[Herakles]

What’s everyone’s thoughts of the Giulia compared to the 340? A friend just bought a new Ti... since they are right about 50k same range as a new 340, actually cheaper

[DFW_M]

Originally Posted by Herakles

What’s everyone’s thoughts of the Giulia compared to the 340? A friend just bought a new Ti... since they are right about 50k same range as a new 340, actually cheaper

1) They should be compared to the 330i, not 340i
2) Test drive it. I was thinking about it, seen tons of them in Europe, liked the uniqueness, test drove it and sat in it and said - nah, cannot compare.

Went and placed the F80 order (), now the wait...

[tuco44]

In North America, I would be concerned about Alfa reliability, and the number of service facilities. The Alfa is "supposedly" said to perform nicely, but doubt it's a good daily driver. Just my 2c.

[cfm56d7b]

After looking at Giulia out of curiosity, only a heavily subsidized lease with a guaranteed service loaner in writing would be of slight interest. Then again, BMW still wins for many reasons.

[stormlv]

Originally Posted by Herakles

What’s everyone’s thoughts of the Giulia compared to the 340? A friend just bought a new Ti... since they are right about 50k same range as a new 340, actually cheaper

I for one seriously considered the Quadrofoglio before getting the M4.

I test drove one and was quite impressed with the interior, the seating position and how it handled.

I think Alfa has come quite a long way in terms of their cars.
Reliability wise, I have the feeling that Alfa still has a bit of stigma associated with the brand, and any issue that does exist, gets a lot of bad press.

I've had friends with Mercs that won't touch the brand with a 10 foot pole because of reliability issues.

Hell, I've even seen some interesting stories on this very forum.

Bottom line is that as long as you're leasing you don't have much to worry about.

In terms of performance, you really should compare the Ti with the 330/430i.
That said, you can get some interesting options that you can't in the BMW.

Like a mechanical LSD (with the Performance package)

[SBM1206]

Originally Posted by stormlv

I for one seriously considered the Quadrofoglio before getting the M4.

I test drove one and was quite impressed with the interior, the seating position and how it handled.

I think Alfa has come quite a long way in terms of their cars.
Reliability wise, I have the feeling that Alfa still has a bit of stigma associated with the brand, and any issue that does exist, gets a lot of bad press.

I've had friends with Mercs that won't touch the brand with a 10 foot pole because of reliability issues.

Hell, I've even seen some interesting stories on this very forum.

Bottom line is that as long as you're leasing you don't have much to worry about.

In terms of performance, you really should compare the Ti with the 330/430i.
That said, you can get some interesting options that you can't in the BMW.

Like a mechanical LSD (with the Performance package)

I think Ti vs 340 is a fair comparison. Especially when leasing. Both lease in low-mid $500s.

Alpha handles and drives better, 340 is faster, more reliable and has better dealer service.
Obviously one can also compare Ti to 330/430 but in this case Alpha will eat the BMW alive for a 10% premium.

[Swappy]

Originally Posted by SBM1206

I think Ti vs 340 is a fair comparison. Especially when leasing. Both lease in low-mid $500s.

Alpha handles and drives better, 340 is faster, more reliable and has better dealer service.
Obviously one can also compare Ti to 330/430 but in this case Alpha will eat the BMW alive for a 10% premium.

Not sure how the Alpha will eat the 330 alive when all the points you mentioned about 340 hold true for 330, as 330 is also faster (source C&D), more reliable and has better dealer service.

[SBM1206]

Originally Posted by Swappy

Not sure how the Alpha will eat the 330 alive when all the points you mentioned about 340 hold true for 330, as 330 is also faster (source C&D), more reliable and has better dealer service.

There is no way 330 is faster than Giulia Ti. Actually 330 is on the slow side when compared to other sporty 4 cyl cars with 2.0 liter turbo engines.
Giulia and A4 are the fast ones, 330 and ATS are the slow ones.

[switchman8]

Originally Posted by SBM1206

There is no way 330 is faster than Giulia Ti. Actually 330 is on the slow side when compared to other sporty 4 cyl cars with 2.0 liter turbo engines.
Giulia and A4 are the fast ones, 330 and ATS are the slow ones.

According to C&D like the guy above said, 330 0-60 in 5.4s 1/4 in 14s, Giulia 0-60 5.5s 1/4 14.1

[DFW_M]

Originally Posted by SBM1206

There is no way 330 is faster than Giulia Ti. Actually 330 is on the slow side when compared to other sporty 4 cyl cars with 2.0 liter turbo engines.
Giulia and A4 are the fast ones, 330 and ATS are the slow ones.

