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Post by Mark on Mar 26, 2018 15:19:02 GMT
Thanks for all of the positive comments guys.
I’m still really pleased with the car. I have had a lot of comments from people who know me that are slightly perplexed that I have chosen an Alfa Romeo with my previous car history. I loved my E92 (my 4th BMW) and really like BMW’s (and most German cars) in general, but this thing really did drive better than anything else I went to look at. With decent discounts & funding options being available, it didn’t feel like such a risk either. A 435d was high up on the list as the x-drive was an attraction, but I wanted to get a petrol in the end which then of course threw up the 440i. I decided against the 4 coupe in the end as it feels far too similar to the E92 inside & on the road (that’s not necessarily a bad thing, but I wanted a change), and I also believe it will be replaced in the next 12 months and would rather not have the last of the line.
The Veloce has a brilliant engine. This is the 280bhp 4 cylinder unit with the ZF 8 speed gearbox and apart from the low 5.5k rpm redline, you would never really believe a 4 pot could be so much fun (I’ve also read that the 280bhp is a conservative figure and certain cars have been dyno’d and found to be giving out over 300bhp). It even makes a lovely burbling noise when you step off and are going up through the gears – a friend at the weekend asked if it was a V6… The car does relaxed, comfortable cruiser but can then transform into a bit of a beast when switched into Dynamic mode with the gearbox in Manual setting firing up through the gears with the lovely alloy paddles. It also blips the throttle on downshifts. This coupled with some of the best steering I have experienced on a road car means the whole thing makes me chuckle at times.
Not so good bits so far:
There’s a lot of front tyre skip when the steering is at/or near full lock in car parks etc.
The alarm beeps when the car is locked/unlocked (very 80’s…)
The PDC isn’t very progressive – you’re either next to something or your not!
The nearside door mirror doesn’t automatically dip in reverse.
I’m being extremely picky on the above and they are very first world problems, I know!
Nothing has fallen off yet.
I’ll get some more photo’s up when I get the chance – the Alfa Red is much deeper than it appears on the photographs I posted originally.
Alf - the rear seat do fold on the Veloce.
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Post by Tim on Mar 26, 2018 15:57:36 GMT
Sounds like a real treat.
Your issues - minor as they are - are very similar to the ones I've had with my brother in law's 2009 vintage Alfa GT.
I think you can turn the alarm off in the menu, either that or your friendly Alfa dealer will do it for you (!)
The PDS is exactly the same and has come as a shock when compared with those on the 320 and 370. I've nearly reversed the Alfa into my garage door a couple of times but have learned to reverse a bit slower.
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Post by Alex on Mar 26, 2018 18:34:07 GMT
I borrowed a colleagues Guilietta at the weekend and admit I found the parking sensors a lot less intuitive than my Golf’s and the alarm beep was a surprise too, I thought cars only did that on tv. If that’s all you can find fault with then that’s pretty good going.
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Post by Roadsterstu on Mar 27, 2018 7:17:13 GMT
Its rather daft that Alfa think that anyone who wants an Estate Giulia will happily buy a Stelvio instead. A QF Sportwagon would have me camping outside the dealer to sign up. +1 to that. Good choice, Mark. Looks great. Enjoy! |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2018 7:25:04 GMT
Autocar's long term report suggests that the tyre skip can be helped (without disadvantage) greatly by switching to Michelin Pilot Sport 4s. That'll probably be a way off, unless tyre wear is like the Quadrifoglio!
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Post by johnc on Mar 27, 2018 7:30:54 GMT
Autocar's long term report suggests that the tyre skip can be helped (without disadvantage) greatly by switching to Michelin Pilot Sport 4s. That'll probably be a way off, unless tyre wear is like the Quadrifoglio! I have been doing a lot of reading on traction issues with the likes of the C63 and M4 and it keeps getting mentioned that the PS4 is a significant improvement on all these cars - I hope it lasts well! |
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Post by Mark on Mar 27, 2018 8:12:27 GMT
The car came from the factory with Goodyear Eagle F1 run-flat’s – staggered setup with 225/45/18 fronts & 255/40/18 rears and they are best run-flat tyres I have experienced. The car’s ride in general is very, very good – I suppose most things ride like a magic carpet coming from a BMW with 19” run-flats, but we also have a Volvo V40 D4 R-Design (on non run-flat Michelin’s) and the Alfa also knocks spots off that in terms of ride. Thanks, I will bear the Pilot Sport 4’s in mind when it comes to replacement time.
Apparently, Alfa Romeo dealers are refusing to code out the alarm beep because it would void the alarm & immobiliser system’s UK Thatcham classification because it is configured with the beep which could in turn be a big insurance problem for customers. A little odd when most other manufacturers configure their systems and get certified without the noise (!) – I believe the alarm can be silenced by dealers by changing the country setting on the cars ECU.
