lockem,
I too pulled the trigger yesterday, 7-3-17.
MY2018 Ti Q4
Black with tan (brown) gut
Lusso pkg
Ti performance pkg
HK premium audio
High performance Bi-Xenon
Forward collision warning pkg
Driver assistance static pkg
Sunroof
My rep said that Alfa has not given them exact pricing for the MY2018 cars and thus could not give me an exact MSRP or invoice price. She also told me to expect delivery in November.
Are you aware of the Affiliate Program (that everyone can enroll in) that will save you $$?

 

No, I was not aware that the Affiliate Program is open to everyone. How do I sign up?

I was quoted about 5% off of the price that I get from the Alfa USA configurator, so maybe Niello already applied available discounts? The configurator used to list 2 prices: MSRP and "estimated cost" and I was previously looking at "MSRP" (I only see MSRP now), perhaps accounting for the difference? There is an additional current $1750 discount for buyers that own a non-FCA product (like my Mazda, no trade-in required), but Niello said that could be terminated at any instant and that what matters is what discounts are available when the car arrives.

Also, since I have a house in a lower sales tax area (1.7% lower than Silicon valley) I can register the car to that address and save a decent size chunk of change as well as getting more lenient smog checks. Anyway, I won't know the real price until the car arrives.

We had a short discussion about a lease, but I drive too many miles per year for that to work out.

Curiously the sales person said that they had first gotten a Giulia only about 3 months ago and as a result did not have any chance to get feedback from Q4 owners regarding drive ability in the snow on the "local" roads. My pointing out that it was still snowing 3 months ago fell on deaf ears (FWIW: at least 2 ski resorts are open today July 4 2017).

Disturbing observations included: not much customer activity at the dealership and a Maserati Ghibli being towed away from the service department as-if the car had problems that they couldn't deal with.

 

EXTRA VENTS THAT COME WITH THE SPORT PACKAGE

These are in the front grill. They do not vent to the engine compartment. Instead they are ducted to the front fender well and are apparently for brake cooling.

They are not for brake cooling. They're for drag reduction: air blown from the slots in the wheel wells forms a curtain in front of the wheel, reducing wheel well turbulence and keeping the flow closer to the sides of the car.

 

MacGeek,

Thanks for the correction. Where did you find this information? I'm all for drag reduction, but get nervous about brakes overheating on the roads I drive and tend to engine brake a lot. Engine braking is not ideal when trying to make the best time through the curves, but overheating the brakes can be disastrous. Too bad cars don't have brake temperature sensors.

In some descents along Sonora Pass with my manual transmission Mazda I end up in 2nd gear, the engine at the red line and still having to apply the brakes hard.

 

MacGeek,
Please explain the details of the engine block heater in the 2.0.
Where is it located?
How does it operate?
Specifications?
Thanks,

 

Congrats to you both!

 

I didn't find the information, I just know it both from my (admittedly extremely basic) aero knowledge, and because I've talked to the engineers, designers and aerodynamicists.

Besides, it's quite a common aero feature.

Here's the equivalent on a Mustang:

On a Mercedes:

On a Ford pickup:

The optionally available slots in the front bumper on the 4C serve the same purpose.

The small vertical flaps you often see protruding down from the car in front of the wheel wells are also there to reduce wheel well turbulence. The Giulia has those as well.

 

Hey Mac. Given your adavantageous line of communication with Alfa, perhaps you can find out about disabling ESC / TC

 

Update: order was REJECTED by AR because the NAV option was not included. Does anybody know if NAV is mandatory for 2018 and if not, what option I might have ordered that supposedly makes it mandatory?

The dealer is currently discussing this with AR, but that tends to be rather one sided. I certainly don't want an order accepted and then left partially assembled in Cassino indefinitely like they have been known to do.

 

Don't know what option is making it a must have for you. I was talked into it with the "promise" that the nav option is what would allow the code update for CarPlay live traffic etc. looking more like it's a $1,000 paperweight in the 2017's. Hope your 2018 nav ends up being worth something.

