Ok I was slated for my local dealer's first allocation. When I found out the car was no longer being offered with a manual, I delayed my order so I could drive the ZF transmission to see if I still wanted the car. One of the main reasons, as I am sure is the same with most others, I wanted the car was because of the manual transmission. Certainly, this disappointment has been shared by everyone. This weekend, I was finally able to test drive the demo at my dealer. The car was blue with black interior, standard seats and red contrast stitching. Steel brakes, no CCRs. The weather in the northeast isn't the best and the roads were damp and slick. The dealer had equipped the car with winter tires but conditions were not great for pushing the car. However, these are the conditions and roads I will be driving the car, so for me, it was a good test. I believe the reviews have sufficiently covered the car's exterior and interior looks, so I won't comment too much on those other than I was pleasantly surprised by the interior. I had sat in a pre-production model in June that was here for a local concours, but the demo was much more refined. Yes, their is plastic in places where I would like to see leather, but this is not a 200k car, and everything looked pleasant and felt very nice and soft to the touch. The seat was tight for me, I'm 6'6" and 225 lbs. so pretty much everything is tight for me, but I felt like the car had plenty of room inside and I did not feel cramped. The car sounds awesome when you start it up, but quiets down to a nice idle. I think everyone's first impression of this car is the same... God is it fast!! Scary fast. The salesmen took us out first and put the car in Race mode and you could feel it sliding around everywhere. I stayed away from Race mode. Too scary for me. For my turn, I pretty much stayed in Dynamic mode and just went in and out of Auto and changed the dampers. 70% of my driving is going to be cruising around and being able to soften the suspension made a huge difference in the compliance of the car over the bumpy roads around here. It worked very well. The car was very comfortable to ride in. The second thing I noticed was just how fast and light the steering is in this car. Slight movements corresponded to massive vehicle movements. It took several minutes to acclimate but once you did, the car felt absolutely fantastic. Very neutral and planted despite the slippery conditions. The engine was superb. It doesn't make a whole lot of power until about 4k RPM when the turbos really kick in, but oh boy does it go when they do! You can tell its a boosted car but i thought it made a marvelous sound once it got in the upper RPM range. Transmission turned out to be better then I expected. The paddles have a very solid and reassuring feel when changing gears and it works very quickly, slamming you into the seats. Downshifts are equally fast and the engine sounds otherworldly when going down the gears. I wish I had more time in better weather to really experience the car but this is what I can report with my short drive. Would I have preferred the manual? Probably. But it won't stop me from buying this car. I absolutely loved it and can't wait for mine to be delivered!
Thanks for that write up. I have not seen and definitely not driven one but it seems like a lot of car for the money. It looks better than most of the other boring sedans, it's fast, Italian and the cost is pretty reasonable. For similar performance in this category you are pushing $90 to $100 grand.
Well optioned for under $80k. Seats and CCB will push it over $80k. There is one on cars dot Com for $72k.
It won't be long before reality sets in, greed subsides, and they go for MSRP or less. I am interested in the Q, but I will not pay a dime over MSRP. I also saw my local dealer having one listed on their web-site - listed $10k over MSRP - I won't even bother to contact them. This is a luxury car I don't NEED but would like if it delivers... They need to get the cars on the road, catch attention, and draw more customers in - they should get them out and seen ASAP...
Why all the complaining about the price? The first buyers always get it in the rear....whether it be this Alfa or some other specialty car.....just wait it out and buy a demo or whatever. It's arguably one of the best sedans in the world now so you can't blame them for trying
there are plenty of cars available at msrp or less as I have posted. these will not be selling at a premium unless they are being sold at a Ferrari / Maserati dealer. selling at a premium is not in the dodge/jeep/fiat lexicon.
Look at my i8! I got it for such a screaming deal a couple years after it was released and it still looks like a spaceship. No one knows I didn't pay $20k over but more than that under. If you love the Alfa today you'll love it a year from now. Just wait.
