Це відео не доступне.
Перепрошуємо.
The four reasons Alfa continues to fall - Alfa Romeo a history of Decline
Вставка
- Опубліковано 17 кві 2019
- We've been promised a renaissance for years and a raft of new models to take Alfa Romeo to its rightful place and yet every dawn proves false and Alfa continues to struggle. Here I discuss some of the historical reasons for this continuing decline as well as some current ones! I take a look at current sales figures as well as those of competitors and look back over the history of Alfa.
when you see a person in an alfa, it is certain that is a car nut. There are better quality, more economical, more reliable, and their families and friends say to them not to buy them. But Alfisti dont care about all that, we just fall in love these cars, no mater if its the 2l or the quadrifoglio their owners just love them. You dont buy an alfa by comparing it to other similar cars its love at first sight sort of deal. Alfa does need a big sedan, a coupe, and a convertible, to keep the sales up
Agreed! Thanks for watching buddy 🙏
Agreed. All this talk of sales of lack thereof is missing the point. Would you want an Alfa if they were as ubiquitous as a 3 Series? As utilitarian as a Mondeo. Alfa has always been about getting the fundamentals right. Looks, driving position, car feeling/steering and feedback/throttle noise. Personally I would prefer a more less comfortable ride than being in the driving miss daisy position I.e. on top of the engine with zero driver feedback.
That is so true . All Alfa's I've had the privilege of owning,
' they were just there ' found me .& the love story happened...
OK, several clutches in my "33"
Lying on the cold stone floor, into the middle of night ,
Wrestling with the gearbox,
Very Volatile, and the Unpredictability, I didn't care ,
Because , we were in love .
Forza Alfa Romeo 💘
Have interviewed a local road patrol with 12 interventions per day average on any Guilia trouble. By far one of the few 100% new model with the least initial troubles, Quadrifoglio included: forgotten lights, flat tyre, that sort of thing only. This Alfa unreliability myth is history, today Guilia and Stelvio product are truly outstanding, and most certainly superior to others. I also have zero defect to report on a Ghibli in 5 years. Only 10.minutes lost for a nut lost just after an headlight ajustement and change of tyres . I cannot blame the car for it. FCA knows their stuff, just ask major tier ones who is more strict with QC process....and this pays off.
stathisko omg another (cona) please someone bane this idiot..
You just don't get it do you. Alfa doesn't want to be VW or Audi...and thats why we love them.
Sorry Mattias you are so wrong. WithFiat in charge the Alfa marque has to make a profit.....period. If it doesn't then it will go like all others. Look what Maserati have been doing to push sales Fiat marketing has been poor and do not show much interest in keeping it.
Mattias Filander... well said!
And it is what is killing them. Unless you do business like that you have no future
@@baronvonlimbourgh1716 As long as they take time to develop proper product, people will come...In the United States Alfa's greatest sales year was 1986 when they sold 8201 cars....Since the marque was reintroduced in 2017 (really 2018 in earnest with the introduction of the Stelvio) they have sold 12031 (in 2017 with essentially a 1 car lineup) and 23800 (in 2018)...of course these are not BMW or Audi or Merc numbers but Alfa is essentially Brand X in the US and the reason for the sales growth is word of mouth....what they need to do is closely monitor service arm and make sure that customers feel catered to....That relationship is critical.....Build them (well) and they will come....
FORZA ALFA BABY !!!! THE KING IS BACK !!!!!
@@dinopappous6639 Look at the recent sales numbers in the United States and it's home market.
They have plummeted.
ALFA-ROMEO the name alone is legendary
True.
Yes but name alone is not enough. Lancia as a brand used to also be legendary..
As is Rustoleum... if your heart doesn’t break seeing the photos of rusted out Alfa’s...
Unions and Socialism are defined by those photos. Wake up!
@@OuttaHere7 ....and you've never seen rusted out pictures of Bavaria sedans and 2002's ??? Please don't drink the GERMAN KOOL AID !!!
I've had a 2018 giulia veloce for a year now and it's brilliant. The best sports sedan on the road, period.
Paul V I drove a QV last week, and the steering, ride and handling are a standout. Really impressive
How can you claim it is the best if you don't own competitors so you can compare?
@@thedriver5462 Its the most beautiful.
Wouldn’t touch it with a stick there so unreliable that even the normally placid American media tore strips off it.
