a bunch of re-badged Fiats, etc. years ago. The earlier Alfas and these new one's are as good as their competition. FCA spent over a billion building this new platform from scratch. Of course time will tell for sure.

[Darth One]

Agreed. I'm gonna give them five years and I'll most likely be a customer if they hold up. The cars just seem so good not to be given a chance.

On the other hand, Alfa has lived through almost a century of hilariously bad quality. So hopefully that billion was well spent.

[Never_Enough]

I was at an Alfa dealer this morning & looked like mostly 500s & 124s in the service bays

[notquiteanewbie]

If I'm being fair one of the reasons why I ended up selling my Giulia TI and getting the M3 is because of the dealership experience. It's a bit varied in some cases can be a pain to get to depending on your location.

There's a big difference between an Alfa / Maserati dealership, and an Alfa / Fiat / Chrysler / Dodge / Jeep dealership.

As others have mentioned the quality / reliability has been pretty good thus far, so if Alfa can continue to improve the dealership / service experience, I would absolutely consider them again.

[mremg]

One of my friends is leasing a Giulia RWD and I drove it a few times. Really great steering, very balanced and handles great. But, I could never get used to the brakes. They never really felt right. The engine makes a lot of power but nothing really special.

Overall, a great drivers car but I wouldn't say it's better than everything out there. I kinda felt like they should've launched a slightly smaller coupe with a 6MT along with the sedan.

[Never_Enough]

Originally Posted by notquiteanewbie

If I'm being fair one of the reasons why I ended up selling my Giulia TI and getting the M3 is because of the dealership experience. It's a bit varied in some cases can be a pain to get to depending on your location.

There's a big difference between an Alfa / Maserati dealership, and an Alfa / Fiat / Chrysler / Dodge / Jeep dealership.

As others have mentioned the quality / reliability has been pretty good thus far, so if Alfa can continue to improve the dealership / service experience, I would absolutely consider them again.

Service dept at the Alfa dealer I was at was like a low rent Pep Boys location.