Another very minor annoyance is that the drivers seat retracts to its fully back position when you shut the engine off and returns to your set memorised position when you start it up again – this can’t be disabled either and worries me about someone sitting behind me having their feet trapped when I turn off the engine as there is very little space at that point… The electric, memory seats are supremely comfortable though with powered, adjustable side bolsters and lumbar support.
The heated steering wheel is a welcome touch on these cold mornings and the automatic wipers (so far) seem better calibrated than my previous BMW’s.
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Post by Alex on Mar 27, 2018 9:17:27 GMT
I can’t help but imagine the seat settings can probably be changed if you are willing to spend an hour rummaging through all the menus on the touch screen whilst furiously thumbing through the owners manual.
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Post by Boxer6 on Mar 27, 2018 9:32:57 GMT
I can’t help but imagine the seat settings can probably be changed if you are willing to spend an hour rummaging through all the menus on the touch screen whilst furiously thumbing through the owners manual. I was thinking something along those lines myself! I seem to remember one of Herself's Discos had that function which she couldn't find how to disable (she is a bit of a technophobe too, which doesn't help). The sales guy had it done in about a minute .. .. .. |
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Post by Mark on Mar 27, 2018 10:01:52 GMT
I can’t help but imagine the seat settings can probably be changed if you are willing to spend an hour rummaging through all the menus on the touch screen whilst furiously thumbing through the owners manual. I was thinking something along those lines myself! I seem to remember one of Herself's Discos had that function which she couldn't find how to disable (she is a bit of a technophobe too, which doesn't help). The sales guy had it done in about a minute .. .. .. It can’t - I promise! |
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Post by Nelson on Mar 27, 2018 10:12:26 GMT
Beautiful looking car, Mark, for sure, has a classy look, but sorry to say but I don't like the red. Just my opinion but i think it blends in with the colour of the rear lights too much, perhaps (for me) there needs to be a contrast to allow them to stand out, maybe a grey or even a silver would look better. I do applaud you for your choice and especially that spec and engine though.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2018 12:05:19 GMT
The car came from the factory with Goodyear Eagle F1 run-flat’s – staggered setup with 225/45/18 fronts & 255/40/18 rears and they are best run-flat tyres I have experienced. The car’s ride in general is very, very good – I suppose most things ride like a magic carpet coming from a BMW with 19” run-flats, but we also have a Volvo V40 D4 R-Design (on non run-flat Michelin’s) and the Alfa also knocks spots off that in terms of ride. Thanks, I will bear the Pilot Sport 4’s in mind when it comes to replacement time. The F1s are very good tyres, but have definitely gone down the rankings. After much looking around, I'm going for Pilot Sport 4S next time, the replacement for the old Supersport. Great in all conditions, don't need any real warming up etc etc. |
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Post by Mark on Mar 27, 2018 13:11:13 GMT
The car came from the factory with Goodyear Eagle F1 run-flat’s – staggered setup with 225/45/18 fronts & 255/40/18 rears and they are best run-flat tyres I have experienced. The car’s ride in general is very, very good – I suppose most things ride like a magic carpet coming from a BMW with 19” run-flats, but we also have a Volvo V40 D4 R-Design (on non run-flat Michelin’s) and the Alfa also knocks spots off that in terms of ride. Thanks, I will bear the Pilot Sport 4’s in mind when it comes to replacement time. The F1s are very good tyres, but have definitely gone down the rankings. After much looking around, I'm going for Pilot Sport 4S next time, the replacement for the old Supersport. Great in all conditions, don't need any real warming up etc etc. They seem to have excellent reviews. After placing the order with the dealer, I noticed that Veloce’s seemed to come fitted with either Pirelli Cinturato P7’s, Goodyear Eagle F1’s or Bridgestone S001’s. I was desperate to avoid the Bridgestone’s after enduring years of Potenza RE050’s and I’d read that the Pirelli’s wear very quickly, so was pretty delighted to find the car wearing the F1’s on the day of collection. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2018 15:55:39 GMT
I hadn't even noticed that the F1s had become runflats - I think it was Tim who pointed it out. The previous set were not, and were just a little better in most areas, I think. Hard to be certain though, as you are always comparing old with new and I do so few miles that it takes 2-3 years before replacements are needed.
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Post by alf on Mar 27, 2018 16:34:32 GMT
It's got memory seats and a heated steering wheel? As standard? Thats a good spec, I assume it has heated seats also. If it's keyless as well (?) and has a decent stereo then that's a lot of the FG I really go for....
Maybe I should just have a brain fart and buy one of these new rather than a 4 year old XFR! Same price.