@@fbboringstuff False reputation and superstition. Hang around cars long enough and all the stereotypes fall away, I've seen the most reliable brands and models fail and the worst keep on trucking into the horizon. There are no rules, sometimes you're lucky, sometimes you're not. Although it IS generally true that American domestic market cars are cheap and nasty.
Driving an Alfa 159 for 14 years now without big issues. It survived a lot of German cars from friends of mine. I still love the car, she is beautiful, even in 2019...next will be an Alfa again.
Gold to hear of your experience, 159 got to be one of the all round prettiest saloons ever. Thanks for watching Johnny
ooo---V---ooo = great car; who doesn't know it can't understand.
And expecially with the diesel engines they are really indestructible.
Their sporty interiors are very rexistent in the years, maintaining the same quality as new.
A long lasting beauty
Alfa 159 is dreamy best car of its period period
I'm still on my 156 GTA.
It is a decent car but it's basically a Vauxhall Insignia if you strip away all the Alfa styling and leather interior
I wanted to hate this video, but he makes some great points. But Ive owned a new Giulia for the past 18 months and it is an OUTSTANDING car with no major mechanical or other issues. I have owned 3 Bimmers, 2 Audi’s and a Maserati and this Giulia is by far my favorite. (the Maserati was worst). My friend bought a Stelvio and it is truly fantastic too.
If Alfa fails, it won’t be because of poor products this time around.
It will be marketing.
We won't fail. Keep the faith!!!
Alfa won't fail.
@@roger41450 I bl👀dy well hope so. I just pray they don't let it become another Lancia story, or what's happened with Fiat over the last decade resisting venturing away from the concept of flavours of the Cinquecento.
With the hushed murmurs of Italy's economic woes, an erosion of the middle class, they've not got much leeway to take a gamble with. Only something centred around electrification will have some future for keeping the brand relevant and they are taking forever to place their cards on the table. Meanwhile other more audacious car manufacturers are producing dross products but making headway.
Can it be a true 'Alfa' if it's fitted with an electric powertrain? Half the reason you fall in love with these things is their petrol engines and the way they draw you in to driving it with spirit. The other 50% of the decision making into buying an Alfa is looks - and that's not something that they have troubles with.
I pray they have a period of enlightened product development as it seems elsewhere the world of driving is gradually shifting into washing machines with chunky alloys.
The MiTo needs to be dropped - that's something they can farm off to either Lancia to keep it going on life support, or to Fiat.
They need to make a mid-sized coupé, perhaps another halo successor to the 8C, another larger saloon and replace the Giulietta made from the Fiat parts bin & all sharpish.
Of course, this all costs serious money.
really sad to hear that. for some reason i love maserattis. speacialy the ghibbly (i know, i know). i just think that the design is really cool. could be better, specially if u consider that it has that same look for like 10 years or whatever the fuck. but the interior ... its just fucking awful.look cheap for a car of that price. the engine sounds really great, bue if u look to like, an amg a35 that cost lesser and it way faster, specily if u consider the diference of horse power. i cant get it.
I absolutely disagree.
1. This video ended for me when I saw that 155 is regarded as a bad car
2. Small quantity is not necessarily bad
3. Comparing quantity-wise with Audi is so pointless - Alfa would never be the same if it was selling 50 different models, 500k vehicles/year.
Ciao.
155 is lovely, when it works.
The Alfa 155 is a legend...the 155 v6 dominated the Dtm for years!
This video ended when he said the 75 isn’t a great car
@@genterasaki86 totally agree
i think he is comparing because alfa in some kind of away ends up being a rival with those brands.
Alfa 159, one of The most beautiful and distinct modern car there is, 15-20 years old and still looks contemporary.
Have a lovely black 57 plate 159, bought 3 years ago, no issues, stunning car! Wife won't part with it...maybe for a Gulia mind
@@glitchjob4555 in my opinion gulia is not as good looking but rwd is more appealing
@@Leffe123 Thanks for the reply Sven
I am mesmerised by the front end of the 159, the rear not as much. That design, like the 105/115, is both beautiful and timeless. If you could just get one one with the Busso V6! I like my GT but the 159 is in another league.
Had a black 159 SW as company car, loved it, did a few runs on autobahns was very sad when company changed it to a BMW ....BMW, brand new, which after a couple of months left me stranded near the beach one evening ...
alfa romeo isn’t meant to be a mass market cheap car brand...
