I've made a terrible mistake.
I think I may have been a little envious of my good friend Revo...
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I've made a terrible mistake.
I think I may have been a little envious of my good friend Revo...
Ooh, nice purchase!
You sad copycat!
I do love the tags, though. :cool:
Ohmahgawd.
Excellent! Congratulations!
[URL="http://wwwa.autotrader.ca/a/Alfa+Romeo/164/OAKVILLE/Ontario/19_6079378_/?showcpo=ShowCPO&orup=22_15_22"]http://wwwa.autotrader.ca/a/Alfa+Romeo/164/OAKVILLE/Ontario/19_6079378_/?showcpo=ShowCPO&orup=22_15_22[/URL]
If I buy that, will I be cool like you guys?
Thank you everyone for the congratulations.
I'm looking forward... to the first break down! :D
[quote=Kitdy;1008176][URL="http://wwwa.autotrader.ca/a/Alfa+Romeo/164/OAKVILLE/Ontario/19_6079378_/?showcpo=ShowCPO&orup=22_15_22"]http://wwwa.autotrader.ca/a/Alfa+Romeo/164/OAKVILLE/Ontario/19_6079378_/?showcpo=ShowCPO&orup=22_15_22[/URL]
If I buy that, will I be cool like you guys?[/quote]
Busso V6 certainly commands bonus points, but is that a 3 speed auto?
Well done Albert, and welcome to the (ever samller) army of masochistic car drivers who fight the reputation of Italian cars...We did away with our Stilo three years ago.;)
Nice! The anti-Golf perhaps?
Well it certainly was much (much) cheaper.
This has been in my pocket since tuesday.
[IMG]http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=404826&stc=1&d=1409935180[/IMG]
You poser!
[IMG]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/51690122/Photo%2005.09.14%2020%2030.34.jpg[/IMG]
it looks like the white paint is non-Revo resistent...
After four days with the car I feel compelled to start with the proceedings.
Two classic UCP tests coming up, then.
[B]Is it practical?[/B]
Well, being used to a 2 seater sportscar there's just about tons of space in any direction.
[B]Is it economical?[/B]
Yes, very. I've done 600km and I've used a bit over half the tank from the first fill up. Computer reckons I'm doing 5,9l/100km (40mpg US / 48mpg UK), but being Italian it could be anywhere between 3 and 10l/100km.
[B]Is it fun to drive?[/B]
Overall? Not really. However, considering the type of car it is, it isn't bad at all. There's a little bit of body roll, but steering is weighty and accurate (if not terribly informative) and there's even a whiff of lift-off oversteer.
It rides quite well too.
[B]Will it break down all the time?[/B]
Yes.
Although strangely, for the first 600km nothing has happened.
[B]Is it easy to park?[/B]
Visibility is good all round and the rear parking sensors allow you to park close to the car behind without crashing. Until they stop working, that is.
In fact it is the first time I park a car in which you can get really close using the parking sensors. In other cars when it beeps because you are about to twat into the other car's front bumper you are still miles away from it. High marks there, Alfa Romeo.
[B]What if I go to a Shopping Centre and get chased by baddies in a Corvette?[/B]
You'll have broken down long before you reach the Shopping Centre.
[B]Is it green?[/B]
No. It's white.
[B]Can I afford it?[/B]
Yes. Especially if you get it for 8 grand off list price.
Terrific value for money.
Until it breaks down, that is.
[B]What If I'm asked to take part in a beach assault with the Royal Marines?[/B]
I still haven't been able to start it up from the Shopping-Centre-Corvette break down.
Ferrer,
pardon me if I'm being too technical, but you still haven't told us any details.
Like the engine? Gearbox? Is it new or used? Trim level? Price?
And, perhaps most importantly, why?
Albert has bought a diesel and he can't stand that :D
[quote=henk4;1008292]Albert has bought a diesel and he can't stand that :D[/quote]
It's actually worse than that! ;)
Alfa Romeo Giulietta 2.0 JTDm TCT Distinctive to give it the full name.
It's got the top level 175bhp diesel engine and a dual clutch gearbox.
