ccap41

LOL...AND IT BEGINS!...wait..again...still.. "As I coasted to a stop at the light, the Alfa’s stop/start system shut the engine off and simply never came back on, no matter what I tried—or how loud the cars behind me honked. I was stranded, and FCA’s roadside-assistance operators, kind and professional as they were, couldn’t help. They didn’t quite understand the need for a flatbed tow truck with special wheel jacks even though I repeatedly explained that the Quadrifoglio was completely bricked and the drive-by-wire transmission would not shift out of park. A regular tow truck wouldn’t suffice; even if it could get its rear-arm “stinger” under the car, lifting it by the hindquarters would only smash the front bumper into the ground." ... "Moral of this story? Well, if you’re of the eye-rolling “Italian reliability” sensibility, that is understandable, but this is a data set of one. The base Giulia we had in The Big Test never missed a beat. If you’re still on the fence, do as our Big Test suggests and lease first. But no matter what, get AAA." http://www.motortrend.com/news/alfa-romeo-giulia-quadrifoglio-luck-of-the-half-irish/ @surreal1272 @dfelt @Stew

Interesting.. Especially considering the Mustang will be getting the 10spd. I read somewhere the new 10spd is only like an inch longer than the current 6spd, crazy. Was it you that posted something about the size of the 9spd in the FWD applications? That thing was incredibly small! Enough randomness..lol

My point was that the most efficient engines/combinations are almost always the more costly options as well. To get the 2.7 you have to pay above base prices, same for the 1.0 and same for almost any hybrid and diesel out there. Efficiency is expensive.

Go on...

I could be wrong, but, aren't all of the most economical trims in every vehicle priced above the base model? There might be a few hybrids that are priced the same like I think the MKZ and S Class are like that but the 2.7 and 1.0 from Ford cost more, hybrids cost more, diesels cost more.

So what? It's what they do with those savings that makes the savings worth it or not. I've never understood the infatuation with just saying X is lighter than Y. There are 12,000 variables mixed in there that will make the car good or bad. Is the CTS the fastest, quickest, stops the shortest, handles the most lateral g's, quietest, smoothest, most economical? I it doesn't to all of those the best then there's no point in just saying one car is lighter than the other..because it comes across as waste of savings.

The Coupes do???? Jesus... People will buy ANYTHING just to be different these days.. I've only seen a couple here but they actually anger me when I see them because they just don't make any sense to me whatsoever. Crappy CUV, Crappy car, proportions are absolute junk...

I hate that vehicle so f'n much it's irrational. The stupid fkn "coupe" CUVs are the worst thing that's happened to the auto industry since.. since.. since something bad happened. lol They're ugly, they're useless, they just don't make any got damn sense! 4 worst vehicles on the road today are the GLC Coupe, GLE Coupe, X4 and X6.

Probably because true CTS-V fans would just buy a CTS-V instead of a mommy CUV. And then there would be 2% of buyers( women ) who say "those wheels look the best" and buy the V version of the XT5.

Old on an old platform that they're selling. Probably doesn't satisfy any customer knowing they were sold something old and out of date that's unreliable any more knowing that. How many Civics and Corvettes were known to be unreliable POS throughout the years? Because if the answer is anything other than "ALL OF THEM" then we're not being too fair, right?

THIS IS THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE!!

Damn, that's really rough.. I wish you the best in regaining your health, bud.

Those kind of go hand in hand when talking long term.. not necessarily but they CAN. That is what I was thinking as well. They've been gone long enough that us youngsters don't really know about how bad they were unless they're a gear head. The A4 finished 2nd in the latest Motor Trend comparision w/ the 330i finishing 7th.

Exhaustion, from being run non-stop, or sickness? If sickness.. sometimes one thing that helps me get over that is getting a sweat in. Don't go nuts and attempt to push yourself at the gym but get a little easy cardio going to work some sweat up.

Completely agree. Nothing else is of any value to them. They already have Audi and Lamborghini to not need Maserati. VW could use the Challenger/Charger though but no need to keep a brand around for 2 cars. Next thing you know we'll be looking at a 2.0T FWD Charger. lol

Thanks! Interesting how the 'car-guy' things are what makes the car good but the 'everyday people' things on the inside is where it faults. That could be a tough sell to the masses. Come to think of it, I think I'm going to be asking this same question to a lot more reviewers. I like it. It's simple and gets some highs and lows that aren't factual(like a 0-60 time) but opinionated and valued as a consumer.

@Stew @Anthony Fongaro Very good write up, I enjoyed it. Out of curiosity what are your 3 favorite things about the car and your 3 least favorite things about the car after getting some seat time?

I'm all about more hatchbacks on the market!

I honestly don't think they should be relaxed as much as push the dates back. I think the goals and standards should be kept high to push a high standard but I also think companies need the time and market to change enough to even have a chance. If nobody wants to buy an EV because they're too scared of change then it's awfully difficult to push a company to make something people are too scared to buy. Completely agree. I should have just read your post before typing, lol.

Very well said balty!

And until then... Watch Alfa sales blow the roof off their competition... *cough cough*

Do you have a link to the second one? Their long-termer is the only engine I can find that went "BOOM". You're right. But they've always been unreliable why give me 5 reasons why anybody with a right mind would consider them to be reliable and give them a shot this time? It isn't like Alfas and Fiats have just had small blips of unreliability. They've been unreliable for the past 50 years and the current crop of FCA vehicles shows no sign of changing that. We'll use the current then. FCA's locked down the bottom 4 spots and something like 5 of the last 7 spots on CR's. Are they(CR) perfect? Hell no. But they have some weight in what they say. So again, what about that is making the consumer believe something else from them will be more reliable(when they've had a track record for themselves of being terribly unreliable)?

So nothing officially recalled on the 1.5? At least that's what Google is telling me. I can go to a forum and find a complaint on any engine. What issues did the 3.5 and 1.6 have after the first model years? http://www.autoblog.com/2014/04/14/nhtsa-closes-ford-f-150-ecoboost-acceleration-probe-report/ NHTSA closed the report w/o issuing a recall as Ford took care of the issue w/ a TSB. Is that the only issue with the 3.5? I'm not defending the 1.6. That had a sh!t ton of issued from day one. And to think they're still more reliable than an Italian car! lol All of the engines there have been replaced. 3.5 is new, 2.0 is new, and 1.5 is new, replacing the 1.6. What's your point? About the Corvette, that is still not the same situation like surreal brought up. That was one car? Not 3 cars w/ 4 different issues. C/D had ONE not THREE LT1's go on them. Iroically I read this quote talking about the Stingray's LT1 , 'Vette having to spend an inordinate amount of time in the shop – something you might expect from a small Italian manufacturer, for example, but not from one of the largest automakers in the world."

Exactly. It wasn't 3 cars with the same issue it was 3 cars with 4 different issues.