No.. bit there is mass market and then there is getting enough sales to maintain investment and survive. It will never be Toyota but it should be close to BMW at least
@@Number27 but then it will become boring like those shit Mobil's
Alfa would disagree with you. They are trying to be precisely that.
mac daddy I disagree. Yes Fiat-Chrysler are trying to mass market alfa to make them as profitable as possible, alfa romeo itself was never meant to be a mass market, cheap car brand.
My man!👌
You don't buy an alfa romeo for its reliability. You buy it for the driving experience, the passion, the history and pedigree, and the smile it puts on your face every time you get behind the wheel. Alfa made some of the most beautiful cars. The 6C, 4C,disco volante, 8C and many others. It also has made arguably the best sounding V6 engine ever. The Busso 3.2. I've owned different American and European cars but nothing compares to driving my 156 GTA manual transmission.
That's very fair, but couldn't Alfa Romeo still offer all of that driving experience, but also put the effort into fanatical quality control and durability testing as well?
@@TassieLorenzo it has. The newer cars are very reliable. I own giulia quadrifoglio and it's been very kind to me
How cheap to say "not reliable" and then show a picture of an old wrecked car covered by rust that has probably been left to rot somewhere out in the open for decades.
That is really weak dude and you just lost all credibility.
Whats equally funny is that people still seem to buy into the illusion that German cars (VAG cars especially) are really reliable. Just check out a few surveys of brand reliability and owner satisfaction and you will quickly find otherwise!
soundseeker63 exact... but no one gets it
@@genterasaki86 Another thing nobody seems to talk about is the fact that when your German car needs repairs, which it will do as soon as its out of warranty, it will most likely cost considerably more than to fix than the Alfa Romeo. But hey it's German so everyone finds the cost of parts and servicing "reassuringly expensive" rather than just a rip off, wheras when italian cars need money spending on them its because they are "unreliable". Some stereotypes never go away.
soundseeker63 cause everyone nowadays thinks that Alfa = fiat = cheaply made and unreliable... but Alfas sometimes are even more reliable than Audis or VWs, and certainly (as you said) less expensive to maintain and repair
Noticed that aswell,showing a car thats been left out to rust for a long time and say "unreliable"..
A bit below the belt that
Considering how close Ford was to buy Alfa in ’86, we should be VERY happy Fiat stepped in. However lackluster the 155 was they have produced not only the 156 but a series of great cars now reverred by petrolheads.
I think you’re a bit harsh on the new cars too (which certainly wouldn’t have been, under Ford). The Giulia is a great car and the Quadrifoglio is nothing short of sensational. However the way the market looks today it’s easy to see sedan’s/BERLINA’S are almost niche cars... While the (rather silly) Stelvio sells pretty well.
Comparing Alfa to Vw is frankly a little weird. :)
Whats more depressing in later years is the criminal neglect of Fiat, rather. Where are today’s 125 Special, Dino, Ritmo 130TC, 130 Coupe or Coupe 20VTurbo or even Barchetta...? Which partly takes us to Your point - the idea of branding each brand too monochrome, ”sporty alfa”, ”luxy lancia”, ”cheap fiat” didn’t work and no-one cared enough to realize it.
Not even Marchionne, but then he wasn’t a car guy either, he was all finance.
And don’t get me started on the Lancia situation...
Yes the Lancia thing is just awful!!
Per Eldh I think ford would have done a better job than fiat
@@Aron-ru5zk Disagreed and most importantly they wouldn't be italian. We'd never have Giulia Quadrifoglio or Alfa SZ thats for sure! :)
Per Eldh ford has a history of being able to run car companies decently, they did alright with Range Rover and jaguar... it doesn’t matter how Italian they are if they go bust
M’ aiq Agree to disagree :)
Old Alfa Romeos are pretty rare here in the US, Lancias too. I don't know much about Alfa Romeo but I respect it.
Good to hear Carlos, they have made some amazing cars!
Carlos..well said. I have owned several Alfa Romeo's i now own a 159 tbi and i tell you the truth Alfa Romeo is great!!!
Roger Gomes I looked up images of your car and it's very beautiful!
Thanks i appreciate your comment.