Do I recall correctly that the TC can't be switched off. Is it fairly lairy in the half off setting?
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Post by Alex on Mar 27, 2018 19:22:10 GMT
Maybe I should just have a brain fart and buy one of these new rather than a 4 year old XFR! Same price. Cheaper if you factor in the reduced fuel costs of running a 2ltr engine instead of a 5ltr. Great as the Ja is, you’ve already had one so why not something different? Especially when that something different looks as good as the Alfa does. |
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Post by Mark on Mar 27, 2018 20:40:57 GMT
It's got memory seats and a heated steering wheel? As standard? Thats a good spec, I assume it has heated seats also. If it's keyless as well (?) and has a decent stereo then that's a lot of the FG I really go for.... Maybe I should just have a brain fart and buy one of these new rather than a 4 year old XFR! Same price. Do I recall correctly that the TC can't be switched off. Is it fairly lairy in the half off setting? All of the above is standard and includes heated seats also. It has keyless go, but you have to press a button on the fob to unlock the doors. My car is totally standard but the equipment list is very good and also includes things like cruise control with brake function, voice control, navigation, bi-Xenons (all other lighting being LED), PDC front & rear, lane departure warning, front collision warning & TPMS, auto wipers/lights plus a load of other stuff. I had toyed with the idea of going for Misano Blue with yellow calipers which would have added approximately £1k. The standard 8 speaker sound system seems seems fine although there is a Harman Kardon upgrade available. Yes, you're correct about the traction control being engaged at all times but I find it very progressive and generally unobtrusive. I've had the car pretty sideways on my first weekend with the atrocious conditions that we had. |
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Post by Boxer6 on Mar 27, 2018 21:16:42 GMT
It's got memory seats and a heated steering wheel? As standard? Thats a good spec, I assume it has heated seats also. If it's keyless as well (?) and has a decent stereo then that's a lot of the FG I really go for.... Maybe I should just have a brain fart and buy one of these new rather than a 4 year old XFR! Same price. Do I recall correctly that the TC can't be switched off. Is it fairly lairy in the half off setting? All of the above is standard and includes heated seats also. It has keyless go, but you have to press a button on the fob to unlock the doors. My car is totally standard but the equipment list is very good and also includes things like cruise control with brake function, voice control, navigation, bi-Xenons (all other lighting being LED), PDC front & rear, lane departure warning, front collision warning & TPMS, auto wipers/lights plus a load of other stuff. I had toyed with the idea of going for Misano Blue with yellow calipers which would have added approximately £1k. The standard 8 speaker sound system seems seems fine although there is a Harmon Kardon upgrade available. Yes, you're correct about the traction control being engaged at all times but I find it very progressive and generally unobtrusive. I've had the car pretty sideways on my first weekend with the atrocious conditions that we had. Just had a quick blast through the configurator and managed to get up to £46K+ without too much trouble!! That included the Misano blue & yellow caliper combo, which looks great, to my eyes at least. Hope to more pics of your car soon, and you enjoy it as much as I'm sure I would! |
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Post by Martin on Mar 27, 2018 21:29:04 GMT
That’s a good standard spec. Just had a look through the price list, there are a few things I’d want to add, starting with a Xenon upgrade, as they are 25w rather than 35w units.
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Post by Mark on Mar 28, 2018 6:29:34 GMT
The one option that I really, really wanted was a set of ‘proper’ 19” teledials, but they aren’t available on UK supplied cars, but can be added in Europe. Another oddity.
I felt that most of the packs were poor value on the Veloce as a lot of the equipment within many of the packs was already standard equipment at this trim level, so felt like I’d kind of be paying twice if that makes sense.
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Post by Martin on Mar 28, 2018 7:01:02 GMT
Your logic makes sense, but Alfa’s doesn’t, as the pack cost should reflect the better level of standard equipment.
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Post by Tim on Mar 28, 2018 8:42:20 GMT
A lot of that standard kit is extra on the equivalent BMW - the heated steering wheel comes with the Comfort Pack for £550 and it's £945 for electric seats.
There's also a Driving Assistant PAck that, I presume, includes the lane departure, etc stuff. I'm sure that's around £1,250.
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Post by racingteatray on Mar 28, 2018 8:51:59 GMT
That looks lovely - congratulations on being brave! We looked at the Giulia before getting the 440i but the GFVs on the PCPs made them very expensive, like-for-like, and I still remember the vertiginous depreciation on my 156 GTA (worth just 25% of list after 5 yrs and 50k miles). And I was really only interested in the QF.
I love the red - suits the style. I too would have loved an estate version. I've driven the Stelvio with your engine/gearbox (i.e. 280 petrol) albeit with 4wd, and it definitely shifts and sounds reasonable.
