Drove a Giulia today

"E90M3" (e90m3)
02/17/2018 at 18:04 • Filed to: unnecessary car shopping with E90M3

Not the hot one, not even the one pictured. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

After a short drive, my impressions were that the steering was nice and it had plenty of power. The brakes felt a little weird, it was almost as if they were on until you put your foot on the gas and then the brakes would release. The best analogy I can think of was it felt like the car had hill assist, for those of you with manual cars. It felt like the hill assist they put in the manual Mercedes, well at least the manual Mercedes I drove.

I did like it. I got this crazy idea in my head, the other week, that I should ditch the 3 and lease one of these. So I figured I should at lease go see what they’re like to drive.

DISCUSSION (41)

CB > E90M3
02/17/2018 at 18:06

On the plus side, you’d be able to drive your M3 more with how often it would be in the shop.

AestheticsInMotion > E90M3
02/17/2018 at 18:07

Ditch the 3 and grab a CPO Quadrofoglioglioglio

E90M3 > CB
02/17/2018 at 18:09

That’s why I was thinking lease.

E90M3 > AestheticsInMotion
02/17/2018 at 18:09

While one of those would be fun, I’d just get the F82 M3 instead.

Klaus Schmoll > E90M3
02/17/2018 at 18:11

If it wasn’t the Quattroformaggio, which engine did it have? The dealer listing is awfully quiet about what’s under the hood.

E90M3 > Klaus Schmoll
02/17/2018 at 18:12

The 2.0L turbo 4. I think that’s the only engine option besides the V6 in the quattroicantspellthat, at least in the US market.

Tapas > AestheticsInMotion
02/17/2018 at 18:13

Quadroaffogato*

FTFY.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > E90M3
02/17/2018 at 18:14

Boo leasing. Not a fan. I would rather own whatever my ride is! :)

Glad you didn’t mind it though! I really wish we got the stick shifts over here as well...

interstate366, now In The Industry > E90M3
02/17/2018 at 18:16

There was one at the auto show I was at today. The guy there kept saying “it’s not a Quadrifoglio, bro!”

E90M3 > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
02/17/2018 at 18:16

I don’t think I would want to own an Alfa Romeo long term, you know, out of warranty. I think there are some cars that you lease as opposed to buy, this is one of them.

If they had a stick, me getting one would probably be a lot more of a reality.

AestheticsInMotion > E90M3
02/17/2018 at 18:16

Hmm. Try Caddilac or Infiniti’s offerings in that segment?

Have you spent much time behind the wheel of the F82? After renting one from turo for a weekend trip, I was pretty unenthusiastic about the m4... Haven’t driven an E90 yet so can’t compare there, but compared to the other generations the F82 didn’t really feel like a sports car to me. Just a big luxury car with a lot of power :/

AestheticsInMotion > Tapas
02/17/2018 at 18:18

*Quadriceptiaglo.

Come on, this isn’t hard people.

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > E90M3
02/17/2018 at 18:23

A lease of one of these has really been tempting me too. The lack of a stick and Alfa reliability make it hard to commit to long term. I haven’t driven one yet because I’m afraid I’d end up just leasing it on the spot.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > AestheticsInMotion
02/17/2018 at 18:24

Quadrelateralitonnia

E90M3 > AestheticsInMotion
02/17/2018 at 18:24

Not sure if I like Infiniti’s offerings and after the two GMs my parents had in the early 2000s, I’m not sure I would own a GM product.

I’ve only been on a test drive in both an F80 and an F82, haven’t really formed an opinion on them yet. I will say they didn’t feel massive to me.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > E90M3
02/17/2018 at 18:25

I’m sure any model would be fun, but the Quazifrodrio is where it’s at.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > E90M3
02/17/2018 at 18:26

I think these will plummet in value very soon. I know you can afford it, but it just doesn’t seem worth a 2-year commitment. Why not something really crazy like that Jag shooting brake?

Tapas > AestheticsInMotion
02/17/2018 at 18:27

Clearly, Alfa took inspiration from the Power Rangers - it’s Quadceratops.

E90M3 > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com
02/17/2018 at 18:28

The brake thing bothered me. I think I would get used to it, but it was still just weird.

I’m looking at them online and it’s like $400/month for me to get the one I’d want. If it had a stick I would have leased one today. I’m not too worried about reliability because it’d be a lease and I could have a sweet loaner car to keep the miles down on the lease.

E90M3 > K-Roll-PorscheTamer
02/17/2018 at 18:30

Or I could get an M2. There are a lot of other cars I would own over one of those. I also couldn’t afford that and my M3.