 

I was told the same thing from my Dealer that Car Play/Android Auto would be coming soon with an update. Of course he also tried to show me the touch zoom on the rotar knob while in Nav that didn't work. When I questioned the traffic updates my salesman told me that the Nav wasn't very good and suggested using Car Play when it was updated.

 

was that measurement for the front or rear on QV i heard QV is low in Rear then Front

 

The 100mm ground clearance number is from the AR specification sheet for Giulia Quadrifoglio. I do not know where it was measured. I would not be surprised if the underside of QV is level, which many people will perceive as a nose up configuration.

Maserati of Stevens Creek got a QV in stock last week, but I don't know if it is still there and I don't have the time to go by and measure it.

 

Next update: Niello Maserati now tells me that AR tells them that NAV is not an option on 2018 Giulias: you get it always. That doesn't sound right to me, but I added the unwanted NAV system to my order since I don't want to try to argue with them.

 

Next update:

The car is scheduled to arrive sometime this week. It will go directly to Imperial Works for Xpel, ceramic coating, rear window tinting, and some trim bits installation. Hopefully I will be able to post pictures in a few weeks.

A while back someone posted a link to Umbrella Design's VRH system, which is of great interest to me. They tell me that they can modify the suspension to be able to raise or lower the vehicle height, but they need to modify the shocks to convert them to be coil overs as the first step. Niello tells me that a duplicate set of the adaptive shocks costs $4400 ?! I wonder if these are available for a sensible price, perhaps directly from the OEM? Does anybody know who is the OEM?

 

Next update: Window sticker issued 1/10. It was not there 1/9. Still no car at the dealership. AR claimed it would be delivered by 1/11.

 

You are getting closer. I am still waiting for my Window Sticker to populate. I am sure shipping is going to take some time to get to Northern Idaho. My dealer is showing 13 Giulias as In Transit on their site, one of them being mine.

 

On a related point: has anybody tried these out?

https://www.facebook.com/jackpointjackstands/

It appears to be a suitable alternative to installing a lift.
They are on backorder. These guys can't make them fast enough in spite of the high price.
They do not know which, if any of their adapters works with Giulia.

 

Latest update: Alfa lies. They have no idea when my car will reach the dealer. They repeatedly say "soon" and slide out the date. I suspect that they have given the cars to a trucking company and are letting that company set priorities in order to minimize shipping costs. I didn't ask for minimized shipping costs, I asked for my car to be delivered.

The dealer also apparently has no idea and no control over this situation.

I suggested to the dealer that participating in the FCA affiliates program would compensate for some of this non-sense, but the response is (paraphrasing) we never did that before and see no reason to do so now". If they continue to do this I will start a campaign of directing anyone who asks elsewhere.

 

Is yours still in JB status? I thought there really wasn’t any visibility to get further updates when stuck in that code. I ordered a 2018 (to replace my 2017) back during thanksgiving. For the last month it’s been built and hanging out in jb where I’m told the dealers won’t really be able to give accurate updates, or Alfa for that matter.

 

Over the phone Alfa USA simply says "released to vendor" (what vendor? I am guessing the car-hauling trucking company) My car arrived in San Diego on Dec 15; this is ridiculous.

Anyway, the only other vehicle that I have ever custom ordered was 2000 Dodge pickup truck. It too sat at the dock for a long time before being delivered to the dealer.

 

Is yours still in JB status? I thought there really wasn’t any visibility to get further updates when stuck in that code. I ordered a 2018 (to replace my 2017) back during thanksgiving. For the last month it’s been built and hanging out in jb where I’m told the dealers won’t really be able to give accurate updates, or Alfa for that matter.

Over the phone Alfa USA simply says "released to vendor" (what vendor? I am guessing the car-hauling trucking company) My car arrived in San Diego on Dec 15; this is ridiculous.

Anyway, the only other vehicle that I have ever custom ordered was 2000 Dodge pickup truck. It too sat at the dock for a long time before being delivered to the dealer.

Mine got to San Diego on 29 Dec. No word on shipping and no window sticker.

 

Mine got to San Diego on 29 Dec. No word on shipping and no window sticker.