But a 5.5k rpm redline on a petrol is a bit of a shame!
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Post by racingteatray on Mar 28, 2018 8:53:35 GMT
A lot of that standard kit is extra on the equivalent BMW - the heated steering wheel comes with the Comfort Pack for £550 and it's £945 for electric seats. There's also a Driving Assistant PAck that, I presume, includes the lane departure, etc stuff. I'm sure that's around £1,250. Not on a 4-series GC. Mine had metallic paint, xenons, leather, pro nav, heated electric seats etc as standard. |
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Post by Tim on Mar 28, 2018 9:07:09 GMT
A lot of that standard kit is extra on the equivalent BMW - the heated steering wheel comes with the Comfort Pack for £550 and it's £945 for electric seats. There's also a Driving Assistant PAck that, I presume, includes the lane departure, etc stuff. I'm sure that's around £1,250. Not on a 4-series GC. Mine had metallic paint, xenons, leather, pro nav, heated electric seats etc as standard. Yes but is yours the M Sport version? Some of those come as standard on that plus I think you only get free metallic paint on the bigger engined ones, I was looking at a 320i and the things I've listed cost extra - any colour other than white is £650. |
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Post by alf on Mar 28, 2018 10:57:51 GMT
I'd definitely go for the "Performance Pack" including LSD and dynamic suspension (presumably the same as in the QF which gets rave reviews for ride/handling). And the HK stereo since that's when I listen to music now.
As Mark says, some of the options in the packs are standard on the car, the packs are clearly designed for the base model. The lack of Teledials is a big shame, it is missing something visually to the QF.
It is, as ever, quite hard to work out the standard spec, some things are mentioned in the website text, some in the configurator, I can't yet see any reference to memory seats.
Ex-demo ones are not much of a saving - well they are off list, but not off the Broadspeed price! Then again I've found local dealers totally disinterested in the Broadspeed price in the past. We're in Winchester don't you know.
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Post by Mark on Mar 28, 2018 12:54:52 GMT
I thought the £900 required to move to the 35w Bi-Xenon’s from the standard 25w Bi-Xenon’s is rather heavy. I could almost see the money if you were doing a ‘proper’ upgrade from Halogen to Xenon, or maybe Xenon to adaptive LED’s for example. Of course, the 35w lights do come with the addition of headlamp wash. Funnily enough, I was always under the impression that all cars with Xenon’s had be equipped with washers. I’m really not bothered about having them – the BMW had 25w Bi-Xenon with washers, but they consumed a hell of a lot of fluid, left streaks down the length of the car and never really made a discernible difference to the cleanliness of the lens (they also froze in the winter).
Used/Demo Giulia values are a bit tricky due to the newness (especially with the Veloce) and (relative) rarity, I think. There also seems to be quite a bit of swing on used Quadrifoglio values too.
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Post by Martin on Mar 28, 2018 13:39:55 GMT
Apologies in advance for this post....very dull to some I’m sure, but I did do some research to justify the £1500 cost of choosing Adpative LEDs over the standard 35w Xenons in the BMW!
I’m pretty sure your BMW had 35w Xenons. This whole area is generally pretty unclear and most manufacturers aren’t as honest as Alfa. Because there are different types of each unit you can’t say LEDs are better than Xenons. Also, bi-xenon just means it’s one bulb and the beam is partially blocked off to give you dipped beam, so it sounds better than it is!
If a headlight (dipped beam) has an output of 2,000 lumens or more, it must have washers fitted along with self levelling. The 25w Xenon units are in the 1,500-1,800 lumen range and the 35w are 3,200-3,500. So there is quite a difference. Not all LEDs are equal either (as Simon knows), the basic LEDs BMW (and others, like SEAT) fit are below 2,000 lumens as well, the benefits are a whiter light and lower power consumption.
It broadly goes - Halogen - 25w Xenon - Basic LED - 35w Xenon - LED - Laser.
Having had full fat voodoo LEDs, I would really struggle to go back. The Boxster has 35w Adaptive (PDLS) bi-xenons with a supplementary halogen high beam, so they’re very good in isolation, but the BMW units are a lot better and well worth the extra cost.
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Post by LandieMark on Mar 28, 2018 15:38:26 GMT
No, that’s interesting. I would still struggle to justify the cost, unless I was doing an awful lot of night driving on unlit roads. I don’t. I removed the aftermarket LEDs from the Defender as they looked wrong and went back to an upgraded halogen, which is adequate for my night driving. I have supplemented those with about 200W or so of LED driving lights that switch on with the main beam. 😈
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Post by Tim on Mar 28, 2018 15:57:56 GMT
BMW appear to charge extra for headlamp washers on the 3 Series, I was surprised as I thought Xenons had to have washers by law.
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