E90M3 > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
02/17/2018 at 18:31

I’m sure values will plummet. The lease would be so I don’t have to worry about fixing it, when it breaks.

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > E90M3
02/17/2018 at 18:32

Pretty sure the dealer here would give you a Fiat 500L as a loaner XD

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > E90M3
02/17/2018 at 18:32

I’d own any Cayman S/GTS over those two.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > E90M3
02/17/2018 at 18:34

Fair. Just seems like something you’d get bored with quickly. 2 years is a long time !!!!

E90M3 > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
02/17/2018 at 18:37

Fair enough. I’m not sure if I’d get bored with it. I do tend to hold on to cars for a while, I had my explorer for 9.5 years and my M3 for 3.5. I sold the 1 because I was unemployed. Probably going to hang onto the 3 for a while.

AestheticsInMotion > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
02/17/2018 at 18:40

This is a good thread, deserving of embiggening. Paging HammerHeadFistPunch

AestheticsInMotion > E90M3
02/17/2018 at 18:42

Fair enough. Infiniti seems a bit bland to me right now, but I’ve driven zero of their current offerings so what do I know. Hmmm. Jag?

Only suggesting things because you seem to be pretty familiar with this segment and I like your test-drive writeups!

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Tapas
02/17/2018 at 18:49

No, no, no. It’s the quadripolio.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > E90M3
02/17/2018 at 18:52

Right. I suppose it is I who has the issue hanging onto things.

E90M3 > AestheticsInMotion
02/17/2018 at 18:52

ORLG and me got passed by a new Infiniti coupe on the interstate in Nashville and both agreed it was a pretty good looking car. When I think of Infiniti I think of the G35, not sure why but that’s the car that always comes to mind and they all seem to be riced to hell now.

I think a Jag would be more than I want to spend. I wish GM knew how to make an interior. I did like the interior on the Malibu I had a rental, but then they like to use the same everything for their nice cars. BMW may use the same switchgear in the 1 as the 7, but they’re base is a lot higher than GMs.

E90M3 > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
02/17/2018 at 18:54

Kind of, I lust after different cars but then that would mean I would have to get rid of one of my cars and they’re both excellent right now. So I would have to find something better, better, of course, being subjective.

WilliamsSW > E90M3
02/17/2018 at 19:28

I thought it was powerful, and I loved the steering too. But the trans wants to shift up way too quickly, and I thought the interior was chintzy for the price point. That, plus some ergo quirks and suspect reliability and I was out, personally.

I didn’t get a chance to try sport mode which might help the shifting, but overall I thought it wasn’t good enough to overcome the oddities.

E90M3 > WilliamsSW
02/17/2018 at 19:39

I didn’t drive it long enough to think about shifting. If I’m serious about one I’m going to tell them to give me a loaner Giulia for a couple hours. I didn’t really notice if the transmission upshifted too fast; the one I drove didn’t even have paddles. If it had a manual, I probably would have leased it today. I didn’t really find fault with the interior, but I was more focused on the driving experience. I’d lease it because I’d be worried about reliability, maybe I’ll buy one in a few years for cheap.

WilliamsSW > E90M3
02/17/2018 at 20:33

Lease would be the way to go.

The car needs a manual if you ask me. I’m usually not thrilled with automatic shift points but the Giulia was pretty noticeable.

Eury - AFRICA TWIN!!!!!!! > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
02/17/2018 at 21:34

Buying one of these things outright is the definition of brave. I buy old German cars without service histories, and I’m nowhere near brave enough to purchase (not lease) a Guilia.

hike > WilliamsSW
02/17/2018 at 22:47

Sport mode should hold revs longer. Supposedly the DNA mode remembers the last setting it was left in even when you shut the car off and restart it.

Tapas > TheTurbochargedSquirrel
02/18/2018 at 03:13

Haha! Well Italian electrics are also known for paralysis lol

Monkey B > E90M3
02/18/2018 at 09:10

Alfa aside, any car in that class is really a crap shoot in regards to post warranty ownership.

E90M3 > Monkey B
02/18/2018 at 13:51

After my experience with BMWs, I would own one of those out of warranty.

Monkey B > E90M3
02/18/2018 at 14:12

I would have with my E36 and E46. I was less than impressed with the E90 and would not have kept it. Ex-Wife still has it and it’s had multiple issues at low mileage. I also own an out of warranty BMW motorcycle which is currently broken and will cost, at minimum, twice as much as the same issue on a metric from Japan.

E90M3 > Monkey B
02/18/2018 at 14:16

Both of my E9Xs are out of warranty. Had the both throttle position actuators go out in the M3, and a coil in the 3.