I guess as alfa lovers...we should just be happy that the qf is finally here! I want to see it in rosso competizione...it will probably be what I need to fall for the car and end up a buyer!!
Amen brother....the world wanted a RWD, high performance, Bmw beating sedan and we finally can buy it North America. Not only that, but we also have serious Ferrari DNA in this thing.
Not till 4K? So does that mean you feel it's got turbo lag or that ity's just tuned in a peaky manner. That's a lot HP for that engine so maybe lower torque below 4K is just how it has to be? Very nice write up BTW.
The 2.9 V6 is actually very linear from 2000 or so rpm almost all the way to maximum power. Constant maximum torque from 2500 rpm to 5000 rpm.
We all, well most of us, love Alfas and as such we worry about Alfa being able to survive in NA and sustain business - not sure mark-ups is the way to go when you are trying to re-introduce a brand with a poor record from the past. I have waited since 1995 to be able to buy a new Alfa - survived on Milanos, 164s, etc for a while but eventually had to turn elsewhere. Now have a 4c LE and am interested in the Giulia Q - would be replacing a 2007 RS4 which is a tall order.
It may seem like a tall order, but trust me, it isn't. This is simply the best car in its class and probably one of the best sub 150k sports cars made today. Sure certain small details may not be up to Audi standards (but they are better than BMW's) but if you buy a car on that criteria then you shouldn't be looking at this jewel. This car has soul and stirs the soul.
Not necessarily turbo lag, but by a "seat of the pants feel", the engine felt like it pulled much harder at higher RPMs. Was it exactly 4k?? Not sure. I didn't look that close at the tach. Could have been lower. It just didn't feel like it had a lot of low end grunt, but I'm used to driving V12's where the power is everywhere and just keeps going. I will say that once the power did come on, you better be ready... you're headed for warp speed! The car will definitely put butterflies in your tummy! I loved the engine but I've also been spoiled by an F12.
Cars in this price range are generally for people with one car, and given that it's a sedan it's not likely to be a weekend or sunny day car. So the real proof is going to depend upon reliability and servicing and that is something that Fiat/Alfa are going to need to prove for this to be a success. Sounds like it is dynamically, but it will take some time to prove reliable as a daily driver. Regardless, it is sexy as hell and I want one! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
I have a couple of turbo cars and my track car is a stripped out 96 Ghibil cup car with 400 hp out of 2.0l so it's a pretty frenetically tuned car at 2,750 lbs but I imagine this must be a hell of a lot wilder with much higher torque and the chassis control turned off. Mine has only a limited slip diff and turns are taken very carefully as it's pretty on/off in response. This car sounds way better but hell ... for everyday driving my 400hp supercharged Jag is plenty . You guys are crazy ... LOL Have fun but be very careful. I know I'd get in way too much trouble. That said I think it's the rest of the Guila product line that's going to make Alfa successful so hopefully the models with much more affordable price tags and rational power levels are going to be the real home runs for Alfa. If those cars don't make people fall in love with the marque this impressive monster isn't going to save them. I think I'd opt for the carbon fiber brake package if it has a decent service interval. Then track it!
The engine is designed and built by Ferrari, so reliability is not an issue The gearbox is ZF (auto), Getrag (manual) so reliability is not an issue The infotainment is same as in a BMW, so reliability is not an issue The soul is there, even taking the kids to school, so emotion is not an issue
I'm more concerned with the servicing and some of the Fiat dealer horror stories. And yes the components have a pedigree, so there is comfort there. Your feedback is of great value ... I take journo reviews with a grain of salt. Really want this to be a success, keep us informed please as you wring her out. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
The engine, while directly derived from the F154, is not also built by Ferrari. It's built by FCA in Termoli. Also, Getrag supplies the manual box for the diesel - the manual Quadrifoglio has a ZF transmission.
Building a well designed and reliable car is much more complex than just picking parts proven in other automobiles but it's a decent start. There are oh so many more components and issues besides the ones you listed.