I got it for 23.400€ from an Alfa Romeo dealer who's had it brand new and registered from late July 2014. List price for the car is 31.715€.
Why? Well, I had already pushed all the buttons in the Mazda, the noisy cabin got tiresome and I could do it. Mix all that and what you get is a new car in the driveway.
I think I've covered everything. :D
Wait just a minute here.
In which position do you keep your DNA switch?
you can easily chip that to over 200...
[quote=Revo;1008295]Wait just a minute here.
In which position do you keep your DNA switch?[/quote]
For the moment N; I think I'd prefer D in terms of performance, but then the gearbox would keep the gears for too long when just cruising.
What do you recommend?
DNA stands for Do Not Adjust, I suppose?
Does not actuate, I guess...
[quote=Ferrer;1008297]For the moment N; I think I'd prefer D in terms of performance, but then the gearbox would keep the gears for too long when just cruising.
What do you recommend?[/quote]
I keep it in "N" nearly all the time.
When in "D", I tend to burn my clutch during take-off. Unlike Alfa´s throttle response, my muscle memory can´t be changed by the flick of a switch.
So "D" is strictly reserved for the country roads, if the mood is right.
I'll keep in N for the moment then. Performance is plentiful anyway.
Revisiting your thread I've just realised you engine cover looks much better than mine.
Also, I'm the third Alfa Romeo owner in our small community, am I not? I think that is more than most Alfa Romeo clubs can claim...
Yes, you are third.
I just love the fact that our Giulietta talk has totally scared other forum members away.:D
Indeed.
We only need MoS to join and we will be left alone... :D
BMW, Audi, Mazda, Alfa. Right? That's not so bad.
[quote=Kitdy;1008321]BMW, Audi, Mazda, Alfa. Right? That's not so bad.[/quote]
two Citroens and a Volvo dont'count for sure.
[quote=Kitdy;1008321]BMW, Audi, Mazda, Alfa. Right? That's not so bad.[/quote]
Don't forget the Cooper S.
[SIZE="1"](Damn I miss that car)[/SIZE]
Not an entirely bad car history, I admit. I can't complain.
[quote=Ferrer;1008326]Don't forget the Cooper S.
[SIZE="1"](Damn I miss that car)[/SIZE]
Not an entirely bad car history, I admit. I can't complain.[/quote]
Oh I thought Revo meant the current cars of the entire forum population....:)
[quote=henk4;1008327]Oh I thought Revo meant the current cars of the entire forum population....:)[/quote]
Hey, you've got twin turbo's! :cool:
I have to do with a lonely single one... ;)
Congrats!
Does this replace the Mazda or supplement it? This is a little blunt, but did you buy this car because of the discount or because of the badge (or because it was a car you actively desired)?
It does replace the Mazda. Unfortunately I can't afford two cars right now, but don't worry I'll be back in a sportscar eventually.
As for the reasons, well actually all came into play. The Giulietta has always been among my favourite C-Segment hatchbacks, the price and 175bhp engine were right, they valued my MX-5 at what I wanted for it (and far above what Mazda offered me) and top of all it's an Alfa Romeo.
After ten days with the car I can say I'm happy with the result. It's not perfect, but it does what I need/want and it does it well.
[quote=Ferrer;1008380]It does replace the Mazda. Unfortunately I can't afford two cars right now, but don't worry I'll be back in a sportscar eventually.
As for the reasons, well actually all came into play. The Giulietta has always been among my favourite C-Segment hatchbacks, the price and 175bhp engine were right, they valued my MX-5 at what I wanted for it (and far above what Mazda offered me) and top of all it's an Alfa Romeo.
After ten days with the car I can say I'm happy with the result. It's not perfect, but it does what I need/want and it does it well.[/quote]
Ah, that's unfortunate, but at least you're driving the cars you want!
Maybe you'll get a Toyota GT-86/Subaru BR-Z in addition to the Alfa to get the sports car fix?
Toyobaru would be indeed an option.
By the way, the local Alfa Romeo dealer is also the Toyota dealer and I've told the salesman that when they have a GT86 to test I want to have a go.
