Saturday, April 28, 2018

One Year With An Alfa Romeo Giulia- The Thrill Is Still There


A New Classic is Born-  Alfa Romeo Giulia Ti Sport



On April 12th my Alfa Romeo Giulia had its first birthday- 8200 miles and it still is as thrilling to drive as the day I brought it home. That's the sign of a great car- looking forward to each Saturday morning and a drive somewhere.


Why You Will Love The Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio


I still find myself making plans to drive 'somewhere' even if there's little reason to do so. In spite of that I've only clocked 8200 miles in a year that included a 3,000 mile trip to Watkins Glen for the IMSA race in June. I usually take a trip to the local Alfa Romeo / Maserati dealership about once a month to check out the inventory. It is hard to pass by the Quadrifoglio's on the lot, especially if there's one in a color I haven't seen. (Misano Blue was the latest one, drop dead gorgeous) 

All in all it has been an uneventful year with the car which is a good thing. Knock on wood, none of the dire warnings about reliability I've received from others of owning an Alfa have come true.  This Alfa is spot on reliable and has not let me down. Oh, sure there's been a few Alfa quirks like the dreaded Throttle Control fault sensor I set off when I first got it- seems if you left brake and hit the gas at the same time you trigger the warning light. A trip to the dealer for a flash update to reset and my awareness of what can cause it has eliminated the problem.  And that infotainment system-  not that I've ever seen a really good one - this one is only good for basic functions.  I'm of the opinion that we all lived without these for 50+ years so why all the emphasis on you gotta have one?  My phone is just fine for navigation and I don't give a dam for how many g's I'm pulling when I go around a corner, accelerate or brake! And the brake by wire system- weird compared to a traditional hydraulic set up but I'm used to it now.

I just want my own sensory detectors to FEEL the car as I go down a winding road and I sure do Feel this car as it is like a well rehearsed slow dance if you know what you are doing.  You find yourself going very, very fast but it feels like being in slow motion with a balance and poise that gives you confidence.  (Check out the attached Matt Moran video about 15 minutes into it where he describes this)

As a tribute to my one year with the car I selected these two videos for this post, the first video above is the Quadrigfolio. The beast, the grand daddy, the one your heart wants you to have and the other video with the Giulia Ti Sport, which is much more practical with the turbo four motor. The Quad video is well done including breathtaking photography and awesome sound in the hills around Monaco. It will explain what all the fuss is about with this car.  The other video gives a taste of why the Ti Sport is so good.

I believe the Giulia is the new benchmark in sports sedans- even in base trim and after a year of driving I'm convinced of that. Go drive one and you will see.

Here's the video review of the Giulia Ti Sport that  I drive.  Skip up to 15 minutes where Matt gets shooting through the turns.


MATT MORAN's Giulia Ti Sport Review

Skip to 15 minutes in for the driving dynamics:

I hope you liked this quick summary of a great new car from Alfa Romeo.

Brought to you by CarCameraStory.com  Paul Ziegler, Publisher