Venturi Atlantique That goes for Citroën, Renault and Peugeot too. We miss out on a lot. I wish SEAT was here. Love their Ibiza.
What harms Alfa Romeo sales figures the most is bias reviews by the Golf obsessed motoring press.
And the reliability bandwagon peddled by the clueless masses, most of whom have never even owned an alfa.
Agree there is some bias out there but unfortunately some of it is deserved from previous cars. Thanks for watching!!
The 156 was quality and also the 159 wich I own right now.
LMAO the 159... really? What have you got the Ti?
@@behemothfan666ftp4 no, not the Ti. I only got the 1.9 diesel but it's fine it does not have any problems, no rust or electric sistem, nothing.
@@zsoltnemes9806 haha the 1.9 is the worst one going rotten subframes/pannels that's are attached to the body. Absolutely shit gearboxes/diff. Oh well that's what you get when you mix a once reliable brand with Vauxhall
behemothfan666 F T P Almost all cars have issues. The E36s suspension towers colapses as well. So... its not only Alfa. I could go on and name other cars that have big design flaws.
@@fernandofragoso4118 both german and Italian cars are unreliable compared to most japanese brands
Damned Alfas ..I hate them and I've only owned 5 of them ..and I wish I still had ALL of them !!!
Ha!! I love the Giulia Spider I had very much and also quite liked the 97 twin spark GTV! Just not sure where Alfa is heading!!
I drive an alfa roneo GT and its the best car ive ever owned better than any other car brand
I had a GT for five years, and I agree it's awesome. Looks and drives really nice. 7 Months ago I sold it and bought a 147 GTA which is a different animal altogether. Still miss my GT a little bit though.
I had a 08 Atlantico blue gt cloverleaf about 6 years ago traded to a astra gtc vxr then to a Porsche Cayman still have very fond memories of it .
Owned two GTs - my first one was black with a red leather interior. The current one is the Limited Edition centenary model, red with black interior 🙂
Who wants to buy a boring germanic car? Style is where it's at, make it look pretty 😎
Ok I agree but the substance and quality has to be there too or no one will buy them!
Why¿ You cant see the outside when you drive it.
I much rather have an ugly dog that drives like a dream.
@@baronvonlimbourgh1716 alfas drive good but the quality isnt there. Its not gonna last 200000 miles
@@alphatrion100 I own 4 Alfas....2 over 200,000 miles....FORZA ALFA BABY!!!
I`ve forgotten just how good looking the 156 is. Give it another 15 years and watch the desirability and values go through the roof.
You not kidding. Wish I had one
Will be interesting to see if that happens.. 159 was impossibly handsome too
Yes but in the UK in a few years you will be paying over £1k per year for road tax due to CO2. I can just about justify the £220 a year I pay for Road Tax but I think in a few years it's going to overwhelm most older alfa drivers unless you can keep it off the road.
@@pt17171 Wow, lucky me my country dont care about that things.... yet.
The 156 GTA has already become collectible modern classic and increasing in value. Not many low millage cars are out there.
Alfa is MAGIC ....AND ITALIAN....
Very valid points. I really like the current revival. If they can keep it up I think the brand could stick around, even just as a niche sub-brand of some other manufacturer. The issue is that most new cars, at least in my eye's lack real character.
Just drive a 75 or a wide body 155 2.0TS. You do not have to make excuses for both of them. 155 is the best handling FWD car of its time, with huge boot and lots of space in the back and 75 is on another level- just a pure joy to drive
It is so complicated ! I will tell you what i think:
-Alfa Romeo should produce ONLY expensive, luxury and sport cars !!!!!! Only rich peaple could enjoy the beautifull drive of AR, and could run easily. Alfa Romeo 8c is the true way how they should look, and cost.
-Alfa Romeo make cars just for enthusiast ! "Mortals" will never know that parts need repairment because of the stiff suspension which allows you to drive it very fast in the corners.
-i have Alfa since 2015 even i like it since i knew for me. I didn't buy it because everyone ( who have never been siting in Alfa) were telling me that Alfa has poor quality and they are expensive to run. I wish i didn't listen them. Now i have AR (beauty, rocket, badass car) and I LOVE IT and i know i will drive AR for the rest of my life.
Great to hear, continue to enjoy your cars 🚗!!
But Maserati is the expensive, luxury and sportscar brand of FCA. The unwillingness to have overlap has always been a problem.
