by "RPM esq." (rpm3)
Published 11/27/2017 at 13:49
by "RPM esq." (rpm3)
Published 11/27/2017 at 13:49
Tags: Dots
; italy
; sicily
; Alfa Romeo
; Giuletta
STARS: 7
Here are my wheels for the week.
Why, it’s an Alfa Romeo Giuletta in rental spec (diesel + 6-speed manual), immaculate except for a big ol’ dent in the fender, because Italy. It’s practical and torquey and a really lovely shade of blue. Not bad!
...certainly not great, but not bad! It’s a funny-looking thing but it’s growing on me. Except the seats. The seats are awful. And 2nd through 4th gears are so short that I’m just shifting constantly...6 gears is probably too many here. And the key constantly pops out of the fob in my pocket. And the power windows are finicky. Overall, it’s an integral part of the Italian vacation experience and I highly recommend it.
It might take a minute to get there but once moving it’ll comfortably keep pace with Autostrada traffic, including a Jag XKR V8 I saw today whose driver was vaping and looking at his phone while straddling the lane line at 150 kph past a speed camera. Unfortunately, I was glaring over at him for being an idiot at that moment, and thus may also have done 150 kph past said speed camera, so it’s possible I’m the idiot here.
"Steve in Manhattan" (blogenfreude01)
11/27/2017 at 13:54, STARS: 0
That’s a great rental!
"RPM esq." (rpm3)
11/27/2017 at 14:01, STARS: 0
I try. Usually I fail. This time I did not.
"Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa" (bularmy)
11/27/2017 at 14:04, STARS: 2
The Gulietta is so much worse than the 147 that it succeeded. The MiTo and Gulietta are the two most mediocre cars you can buy today. They don’t do anything well, but nothing is too bad. The seats I find middling, but even they are somehow clearly inferior to the ones in a car launched a decade earlier, which is mind blowing.Even the looks are downgrade to the facelifted 147.
The FWD era of AR will not be remembered fondly, except for the great looks of the facelifted 147 and maybe the best looking sedan ever to exist with the 159.
"punkgoose17" (punkgoose17)
11/27/2017 at 14:07, STARS: 0
That car looks lovely. By pictures I have trouble telling it apart from the smaller MiTo. Do you ever 1,2,4?
"RPM esq." (rpm3)
11/27/2017 at 14:18, STARS: 0
It’s basically an Italian Golf in size and personality. 1,2,4 up doesn’t work all that well...if anything 1-3-4 might. And going down 5-3-1 works fine. 2nd gear is nearly useless, but it’ll happily crawl along in 1st at 900 rpm...clearly I’m not used to diesel power delivery.
"RPM esq." (rpm3)
11/27/2017 at 14:23, STARS: 2
I believe you. But I am in Italy and driving an Alfa, even a mediocre one, is a lot more interesting than driving a Polo or something.
"DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish!" (daft-ryosuke)
11/27/2017 at 14:56, STARS: 1
You know, a friend of mine reserved a Giulietta for today.
Only to find it had already been taken...he was left with a Golf.
-shifty eyes-