[gilhodges2#]

Hi Everybody,
I just test drove both the Stelvio and Giulia.
Thought they both drive just great. Based on
historical reputation, Alfa's are "much worse then average"
according to consumer reports. Are the new Stelvios and
Giulas any better or should I just expect lots of maintenance
and repairs. I had Fiat convertibles in the 80s and I loved
them but I sent my mechanic's son to college based on my
repair costs. Any insights would be helpful.

 

[Scalewoodman]

It's a completely different company. We just brought ours home and at this point are pretty enthusiastic vs. The safe boring options and a ugly Asian designs totally turn me off. Both emotional and practical- hit all the buttons for us!

 

[CalgaryStelvio]

The history Consumer Distorts refers to is when Alfa was last on our shores 30 years ago.

I've ordered mine knowing there will be some teething problems and some glitches but I feel they are a much better vehicle then they are given credit.

 

[TrevStelvio]

2,500 Miles not 1 issue. 6 Billion on a new factory means they are delivering a quality product. Look forward to a great car

 

[tipo949]

Got rid of my VERY boring, heavy, Land Rover Evoque. Sweet design but I was looking to light my fire, so to speak.
I stood up the Giulia salesperson and came within inches of buying one but thought maybe I should wait for the Stelvio. Needed something more of a SUV-like vehicle since I just got out of one.

So glad I did.
It's so sexy and the quality of the workmanship and materials used is unbelievable for a $52k car. (TI,Sport/loaded)
Heck, there are KIA's selling for $65k + these days!

ZERO problems.

It's like opening a box of chocolates every time I get behind the wheel.
What a blast to drive.

 

[TrevStelvio]

Great to hear comments like this , I absolutely love mine even driving small distances is a fantastic.
It is an outstanding car.

 

[SailDrive]

Got rid of my VERY boring, heavy, Land Rover Evoque. Sweet design but I was looking to light my fire, so to speak.
I stood up the Giulia salesperson and came within inches of buying one but thought maybe I should wait for the Stelvio. Needed something more of a SUV-like vehicle since I just got out of one.

So glad I did.
It's so sexy and the quality of the workmanship and materials used is unbelievable for a $52k car. (TI,Sport/loaded)
Heck, there are KIA's selling for $65k + these days!

ZERO problems.

It's like opening a box of chocolates every time I get behind the wheel.
What a blast to drive.

Having also replaced a 2015 Evoque with my Stelvio, I can't exactly agree that the Evoque was either heavy or boring. It is certainly a quicker, more fun and nimble crossover / SUV than the majority of other classless boring vehicles on the road. As for the weight, it was actually lighter than the Stelvio, with a Curb Weight of ~3650 lbs depending on what options and trim level you got. The official published Curb Weight of the Stelvio is 4,044 lbs.

What I believe you are suffering from is called Alfa Love Syndrome, where you have developed such love for the amazing new Alfa (Because it is amazing and does kick ass) you are holding the 5 year old chassis design of the Evoque to the same standard, which isn't entirely fair to the older design. Side by side it's no contest, the Stelvio is better (on the road at least, I haven't seen much snow or off-road tests yet, which is one area which the later Evoque's with the 9 sp transmission mated to the GKN Active Driveline system and full clutch based torque vectoring differentials integrated with the chassis yaw sensors was better than nearly any other vehicle on the road)

:grin

 

[tipo949]

Interesting, but my 2013 Land Rover Evoque Prestige did feel a lot heavier for some reason weighing in at 3,973 pounds..

There is absolutely no comparison in handling.

The Stelvio outperforms the Evoque hands down around the turns.

In Dynamic mode, the Stelvio TI accelerates like a rocket 0-60mph 5.4 seconds vs 6.7seconds with my Evoque.

 

[SailDrive]

Unquestionably the Stelvio drives, handles, turns, and accelerates better than the Evoque. I had a 2015 Evoque in Pure Plus trim with the 9sp and GKN Active Driveline system.