I've had a 147 GTA for over 10 years. It's started first time, every time, has never broken down on me (honestly!😂) and the only replacement parts needed have been the general consumables that everyone has to change such as brake pads, tyres etc. Best car I've ever had, is still much better looking than todays hot hatches and can keep up with them comfortably 👍
Youain'tseenme.....right?! I had my 147 GTA for 7 years and apart from cam belt changes and regular service ,( water pump impeller and Q2 not included as they are one off changes) it never once let me down in 7 years. Biggest regret was selling it 2 years ago
Must own a 147 GTA.. have wanted one for some time now!!
my 166 V6 also: bulletproof
I own a 156 sportswagon started with 1400 km, now 298000 km never had big issues, my wife throws a horse trailer all the time with it.
I've had 5 Alfa's over the years and still have a GT today. All of them have been both excellent and frustrating. When everything is right there's nothing like an Alfa on the road.
On my fourth Alfa... and it’s also a GT - actually my second GT.
is it weird to say that my favorite AR is actually the Alfa Romeo Guiletta 1600 ti? I drove that car twice because an old neighbour and good friend of mine had one. Strange how back in those days AR and Lancia just oozed sophistication and quality compared to today
Alfa will never be mainstream. They have been making good cars now and offer an alternative to the usual boring German rubbish. It will take time before the general public finally notice. It's not easy to overturn it's poor reputation of quality and service although that it no longer reflected in its current offerings.
Agree overturning the reputation is hard.. thanks for watching!
Poor reputation in rust was justified, but in mechanics you have to consider that once Alfa powers were really outstanding, so that they needed the right maintenance (with the right materials and components)!
A Giulia 1.6 runned at 175
when a Opel or a Mercedes 1.9 reached 160...
The Alfetta 2.0 with its 130 cv runned like a real sportcar in total handling and comfort.
Not to talk about the boxer little devils first models.
Of course you must respect them
when I was a kid in the 80's my uncle had an Alfa 33 1.7 carburetors with which he occasionally took me around. I will never forget the fury of that boxer engine... I still have that unique and exciting sound in my ears
Yes I loved the engine but the rest of the car was pretty rubbish. Terrible brakes that had the car diving on sharp action and an interior made out cheese.. still fun though I grant you
Lets stop and talk about that photo at 3:07
Guys who own top mercs, beamers, porshe, all glance admiringly at my ALFA GT.... now that says a lot
Glad you’re enjoying your GT.. and thanks for watching!
Alfa never felt! They simply have a small line up of models but if you look at them, they are one of the best in their class. The design is always unique and never age, the handling is good and Diesel version are reliable and get good fuel economy. They are not the car for people are looking for the newest technology, but I personally don’t care, cause I want a car to drive, no to be driven by hi- tech features.
well said
What about giulieta and mito? They sell pretty well in Portugal
Yes I have a MiTo, love it like a part of my family
Well said! I just bought a 2011 Giulietta and utterly love it!
I notice that Mito and Giulietta are never mentioned by youtubers who love Alfa, it's like they are that kid in the attic. I had a Mito (not without issue, but not costly). I miss her though.
What do you suppose they do? The sports coupe market is shrinking by the day as buyers are seemingly uninterested and would rather drive garbage build quality electric cars like Telsa with iPads and Porsche SUVs. Die hard mericans have their corvetses and the BMW/Audi/Benz fanatics have their flavors of Z4’s, M2’s and TT RS’s. Lotus hasn’t put up a new Elise successor model in over a decade and just got supplanted by the Alpine A110, and the perennial Cayman is just as good as ever.
Should Alfa put the magic of their 4 door performance saloon (which despite out performing even Jaguar, still fails to sell as much as the regular Audi A4 sedan) cram it into a SUV much like Porsche and just give up on the sports coupe market?
I saw a recent Alfa commercial where they remarked that Audi’s were a lame and frankly plebeian choice; should they really abandon their roots and give in?
Good comment Sleepy!! I always thought as Alfa Romeo as a company like Porsche, specializing in low volume sports cars. I really don't know what Alfa is thinking trying to sell us 4 door sedans and SUV's? BMW/Mercedes have that market wrapped up tight!