Wow, your car arrived fast. I ordered mine in late July.
IIRC, it took about 2 weeks after the car was in San Diego before the window sticker appeared.
Washington is a long way from San Diego. I wonder if they use rail for the bulk of the distance.

 

I too have ordered a 2018 Giulia Ti Q4 with the static and dynamic safety packages and the performance headlights. I’m writing to reassure the original poster and others about some of the options ordered. I would suggest that readers might want to look at the text of the IHS safety test if you haven’t already.

The 2018 Giulia that was a top safety pick had these items of additional equipment. You will have to wade deep into the actual report, but if you do you will find that IHS found the stock headlights do not meet their current standard, which is higher than it was last year. They fall short both on the distance illuminated and the glare produced. On the other hand, the performance headlights, which are adaptive exceed the benchmark for a good rating, which is their highest rating. They also comment on the stopping ability of the dynamic safety package. Without these two packages, it car is good, because it’s rated “good” in all its crash tests, but not a top safety pick. I would also point out that the child seat anchors in the lusso package are very easy to access. That was the sole point on which the Giulia was dinged.

In summary, I’m pleased with my choices on options and I’m anxiously awaiting the car’s delivery, hopefully some time in late February.

 

As was discussed in the headlight thread, the main complaint IIHS had about the standard headlights was low beam glare; otherwise it looks like the standard headlights would have gotten at least a marginal if not acceptable rating. IIHS does not check if the headlights are adjusted correctly nor do they hire someone (like the dealer) to do so. It is also unclear if they "jostle" the suspension sufficiently for it to settle into a natural position rather than the distorted position of a just-shipped car. The IIHS spec requires the headlights to be bright close to the ground at 300' and less than 10% as bright 18" higher at that same distance. Assuming that the headlights are aimed for the midpoint of this range, a suspension height error at the axles of about 0.25" is enough to cause a fail. Since IIHS did not check the headlight adjustment even as a secondary measure, we do not know if the standard headlights are actually a problem or if the car just needed to be driven 50 miles to make the suspension settle, or if a slight headlight aim adjustment was needed. Also note that the advanced headlights also failed to meet all of the distance illumination test criteria but was given "bonus points" (due to being adaptive?) to get the "good" rating.

I won't be able to say how pleased I am until I have a chance to drive the car myself over substantial distances. I tried to rent a Giulia prior to ordering, but could only find one rental nationwide (in Las Vegas, via a company that rents privately owned cars) and it was a very basic model.

 

Just a thought. Might California's recent fires and mudslides be interrupting rail traffic?

 

Next update: the car has been delivered to Niello, and I should be taking delivery tomorrow.
6 months 3 days from order to deliver--ridiculous. 4 months of the total was shipping delays, which is the part of the whole process that is causing all of the problems when it should be the part that is the most under control. This car better be worth the wait.

Rail is a problem coming out of San Diego because there are essentially no tracks from the LA basin to the northern parts of the state; just east and Barstow.

This map shows a gnarly looking single set of tracks (train tracks with many switch backs!?) from LA basin to Bakersfield. Out of Bakersfield there are lots of tracks to all parts North. There also seems to be a set of tracks around point conception (sp). Otherwise it worse than I thought: LA to Barstow to Henderson to Salt Lake City (!) then back on the old continental railroad route. Of course the maps do not indicate the condition of the tracks.

https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/California/Railroads

 

Next update: the car has been delivered to Niello, and I should be taking delivery tomorrow.
6 months 3 days from order to deliver--ridiculous. 4 months of the total was shipping delays, which is the part of the whole process that is causing all of the problems when it should be the part that is the most under control. This car better be worth the wait.

If it’s any consolation, my MY18, which I saw arrive at the dealer on a truck as I was looking over inventory on Jan. 18, was ordered by another buyer in July, so about the same length of time. Less patient than you, he raised a stink with the dealer and had them find another suitable car of which he took delivery earlier.

It was fortunate timing for me, as I was considering making some hard sacrifices in order to get something in-stock. I knew this MY18 was inbound, but didn’t know when it arriving or option packages, but it turned up right on time and almost perfectly optioned, the major exception being the leather package, which I don’t miss terribly, but would prefer still.