However when compared to the other crossovers and SUV's out there I could easily out accelerate, maneuver or corner most of them with my Evoque, because across the board 6.7 seconds is still rather quick for that segment, and the Evoque still out performs most things in that segment.

That feeling comes from that the Stelvio is just that much better than the rest of the segment where it makes the otherwise good handling and performing Evoque feel like a slow understeering dog, when compared to most other small SUVs, it honestly isn't. Trust me on this, I have a Nissan Murano rental parked outside right now while they are fixing my fuel pump, and that is a TERRIBLE driving / accelerating / turning / stopping / road surfacing handling piece of crap! the difference between the Murano and the Evoque are just as much if not more than between the Evoque and the Stelvio, and for reference the current Murano starts at $31,525 and does 0-60 in 7.8 seconds according to Motor Trend.

 

[Scalewoodman]

When was the last time you couldn't sleep, excited about your ride? For me it was about 1969 taking the Schwinn catalog to bed thinking about my new Collegiate in the garage. It's like that! This is an exceptional vehicle, the coolest I ever had in my life.

 

[1265]

What I can tell you... uhmm, I'm a little bit crazy i have been at the nurburgring, I'll be in Sweden for artic extreme driving in febbrary 2018... the car is young but the feeling is good

 

[lost1750GTV]

Marzio, I expect you are going to be playing with the stelvio quadrifoglio on the lake - I WANNA COME!
if they could arrange european delivery/shipping from there ....

 

[smunger4]

3300 miles......absolutely no problems. Need to stay off the paddles though, only averaging 22 mpg Nahhh, paddles are too much fun.

 

[zvezdah1]

I had a 2014 Evoque (the 9speed tranny was awful as was eco boost, otherwise wonderful)which I dearly loved but traded on an ALfa 4C which I also dearly loved. I need something to haul a bicycle tho, wife gets annoyed with me using her car. LOve the stelvio.

Talking to my alfa dealer it's seems alfa is only offering incentives for buyers with NON FCA cars, seems ridiculous but italian companies are known for similar. So if that's the case I'll probably end up back with an evoque.
Chris

 

[Marco]

what?? HOW MUCH??

Just watched this video about the 3rd service (30K miles) cost on the Giulia Quad .....
a staggering $2 0 0 0 (US) !!!!!! eek:eek

i wonder if that's the price for the Quad engine only?! it claims the serpentine belt has to be changed and its an 8 HOUR job at the shop!!!!

any ideas on how much the regular Stelvio costs are at 30K mile maintenance?

 

[zvezdah1]

completely different engine and price point, the cost for the four wil most definitely be far less but I would expect comparable to an audi or bmw service cost.

Just watched this video about the 3rd service (30K miles) cost on the Giulia Quad .....
a staggering $2 0 0 0 (US) !!!!!! eek:eek


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRxGvEi4a8E

i wonder if that's the price for the Quad engine only?! it claims the serpentine belt has to be changed and its an 8 HOUR job at the shop!!!!

any ideas on how much the regular Stelvio costs are at 30K mile maintenance?

 

[Alfaholico]

Cliche stereotypes...

Hi Everybody,
I just test drove both the Stelvio and Giulia.
Thought they both drive just great. Based on
historical reputation, Alfa's are "much worse then average"
according to consumer reports. Are the new Stelvios and
Giulas any better or should I just expect lots of maintenance
and repairs. I had Fiat convertibles in the 80s and I loved
them but I sent my mechanic's son to college based on my
repair costs. Any insights would be helpful.

So here's another side of the story....CR likes appliances....not visceral cars...I have a cousin with a Camry....Worse seats I've ever sat in....most vague steering I've ever experienced...but they love it....I would never take their recommendation for a car seriously...they're not car guys...