Tough situation for sure Sleepy, the whole car industry is in flux really but the Italians in particular look in danger of dying off
Truth be told I’m worried about Lotus especially. It’s one of my favorite brands but with global governments scapegoating gasoline cars for climate change in order to push government subsidies and incentives for electric car companies that politicians own stock in; it seems almost impossible for smaller companies to manufacture Manual transmission performance cars to compete in the market and still turn a profit.
Well, IMO they shouldn't have stopped production of the Giulietta -- they should have facelifted it instead, Alfa Romeo having a small ICE car in the line-up is still relevant for the time-being (the Dodge Dart was a misstep by Fiat Chrysler, that probably should've been a swoopy Giulietta sedan for the North American market, akin to the Mercedes CLA).
The cars should feel as Italian as possible -- bring back the retro interiors of the 156 & 159 -- and forget the faux-BMW black & silver interior the Giulia has (especially with the default black leather which most dealer seem to spec cars in, instead of red or tan).
Then aggressive pricing, good warranty, lots of advertising and please do the very best to match Lexus durability standards in the product development phase. It is given that really good BEV and hybrid models next to be brought to market as quickly as possible (but without cutting any corners on product testing!). :)
As a new young driver who just passed his test this saddens me. I love the history and look of Alfa Romeo cars and am seriously considering a MiTo for my first car as opposed to the common supermini options. I think it's a real shame Alfa are pulling out of that segment of the market.
Don' t be sorry. Join & become an alfa owner.
The 156 was actually a significant success, 4 Touring car championships in a row, solid sales and critics rated it above the E36 that it initially competed with and it held it's own against BMW almost until it was replaced, and that's not mentioning the 147 which did similarly well. Alfa isn't supposed to sell half a million cars a year, it's not that kind of brand. That's what Fiat is for. They need a couple more cars in the range, but not a lot more.
By the way, the Giulia's reliability score topped every single German in its sector and was only beaten by Kia and Volvo. Nobody has any time for decades-old stereotypes being taken for up-to-date reasons to put their own money one place or another.
Interesting video but the worlds financial analysts don’t agree. FCA Stock is up 20% since January. I have no idea why people love knocking Alfa so much. Maybe it’s a reaction to the fanaticism of some Alfisi’s, or owners of German premium brands who don’t like idea of a new entrant in their segment or even sections of the UK motoring press who quite clearly in the pocket of the big German manufacturers.
That said I do have to declare an interest in that after owning three M Series, several MB’s and an Audi, my Quadrifoglio knocks them all into a cocked hat. Granted, Alfa may not survive but if won’t be for the lack of making beautiful, exciting, and iconic cars.
Wow, thanks, interesting comment on sure value that I was not aware of. I’ll look it up.. though if 20% up from a low baseline then maybe not so significant. If constant growth then great!
Some people want to see Alfa fail, they have their reasons I guess. Same goes for Fiat. Fix it again Tony jokes etc. Meanwhile, Fiat has been making reliable cars for a long time now. Maybe Fiat should sell their car business to Rover and change the Alfa name to Triumph or MG. That will make the British smile. Oh, wait, those brands are all defunct. Shit!
Number27 you are quite right, that growth is off of a 52 week low but in line with most other car car companies who have had a bad year Re: sales figures. I tend to agree with you on most of your points.
Only thing I’d say is if Alfa have to change and match other manufacturers and offer generic Econoboxes to raise sales figures then I’d rather they carry on designing fabulous cars, go bust and disappear forever rather than turn out “me too” offerings that have zero interest to car enthusiasts.
Looking forward to your next video.
Anthony De Cesare Totally agree. The Alfa reliability joke is not only years out of date but ironically is on the big German manufacturers who are all below Alfa in many reliability surveys in the last 1-2 years (Whatcar etc).
On top of that, FCA are offering 5 years warranty, 3 years free servicing and 3 years roadside cover with all new Alfa’s (no manufacturer would stand behind their product like this unless they had faith in it’s reliability).
I’ve only had my Alfa for a few months but so far it has been faultless. Couldn’t imagine going back to BMW, MB or Audi (even though they were all great cars).
@@sultanoftippoo3857 Hmm I didn't get the 3 years of free servicing with my 2018 Giulia. I did get a 4 year warranty and 4 years of roadside. Maybe a difference in coverage if you're in a different country (I'm in the U.S.)?