 

just drive it and enjoy it
don't analyze, calculate, measure, modify, or anything

for at least a week haha

 

Got the car from Niello Alfa in Sacramento, drove it directly to Imperial Works for PPF installation. Another 2 week delay before I get to drive the car in a real fashion <sigh>. Imperial Works will also do some cosmetic mods for me: CF trunk spoiler install (over Xpel), Mopar CF front grill install, Mopar CF mirror cap install (with Xpel wrap), vinyl rocker highlights to replicate part of the QV look, trunk badge remove and replace with vinyl letters over the Xpel. Plus they will do an Xpel wrap over the CF part of the Mopar lighted sill covers. They just finished a GT350 with Xpel and it looks amazing.

Imperial works found a small paint chip on the underside of the front fascia. They said it is not worth trying to "correct" and it is invisible unless you lie on the ground and look up.

Both front and rear fascia fits are slightly imperfect. I do not know if that is correctable. The fit is better than the worst cars on Niello's lot, but not as good as the fit on the best cars on Niello's lot. The color match between the body and the front fascia seems slightly imperfect to me--as if they were painted at different locations then brought together. Maybe it is just the different angle of the light on the tri-coat paint.

Niello reduced the tire pressure but not to spec. About 41psi in each tire. Niello failed to remove the protective film from the driver's side foot rest.

I observe that the car was delivered with tint on all windows (70%?). I canceled my order for rear window tint with Imperial Works as the windows are already plenty dark enough for a car that will mostly be driven at night.

I failed to bring a USB cable so that I could see if Android Auto is working. My phone has a USB-C connector, making it a little hard to find the right cable.

Oh, and the transmission definitely does not shift to neutral when the vehicle is stopped. Maybe it will do that after start-stop can be enabled, but I don't see how those two operations would be related other than both being present to save fuel.

One flaw in the car design that is only observable at certain hours of the day while driving in specific directions: there is a gap between the sun visor and the A-pillar that allows the setting/rising sun to hit the driver in the face. Since the sport seats do not allow the driver to lean to one side, this can be pretty annoying.

 

Congrats on finally receiving your Giulia. I hope she lives up to, no, exceeds, your expectations. Enjoy!

 

Chip, he's already annoyed by a design flaw, panel fit, and paint matching, maybe has an issue with the seats and transmission, and is unhappy with the dealer prep.

 

I am just stating facts. Maybe you should stick to that too?

The only things I am seriously annoyed by at this point are the late delivery and Niello Alfa's refusal to participate in the FCA affiliates program.

 

I'm trying to stay positive. My Giulia went from being squeaky-clean on Sunday to a salt-encrusted dirty girl today. She's still a joy to drive.

 

I did state the facts of what you posted, what you felt to be worth mentioning after taking delivery.

 

No, you said I was annoyed with a lot of things when I only stated that I was annoyed with the visor design flaw.

 

please please, any one who cares, refer to lockem's actual post rather than my brief and wholly inaccurate summary.
I do apologize for taking such extensive liberties with his impressions after only having it on the road long enough to get to the detailer.

I also apologize in advance if, as defined by the state of California, the route taken involved an expressway, freeway, street, or any other form of "driving path" which might not be a road, by definitions all should be aware of and utilize correctly, regardless of location or context.

 

Congrats! Enjoy the car and carve them canyons. Additional work can wait...

 

Thanks. For PPF to be fully effective it cannot wait. Ju st about everything else can be put off and should at least be put off until I get a chance to break in the car.

The dealer indicated that the Pirelli All season tires take 500 miles to break in.

Just got told today by my dealer that the would not participate in the program. Not really happy about that but I just can't get myself to walk away from the car I ordered and have been waiting for.

Same here. However if I had done my homework up front I would have ordered through a different dealer. There are at least 6 dealers within a reasonable driving distance of the S.F. Bay Area. I chose this dealer because they were the only dealer that had a car with close to the right equipment available for a test drive. At the time they had about as many Giulias in stock as all of the other dealers combined. Now they have a bunch of Stelvios, which apparently are not selling as quickly as Giulia.