Thread resurrection... to give some feedback on the Giulia.
Mrs G eventually swapped her Giulietta for A Giulia (still have trouble spelling both !).
We got the Veloce version with 276bhp, but without the adaptive suspension or LSD. Would have been nice, but this was the only ex-demo they had. Saved a good few quid over new price.
I was going to give a lengthy review, but I guess if people want to know specifics, they can post on here and I'll try and reply. So, I'll try and be brief:
First impressionsYes it looks like a BMW and somewhat old fashioned against some more modern angular stuff... but it is a looker and the neighbours have been ogling it.
The tan leather interior is stunning and the quality of materials and finish is very good. Even REAL metal bits like the flappy paddles it shares with the QV.
The BMW style infotainment works well. Apparently improved over the older version.
Stereo is good, even without the H&K option.
Performance and handling It is rapid, but without too much drama. No real turbo lag. The chassis is very taught and agile.
The steering is extremely direct - you have to be careful with inputs.
It has different sized front and rear tyres, and the track is 10cm wider at the rear. oooooohh
![wink wink](/forum/images/graemlins/default/wink.gif)
8 speed ZF auto is awesome.
Will do 35+mpg on a run.
The battery is in the boot and the bonnet seems to be made of 1 micron thick aluminium it is that light.
Brakes are "by wire" so they feel a bit odd, but plenty of power.
Some semi-negative observationsOurs has 19" alloys. Personally, I think 18" would be the better all round tyre choice (cheaper) and offer a smoother ride.
It redlines at 5,500rpm.... more like a diesel. But it revs very freely.
It is missing some nice-to-haves.... ski flap, boot tie-downs.
Wish they did a hatchback.
Wish it was a 5 or 6 pot. Sounds ok, but come on, it's not a V6.
With stage 1 remap, it'll do 320bhp.... just waiting for the warranty to run out first.
![cool cool](/forum/images/graemlins/default/cool.gif)