Giulia is awesome, I am waiting until they're just a bit cheaper and buy Super and tune it to 280hp or Veloce, Quadrifoglio is my dream, but not sure if I'll be able to afford it in near future.
Do like the Giulia.. thanks for watching!
156 1.8 petrol, what a car back in the 90s, drove great just great, better than my Integra R !
Do like a 156 and 159 is prettiest saloon of modern times! Thanks for watching
The 159 is actually a really good car. Good looking as well.
One of the best looking cars ever made, but it isn't sporty unfortunately.
I think that the 159 is one of the best looking saloon cars, along with the last generation Quattroporte.
Agree 159 is one of best ever looking saloons ever. shame it was not so good to drive. Missed opportunity that one!
@@Number27 It is excellent to drive. Even Top Gear and several German road tests admitted that it was even better than BMW's.
I've owned many Alfa Romeo's over the years, Alfasud 1.5Ti, Alfasud Sprint Veloce, 2000GTV Bertone, 2 x GTV's ( 2L TwinSpark and 3L V6 ) 156, and lastly a 166 3L Sportronic. Not all plain sailing but nowhere near as bad as you'd expect.
Beautiful cars with passion, soul and character built in and I'm quite sad watching this.
I do love lots of Alfa’s but I’m equally sad seeing they’ve not hit the place they deserve on the world market. Thanks for watching James!
Bmw is for selfimage,VW is for logic,Alfa is for the heart....I have no idea what im talking but i hope you get it ✌
I do indeed Rytis, thanks for watching buddy!
History of decline???Alfa built some of the best cars and engines ever! The Alfa Giulia is actually the best sport sedan in production you don't know nothing about Alfa Romeo history
What do you mean by best engines? Since the end of the 80s to me Honda was much more superior. You can take every engine displacement from 1200cc to 3500cc and Alfa is nowhere near Honda. Take the Bussò 3200cc and compare it to a Honda 3000cc from NSX.
@@PostMortemor the v6 busso engine is one of the best engines in the world and it has one of the best sounds,there is also the boxer engine and the twin cam engines honda v6 engine is more powerful and its newer (alfa v6 was made in the 70's)and it has vtec technology,but nevertheless they have the same torque,alfa's v6 was evolving in way more powerful versions but fiat blocked the projects
@@Luca_SJ what do you mean by "better"? Show me one single Alfa engine that is more powerful, more reliable and revs like a Honda?
@@PostMortemor the busso v6 is really reliable and also the boxer,with a 1.3 boxer you can make 300.000km with no problems and the v6 busso 3.0 can reach 500.000km without any problem,however variable timing engines were introduced by Alfa Romeo then honda years later invented the vtec, I'm not saying that honda engines suck because they are brilliant,powerful and very reliable,but Alfa Romeo has made the history of motoring Honda is only recognized for vtec nothing more,this is what I wanted to say, that Alfa Romeo has made history by producing some of the best engines and cars, read Alfa's story
@@Luca_SJ Alfa is dead since 80s as the author said. It has 2-3 models that try to copy BMW M3 or Lotus. Honda is not only about vtec, you are poorly informed. Hondas are lightweight, very well built, reliable, high revving and powerful. Take the 1600cc which makes 180hp, take the 1800cc which makes 190hp, take the 2000cc which makes 250hp, 3000cc with 280hp. It has one of the best FWD systems, well balanced body frames. McLaren F1 was inspired from a NSX.
Alfa has developed major automotive technologies including common rail direct injection
My first car was an '83 Spider back in '87 and have loved Alfas since. Of the over thirty cars I've owned, a third (11, including the new Giulia) have been Alfas. Cutting off their glory years with the 105/115 GTV doesn't seem justified in light of the GTV6, 75/Milano (wonderful dynamics regardless of what one thinks of the styling), and the ultimate Alfa transaxle, the SZ. Clearly they went through some lean years under Fiat, but in that time was the amazing 155 Ti DTM car and the widely praised 156 GTA. Though not a great performer, the 159 was lovely and supposedly very reliable. Whatever their past woes, the 952 platform is fantastic and the Giulia specifically is just an amazing car dynamically (esp with a peddle booster and/or a tune). That they aren't selling as well as hoped doesn't surprise me; neither does the fantastic Mazda 6; most people don't have good taste in cars, or their priorities aren't on dynamics. At any rate, Alfa's doing at least as well as Jaguar and they've been trudging along well enough for a good while. Hopefully with an expanded model range Alfa can gain some momentum; they've got the platform for it and the Cassino assembly plant is a wonder.