Next...I've owned 6 Alfas in my life and a few German cars....Funny how Italian cars don't get the "Benefit of the Doubt" when it comes to issues but German cars are allowed faults because they're "Over engineered"...the hypocrisy is, at least in my eyes, laughable.... for example
911...IMS bearing failures leading to complete engine replacement
M 5 Rod Bearing failure....complete engine failure
M 5 SMG Clutch ....perhaps the most expensive clutch repair this side of a Maserati Cambio Corsa F 1 Gearbox
M 3 Sub Frame cracks...not covered by warranty
3 Series High Pressure fuel pump failures....UBER QUALITY ....

The Alfa 164 was considered "unreliable"....well, I've got 85000 miles on mine (still with its original clutch) and I've maintained it properly...which, for that car, means Timing Belt at 30,000 mile intervals....At that point, one should replace the tensioner and the water pump....may seem excessive, but the 164 has an interference motor and if the belt snaps, pistons and valves meet in a very ugly fashion...so, draw the conclusions you want...High performance cars have high performance needs .....Give BMW credit..they know how to "market" ...some might say "brainwash"....

The car comes with a warranty...be unique.....don't follow the herd...that's my $0.02....D

 

[tipo949]

bike carrier

I had a 2014 Evoque (the 9speed tranny was awful as was eco boost, otherwise wonderful)which I dearly loved but traded on an ALfa 4C which I also dearly loved. I need something to haul a bicycle tho, wife gets annoyed with me using her car. LOve the stelvio.

Talking to my alfa dealer it's seems alfa is only offering incentives for buyers with NON FCA cars, seems ridiculous but italian companies are known for similar. So if that's the case I'll probably end up back with an evoque.

Chris

hey, Chris -
I've owned a 2013 L/Rover Evoque Prestige in the past but really don't miss it at all.
Felt like a lumbering tugboat at times....
It's a pity, but now that tow bars are available on the Stelvio, why don't you get a bicycle carrier?

 

[Marc0209]

In 1995 I purchased what turned out to be the last available Alfa to be sold in the US, the 164LS(I payed 37K!). It tuned out to be more reliable than I expected. I put around 55K miles in 4 years, and had very few problems as I remember. The car had gobs of FWD pull and boy did that 3.0L Purr! I enjoyed it almost as much as my 1988 Milano Verde in Rosso with the factory Zender body kit and Mono wheels. Back then(and probably today)people didn't buy Alfas because they were reliable, they bought them because they were different and built with enthusiast passion. I promised myself If we were ever so lucky to be able to buy another Alfa I would. Well I took delivery of Ti Sport in Vesuvio gray a week ago. The pride of ownership I feel for such a wonderfully crated machine goes with out saying. Those of us who own these cars know exactly what I mean. Do I expect to spend a bit more time at the shop than If It was a Lexus(I would never buy BTW)? Thats A chance I'm willing to take.

 

[ViscontiVerde 164L*]

Chiming in as another X Evoque guy. Mine was a top dog 2015 Dynamic Coupe loaded. Dumped it after 15 months because the transmission was intolerable which also made it a lousy pusher in winter driving. dealer knew how upset I was and yes i took it on the chin to trade in but they wanted to keep me in the brand so a got a Range Rover Sport HSE for invoice.....IT HAS BEEN ABSOLUTELY PERFECT. Evoque had no issues besides the tranny I guess I'm too advanced for. I have a long history of owning perfect vehicles that CR calls unreliable. 3 Jags none ever went back to dealer as they were all perfect. I owned a 1993 164 L that Alfaholico bought off me after 9 perfect years (except for the bad seals on the german ZF tranny). I'm on my 3rd Lotus...all sound cars. Notice trouble , expensive and german all seem to fit together as Alfaholico mentioned above
I have owned my Stelvio for a month, getting close to 2K mileage and except for a few niggles, it is the first SUV I have owned or driven that does not feel at all like an SUV. In your rearview mirror that sloped nose hides what it is as well.

GO FOR IT!!!