Quote:
Originally Posted by scotthilly
Coming back to this thread for a good old told you so!!
C&D newest review with the CT4V and the Giulia absolutely cooking, the G80 M3 in steering feel, engine sound handling, and ride. Aka basically the 4 most important reasons to buy a sport sedan.
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I owned a Giulia Q4 2.0T for a while, and just replaced it with a 330i xDrive. A step or two down the performance ladder referenced, but in terms of driving dynamics, the Giulia was way beyond the 330i. The BMW is a larger car, but the interior quality and tech bests the Giulia hands down. Both cars make around 280 HP (I'm not buying 258 for the BMW...). In terms of raw performance, the BMW might have it beat in terms of numbers, but for me it's never been just about the numbers. It's about balance, agility, and feel. It's hard to quantify, but the Alfa was a car that just begged to be driven enthusiastically at every chance. The BMW is more of an appliance; fun, but not so much that I go out of my way to exploit it.
Here's the rub: in the real world, there are other factors. Alfa dealers close from time to time - they've lost quite a few in the last couple of years. Stellantis is a train wreck. We're talking about a brand that left the US for 20 years, and now that they're back - at least for the moment - they're struggling to sell cars. Parts can be a nightmare. There's one dealer in my city - if they close, owners are 2 hours away from the next. Hardly any indies will touch an Alfa around here, and cost of a two hour tow is prohibitive out of warranty.
IMO Alfa's are emotional decisions. BMWs are rational decisions with enough performance to keep things interesting. As far as old vs. new, my benchmark is a 1985 535is manual, so I'll keep my opinions to myself.