But of course it's only a good choice if you really don't want the Jag...
Certainly, it's got the individuality which someone who's spent years drifting between the German premium brands might be looking for, that is, if they can't be persuaded by the Jaguar XE first...
...certainly, the Alfa Romeo is more fun to drive quickly than its BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz counterparts, even if the Jaguar XE has the ultimate dynamic edge...
I test drove the XE and while it was good, the suspension is not as good as my Giulia and the engine note of the petrol, the throttle response and the overall layout, completeness and desirability is a lot better with the Giulia. The Petrol 200bhp XE sounded bland and agricultural and whilst quick was not exciting at all (after all it has the Mondeo engine still, whilst awaiting their new Ingenium petrol engines).
Last night my friend'd brand new XE 'R' sport was parked next to mine and hardly anyone looked at that, as all eyes were on the Giulia.:rotate: , we compared both cars side by side and the differences were:
Looks: Front end of both the Giulia and XE look good (while it is subjective), rear end of XE looks rushed and incomplete, and the Giulia looks a bit BMW'esque unless you have the right colour and wheels.
Leg room: I am 5ft10, and had about 6 inches in front of my knees while sitting in the rear with my usual driving position, in the XE I had about 3".
Boot: Noticeably smaller on the XE.
Interior: Others (BMW/Audi/Merc owners) agreed that the Giulia was better organised and looked more "classy" and "sporty"
Overall, everyone liked the Giulia better! much to the dismay of my XE owner friend :cheeky: which I did NOT expect!!
Oh by the way, another friend who owns a diesel XE 6 months old, has just gone in for a complete engine replacement plus ECU, as everything just went dead one day, no ignition, electronics or engine cranking. The car was completely dead electrically and mechanically!
Oh by the way, another friend who owns a diesel XE 6 months old, has just gone in for a complete engine replacement plus ECU, as everything just went dead one day, no ignition, electronics or engine cranking. The car was completely dead electrically and mechanically!
"There are quibbles, though. The interior is nicely appointed and well equipped, but there are cheap-feeling plastics and buttons to be found, particularly around the lower edges of the console. And the new infotainment system (hidden behind a satin black panel) can de decidedly dim-witted. Rear access, too, is hindered by the car's sloping roofline, but in fairness, once you're seated, there's enough room for adults in the front and back. Plus, when at motorway speeds, a reasonable amount of wind and road noise finds its way into the cabin."
I do not recognise this in my Giulia, what were they driving? Or, more likely, scratching around because there HAS to be something negative?
They will always find some way to go: "If you really push your fingers hard into the air vents, you will find that the plastic piping on the inside is not covered in fine silk as it should be. Next, run your hand over the bottom part of the door card, an area you'd think you'd never have to touch, but don't worry, we've touched it for you! You will be disappointed in the fact that it's covered in plastic instead of the purest rhodium. Finally, after bashing your head repeatedly into the centre console, both your head and the console will be a bloody mess, which doesn't bode well for long-term durability and usability. You are better off with a German car."
You're lying about that BMW, you are! How dare you!!! You just don't have the discerning toes to feel the softness of the plastic on the BMW door cards! Car magazine journalists, though years of experience and lots of complementary hotel slipper wearing at such locations as Wolfsburg, Munich, Stuttgart, Ingolstadt and Affalterbach, have developed super-sensitive toes that can detect such things. You're just a philistine.
In seriousness, I've wondered that about the door card complaints too. You want hard plastic down low, as it gets scuffed fairly often.
Agree. I am very careful with getting in and out and always wary of scuffing the doorsill or the door bottom trim to the point I have trained my 6 year old boy the gymnastic trick to leap into his seat in one nimble move without stepping on the doorsill or using the glovebox as a footrest (honestly, jokes apart!) , and I still managed to get a couple of shoe scuff marks on the bottom end of the drivers door which I promptly wiped clean of course!
what's been so very encouraging about these Giulia reviews is they say the cars are fun. Alfas haven't always won these comparison tests, but they have always been noted for their verve, excitement, tuneful, responsive engines and playful handling - it warms my heart so much more to hear that the Giulia appears to have these old skool Alfa qualities back again, never mind what else is said about the sat-nav or a few switches. The achievement here is Alfa has come back with a highly competent car that also appears to be charming one, too - and that's worth a lot more than something insignificant like the quality of the lower dash plastics
I'm going to be argumentative and agree with most of the points in bold. Dim witted is a great description for the connect system, it's OK but a bit stupid. I'm used the Audi MMI and that's better by almost every measure. The plastics aren't as good as some either, virtually every reviewer has commented and they are right. They are more Skoda than Audi, but there's nothing wrong with Skoda plastics. I'm only referring to the switch gear, not what this reviewer is talking about so I'm contradicting myself a tad. The motorway wind noise is variable for me, I get some fairly bad whistling at certain speeds but at others it's whisper quiet.
None of these things impact the ownership experience or enjoyment I get from the car, but they are largely accurate in my opinion.
Thing is, even though they may be right, you can be sure basically all German cars in the same price bracket have similar smallish issues with some things, but would those be mentioned in reviews?
I frequent a car game forum, one of the members there had a Test drive in a QF today and this was his response
"True. But ****** me sideways the giulia is good..... I mean mind blowing good. Sounds awesome, has just enough turbo lag to give a hard push and let you know its a turbo, fit and finish was good, 8sp auto was ok, interior is heads and shoulders better than the Porsche, 500hp from the 2.9 v6 feels almost too much but its the right kind of power....she snarls and spits and pushes you to rev higher and higher. Its a proper drivers car......hands down best four door i have ever driven....and will be my first v6 my first turbo car and my first italian car"
Watched this earlier. Was struck by the identical 503bhp in the new M3, the weight of the thing and the decidedly 'Montreal' looking green paint job on the BMW - Alfa might've paid extreme attention to the old 3 Series when designing the Giulia, but the reverse is definitely true for the M3 & QF this time round, which speaks to the success of the Giulia, even if that hasn't ultimately translated into huge sales.
The fact that both reviewers said they'd take the money and go straight to the Alfa dealer speaks volumes after four years on sale and against the 'benchmark' in the class, I reckon 👌
all show and poor functionality that interior.
Climate controls are woeful. Tiny little buttons that I could hit with my chipolatas. Have a degree at a time I think - click, click, click. But autocar says - yay it’s a physical control.
for a company that is confident in its chosen design direction (what is it? Trumpism? polarise the opinion so those who are with you are with you no matter what - front wheel drive, 4cyl, 2tons) they seem to be spending an awful lot to promote the rat’s teeth look. I think 5 or 6 articles on autocar alone yesterday included new m3/4 and a few extra on the hood ones from the old days - don’t remember last time that happened. They must be really worried.
With license plate it’s worse still.
1.7t without even before 4wd - the usual Porsche excuse - hides the weight well. It will probably be porkier than Stelvio with 4wd.
Continuing downhill - should have stopped at e92.
Good luck to them though - trying new things.
That BMW look coincided with a VW group designer running Design (Skoda) . He’s returned to VW now and their latest Skoda has a BMW look to it!
incestuous or what?
Mmm...Nice grille... Almost as hideous as the new BMWs..
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