Tomorrow the Giulia is being traded-in, after a 46 month adventure. I’m simply not willing to deal with the costs and frustrations of ownership outside of warranty coverage, given the litany of component failures my early ‘17 has experienced. I’ve been lucky to have two dealerships within 45 minutes, but have found myself ping-ponging between them as managers, advisors and staff change. While the dealerships generally attempt to provide good service, Alfa Romeo USA (read as FCA) cripples their efforts with poor parts stock and supply, an idiotic parts system that demands a VIN and then often delivers the incorrect part anyway, and slow approval of warranty parts replacement.
The overall quality of Alfa Romeo seems comparable with most mainstream vehicles, and I fully understand my case was on the extreme end, but the costs of parts if I was out of warranty are breathtaking. Normal service at Alfa dealers is an exercise in cost containment, as they seek to maximize revenue. Software support for the ’17’s and early ‘18’s has now almost completely stopped, and the repeated unfulfilled promises on ACP and AA were a bitter pill. The navigation map fiasco , still continuing, was just a minor example of FCA’s failure to respect owners expenditures for a navigation system that was near useless.
The vehicle is itself is an absolute joy to drive, but the intrusive traction control and stability programs on the 2.0 kill some of the fun. Turbo lag is something you become accustomed to, but is clearly excessive versus competitive vehicles. The Giulia eats tires like candy, no matter how you police alignment and wear. The low front end is a self own waiting to happen, poorly designed for modern driving.
Would I buy it again, yes! Is it the best car I’ve ever owned, no. With a manual transmission, and a little FCA support, this car could be a world beater, and I will miss her. She was everything my old Acura TSX 6-speed could have been with a better engine.
Stay safe, and keep enjoying the ride!
The overall quality of Alfa Romeo seems comparable with most mainstream vehicles, and I fully understand my case was on the extreme end, but the costs of parts if I was out of warranty are breathtaking. Normal service at Alfa dealers is an exercise in cost containment, as they seek to maximize revenue. Software support for the ’17’s and early ‘18’s has now almost completely stopped, and the repeated unfulfilled promises on ACP and AA were a bitter pill. The navigation map fiasco , still continuing, was just a minor example of FCA’s failure to respect owners expenditures for a navigation system that was near useless.
The vehicle is itself is an absolute joy to drive, but the intrusive traction control and stability programs on the 2.0 kill some of the fun. Turbo lag is something you become accustomed to, but is clearly excessive versus competitive vehicles. The Giulia eats tires like candy, no matter how you police alignment and wear. The low front end is a self own waiting to happen, poorly designed for modern driving.
Would I buy it again, yes! Is it the best car I’ve ever owned, no. With a manual transmission, and a little FCA support, this car could be a world beater, and I will miss her. She was everything my old Acura TSX 6-speed could have been with a better engine.
Stay safe, and keep enjoying the ride!
