I've had my car since Thursday, June 21st and have since put 800 miles on it, mostly from a 400 mile round trip up-north in my state, and I wanted to share my thoughts so far. Exterior This is simply the best looking car on the road you can get for less than $100k USD. Aggressive lines combine nicely with beautiful curves to create something truly unique on the road, and people notice. Car enthusiasts want to race you or watch you floor it, others ask what it is and who makes it, and almost everyone thinks it punches far above its cost grade. I took it up to a small town in northern Michigan and people who've probably never seen a car like this stared wide-eyed at it, sometimes taking multiple glances at it. I'll admit, sometimes it does become a bit much and I do get self-conscious about it. I can't even pick my nose without people staring anymore Interior The interior is very simple in its layout but still manages to have most of the latest tech. I did not opt for the $900 Ti Leather Package, but even still, the interior is nicer than anything I've previously ever been inside, and there are still soft-touch materials where it counts. The seats are incredibly comfortable, and I love the low-slung seating position that makes you feel like part of the road. The only downside I can think of is that the sun visors are very small, which means they're just about useless for blocking the sun, especially on the side windows. Infotainment/Instrument Cluster The system is a bit laggy, but still very usable. The lack of a touch-screen, instead using a dial with directional pushing, is actually preferable to me, as the lack of finger prints on the dash is admirable. I found the system quite intuitive to use, and everything is where you'd expect it to be menu-wise. My car is a 2018 model equipped with Android Auto/Apple CarPlay, but I was unable to get Android Auto to work properly. I will do some more testing to see where the issue resides. I do not have an Apple device so I can't comment on that feature. The central instrument cluster has all of the information you'd need in one screen, with the option to change the digital speedometer into a trip info screen or a g-meter, which I really like. One thing I'd like to see is a telemetry screen to show oil temp, coolant temp, transmission temp, etc as I find those pieces of information interesting. Stereo System I opted for the $900 Harman Kardon 12 speaker stereo, and it sounds really good despite mixed reviews. The max volume goes to 38, but it gets incredibly loud past volume 20. Volume 25 is loud enough to overpower wind noise from windows down at 70+ mph, and the frequency balance is respectable, though the low end is lacking a little bit. A better subwoofer should solve the problem easily. Acceleration and Handling This car is FAST! The transmission shifts insanely quickly, and in M mode, the paddle shifters respond instantly to your commands, so they are very fun to use. Peak torque at 2000rpm means even in high gear, it still has a lot of acceleration. I found myself only needing to shift from 8th to 7th to get respectable acceleration for passing. I only drive in D mode, and the throttle response is very quick. There is some noticeable lag while the turbo spools up, but that only adds to the experience. The steering is very solid and tight, yet very light, and it feels amazing. The 2.2 turns-to-lock ratio makes for effortless sharp turns, and merely nudges of the wheel to take light freeway bends. I have the optional LSD on my car, and it makes a world of difference especially in low-speed turns. Even with high acceleration, the rear-end hooks right up and, with the correct application of throttle, can even help guide the back of the car into a turn. I averaged a very respectable 0.88g average on tight turns according to the g-meter which is good for all-seasons. Fuel Economy This car sips fuel, which is great because it requires premium grade (91-93). Taking it easy, I was getting upwards of 35mpg, while even during spirited sessions, I was still getting 20mpg or so. Very respectable for a car of this caliber! Conclusion I now understand why this is 2018 MotorTrend's Car of the Year. If you get one, I highly highly recommend the LSD if you plan to do any sort of spirited driving.
I test drove the Ti with the MASSIVE paddle shifters(which i love), and loved it. SUPER quiet on one of our local freeways with lots of cracks (look up M-6 highway if you don't know what a bad freeway looks like) and I caught myself doing 100 when i thought I was doing 75. Amazing car.
I have put 1000 miles on the car with zero mechanical or electrical issues. So, yeah it's reliable. It's not like the Alfas of the 80s and 90s! The 2017MY Giulias had some electrical gremlins and software issues but the 2018MY (the one I have) are much better. Cheers --- Post updated --- LOL yeah it's a very smooth, yet stiff ride! I was doing a buck 40 on the upper-north Michigan freeways with little to no traffic and my friend in the back seat was napping and the friend in the front seat said it didn't feel all too fast
Nice looking car, but for performance driving on a car less than $100k, a Corvette C7 Z06 would be my personal choice. As for your car's economy... is it a turbo with relatively low displacement? That kind of config usually gets the results you're seeing out of it.
My aunt's Nissan Altima Hybrid can also have outrageous volume (though that varies on the song). Around 18-21, volume can get pretty loud and it starts screeching. Also, neat! It's nice to see car owners around these forums (or any other forums, let's be honest) so we can a honest idea of what the car is like and if it can be recommended.
Yeah I have personal experience of AR (and overall Italian) quality as well. We had a 147 with Selespeed and it had a chronic gearbox malfunction. Sometimes it just refused to move after stopping at a traffic light or alike. Then it had to be towed to the repair shop for a fix, so it could break again in a month. Also my father had a Thema V6 in the 90s. He loved it as it was powerful, beautiful and sounded great, but the engine blew up and he had to sell it. What engine do you have there? The fuel economy is impressive. Our new Audi A5 with a 2.0 TFSI Ultra (190 hp) gets only 24 (urban) while in Economy mode and being driven by a cautious female driver. We haven't tried yet, but I bet it would go all way down to 19-20 if put in Dynamic and driven aggressively.
I have the 2.0L i4 turbo, the 2.9L V6 TT gets about 17mpg city and 24-27 highway if driven very cautiously
True but most issues with the car for others have occured before the first 1000 miles Also this car has no specified break-in period! The engine is broken in at the factory I took it easy for the first 100 miles but it didn't take long to hit triple digit speeds lol
I have the service guide on screen. 1000 mikes of mixed but sub 4000 rpm driving with engine at temperature. It is not broken in from factory. --- Post updated --- It's also on page 104 of the handbook. And in the dealership letters --- Post updated --- Many dealers also advise oil change in 3000 miles
Heh, well I kind of followed it! The manual actually says to take it easy for the first 100 miles, then until 300 miles, you can go up to 5000rpm, then until 500 miles to drive the piss out of it (it even recommends using paddles to reach max rpm), and to not participate in track events until 1500 miles
Not on page 104 of manual it dont, or the service manual they give dealers. Isnt it great when these documents are public domain. Anyway, theres a reason magazines dont give reliability reports until 10000 miles or so
I'm referring to the 2018 user manual that came with my car: https://es.alfaromeousa.com/content...Giulia/2018-Alfa_Romeo-Giulia_Base-OM-2nd.pdf page 137
It clearly states not to drive the piss out of it, exercising your full rev range is not driving the piss out of it. It just wants you to shift late, you should still only be gently driving it for the first 1000 miles and should be changing the oil by 3000. Your engine is still tolerance get it's adjusters and eliminating machining burrs. It does not want to be stressed by a moron pushing it hard, it ones however need to be gently operated to high revs. It is not broken in from factory like you earlier claimed. The break in process also dirties the oil. Also aren't you only 14. Sounds more like this is your parents car
The break-in period is a recommendation, it's not like if it's not followed that the engine will blow up. Sure I should have followed it, and I did for the most part aside from some hard pulls here and there, but I don't think I'll have any long term effects. Also lol I'm 24 with a degree in computer science. This is my own car