He told me they had a red one for registration and that once it had been registered he'd give me a call.
So you've had it for some time. How is it going? What do you think of the interior?
[quote=Ferrer;1008297]For the moment N; I think I'd prefer D in terms of performance, but then the gearbox would keep the gears for too long when just cruising.[/quote]
My most-recent rental car was a Clubman with their dual-clutch 'box. I drove it around in sport all the time because in normal mode the EPAS was so light that I felt like I was driving a '70s Cadillac: the cognitive dissonance was deafening. This meant that I had to engage sport mode, which brought along with it stupid shift points and, like you say, an unwillingness to drop it into 6th (top) gear when cruising. It is the only automatic car that I've shifted manually pretty much all the time. The low-speed issues I'd had with other twin-clutch transmissions weren't as bad, but downshifts were pretty poor.
It will be interesting to see what your impressions are after a few months behind the wheel. What are they now?
[quote=Ferrer;1008328]Hey, you've got twin turbo's! :cool:
I have to do with a lonely single one... ;)[/quote]
If I let the battery discharge a little bit, the alternator whine makes it sound like I have a turbo...
Well I've now had it for about 4 months and 7500km.
First things first. I did make a mistake choosing an automatic; this further reinforces my belief that Italians can't fathom automatics. Speed and smoothness aren't bad (although not top of the class) but the worst is the shifting logic of the gearbox. Even in normal mode it takes far too much time to upshift and if for any reason you've got to touch the brakes it downshifts one or two gears. This is very annoying and the result is that you end up manually shifting yourself much more often than it would be normal. On the upside though it seems to have less low speed jerkiness than other dual clutch gearboxes I've driven.
The engine is smooth and silent, for a diesel. Performance is much improved from my last car, but I'm not sure all the 175 brake horse powers are really there. In any case speed is plentiful for any normal driving. In terms of fuel consumption, again quite good (and much improved from the Mazda) but you are losing around half litre every 100km from the leaders.
In terms of handling, well you've got to remember you drive a front wheel drive family hatchback. With that in mind it is not really in its element in the tightest mountain roads as it is not the most agile car in the class, however if the road opens up things improve considerably. In the fast sweepers the Alfa Romeo flows from corner to corner very naturally giving the impression of stability and poise in those circumstances. Also important is the ride which is very good, very comfortable; although it could do with a little bit more sound deadening: tyre noise is very present except when the road surface is perfect.
By the way, I personally wouldn't bother with Dynamic mode. It weights up the the steering in a really artificial way; in normal mode it's not the most communicative steering ever but at least it's quite accurate. And also there's another problem, in vigorous driving if you brake hard and the car's brains thinks you are going to have a massive accident (even if you are not) it triggers the warning lights. There's no need for the ABS to actuate, and does it rather often and it is annoying.
Finally the interior is a nice place to be, if not quite up to premium standards. Especially where you don't look or put your hand often there are hard plastics. In terms of space, well I'm coming from a two seater so it's vast.
In conclusion, if you avoid the automatic is quite a decent car to have. It will not set your pants on fire, but it is a decent cruiser which can do the odd corner or two if we are not talking of the Stelvio pass. It looks good and it is spacious. And it is terrific value for money. And top of all it's an Alfa Romeo. In the right spec I would recommend it; and more importantly it is the type of car I needed now: I have now doubt I'll be back in something with a petrol engine, sporty, noisy and uncomfortable but for now the Giulietta fits my needs perfectly.
[quote=Ferrer;1010609] In the fast sweepers the Alfa Romeo flows from corner to corner very naturally giving the impression of stability and poise in those circumstances.[/quote]
This is exactly how I would describe Giulietta's handling on slippery winter road conditions - very natural and very sure footed.
In fact, the biggest surprise of my Giulietta experience is how good it works as a winter car. Not only does it handle well, it also warms up quickly. When starting from cold, max defrost function will start blowing warmish air almost immediately, which greatly helps when scraping ice from windscreen.
Who would have thought of that - Alfa as a proper winter beater?