Where do you get your info from? 2012 Mags?
The Ti does not compare to the 340 at all.
330 (not the 430 since they have no coupe) is what they went after.

[bimmboy79]

All I can say is...the 340i is spectacular in terms of power delivery - engine and the ZF 8 speed are just in true harmony...love the acceleration on mine...if only we didnt have speed limits :-)

[Calvin36]

The Giulia would be nice to be a bit more unique but BMW would have more serviceability with more dealers and a bigger presence here in the states.

[Herakles]

I would never buy one- if I get anything else after my current 2011 335 msport , would be. 2016 340 xdrive msport ..I swear the Fee Times I had one as a loaner it made me
Smile so much !!

[bimmer456]

One thing I like about the Giulia is that it has steering column mounted paddles rather than on the steering wheel. It also has the console shifter which is lacking on Mercedes. I would prefer column mounted so they don't move when you turn, only drawback I can see is that you may have to reach further to get to them from the wheel. That being said, BMW is more well known, has more variants to choose from and vastly more aftermarket support and fan base.

[Herakles]

How about the turn signal stalk- it’s like ours in the bmws but it doesn’t turn off with one touch something weird and annoying af look it up

[RoundelM3]

No way I'd buy that car - when Alfa decided to build sedans back in the 90's they were a dismal disappointment. There's no established dealership network, and while Italian cars are "sexy", they're also very high-maintenance. Too bad, as Alfa used to be a major player back in the day - a great racing history, but they fell apart as a marque here in the US 20+ or so years ago. I'm not willing to experiment until their new offerings have been on the road for at least 5 years. And when the G20 3-series rolls out next year, the M340i will kick the Alfa to the curb.

[sfview]

Agree with the Giulia/330 comparison. The Giulia Quadrifoglio compares to the M3. There is no direct 340 comparison from Alfa. That said, the new Giulia is terrific and reliability is incredibly good especially given that it's a completely new design. Kudos to some excellent Ferrari engineers. Comparo of Quadrifoglio to M3:

[kern417]

My friend just got a Ti and loves it. His previous list of cars is mostly RX-8s (3) and BR-Zs (2). His car style preference is lower power/light weight/manual. While the Ti is auto only and heavier, he says the rwd and general driving dynamics still make it a lot more fun that any other new car in the price bracket. He worked at an Audi/Porsche dealership and a Nisan/Infiniti dealership prepping cars for sale, but so many cars come through there that he's test driven just about everything.

If that's your style, it'll be perfect for you. It'll definitely have the edge over a 320i/330i in the light and nimble department. But compared to the 340i, definitely on the slow side. He's actually really interested in driving my car to compare, but 6MT and a 6cyl won't be apples to apples imo.

[bad karma]

It might break, but it's going to look a hell of a lot sexier than a comparable F30 when it does. Also, LMAO @ BMW owners complaining of high maintenance/poor reliability.

[SoCal_NSX]

These things must not be selling well here in the US. Looking at autotrader and all of them are being advertised well under the MSRP. Most ads say $36,559 and show the MSRP of $44,299 ( or very similar)

I know looks are subjective, but these things don't hold a candle to the 3 series imo.

[bimmer456]

Originally Posted by SoCal_NSX

These things must not be selling well here in the US. Looking at autotrader and all of them are being advertised well under the MSRP. Most ads say $36,559 and show the MSRP of $44,299 ( or very similar)

I know looks are subjective, but these things don't hold a candle to the 3 series imo.

Yeah I can't imagine them selling for 3 series money. Not in any volume anyway. I've only seen a couple of them in the wild. No 2 door or GC variant as of yet just the sedan.

[SBM1206]

Originally Posted by dr335is

Where do you get your info from? 2012 Mags?
The Ti does not compare to the 340 at all.
330 (not the 430 since they have no coupe) is what they went after.

This is one of the reviews I remember.
http://www.motortrend.com/cars/alfa-...60-comparison/

BMW 330 got a well deserved 7th place. I can't remember when last time a newer model (in this case 330) was slower that its predecessor (328).
You just don't do that and if you do - you deserve to be punished.

Here is another review
https://www.cars.com/articles/is-the...1420696013303/

But what was the most important to me was my own impression of a downgrade when I tried to replace our old 328 with a 330.

Ended up getting a 340 which became my car since my wife finds it to noisy to be her daily driver.