Was kinda painful watching, especially when you watch the review videos from recent years in which they all state that the new model was so much better than the last, like the 156 they all loved over the 155 and it could be the saviour of Alfa, then the 159, "so much better than the 156 and could be the saviour of alfa" now the same with the giulia.
Historically they all hate on the previous model forgetting how much they loved it when it came out.
Good point
I can remember that there were Alfa Romeo 145's and 146's everywhere
Yes, me too!! Hard to believe now with all the Kia’s, Hyunday’s and so on.
Alfa now make 2 of the best cars in the world but I think they dropped the ball by dropping the MiTo and not updating the guilletta 2 big sellers for them .
Long live Alfa ❤️
Yes agree was mad to drop the Giulietta!
@@Number27 you can still buy the guilletta but it's not changed in nearly 10 years , they've dropped the MiTo though crazy in my opinion
Alfa 105 series of the mid-late 60’s and early 70’s were so far ahead of BMW or anything else anyone was producing at the time.
Well, Alfa never produced ''67 variation'' model... They were always a relatively small company. Actually, I prefer it that way. In that perspective, they are more like Subaru and not like audi or vw. This is also the reason why they are so unique.
I love my 2017 Rosso Alfa Romeo Giulia! My first new Alfa Romeo was a 1998 Nero Alfa 156. Great video.
True story here. In the late 90s, I went from the 'legendary' Peugeot 205 1.9 GTI to an Alfa 33 1.5 TI Veloce and the Alfa drove better handled better with its flat engine and rear mounted gearbox weight disruption and good chassis , had a brilliant boxer engine with twin carbs , better interior plastics, sounded better and was much more reliable, the Peugeot broke down regularly, never the Alfa, and so began the habit.
The only way the Peugeot was better was better rust resistance and had brighter lights better electrics, that's not to say the Alfas electrics ever failed, they didn't.
The 5 other 33s I had after were all reliable and just great cars minus the rust issue, the mk2 cars were more rust resistant.
Alfa fixed the rust issue in the mid 90s for good. Half the problem is the bias automotive press who worship the Golf and 3 series, the other half is the piss poor customer service and dealership experience you get at Alfa.
Tried a 33 sport wagon cloverleaf Ashe I was 21.. wasn’t very impressed to be honest. Maybe the earlier ones were better?
I think this is full of old cliches.
Since the 156 the rust issues are history. Just look at the old to nearly new car reviews. The brand has models that rank highly in reliability and owner ranking surveys.
Why not highlight the fact other makes have failed? VW Audi and BMW have all had models which broke down and suffer from huge mechanical problems.
Ford , Mazda and Mercedes have more rust issues than Alfa
And never admitted that I should add
I've got an rare alfa romeo gtv pininfarina glass sunroof with red MOMO leather seats 🔥🔥🔥
Sounds like a nice car.. had a GTV and loved it
I think the Guilia is a brilliant car.Nice change from the German marques,and that's coming from one who drives an Audi!
Agree it’s a good car but not enough on its own, Alfa needs some volume cars as well!! The Giulia is not selling well, the Stelvio is.. bit they need smaller SUVs ( 🤮) and a good hatch as well as more performance stuff
@@Number27 they need but only RWD!!!
Melvyn Cox...that's an honest comment
@Roger Gomes
Thanks for that.It really is good to see something different on the roads.Too many Audis,Mercedes and BMWs around!
I totally agree.
Even in the year 2022 I still am falling in love with 2012 Alfa Romeo 159 3.2 v6 Q4. Love from South Africa.
Alfa Romeo will always be exclusive to the status quo......that's what makes Alfa Romeo so special
Oh how wrong check out Disco volante , 4C and the achingly beautiful 8c....Loving my Brera Spider too
8C was truly beautiful but just are-bodied Maserati 4200 and a pretty dreadful drive.. do love the 4C but it’s not enough to save Alfa. Brera is very beautiful but too heavy for my and not as sharp as an Alfa should be
Brera is a fucking whale!!!! It totally lost Alfa's vision. Don't even call it Alfa)
That would just be called an Alfa Romeo Spider...beautiful car anyways.
kim jerreat, Don’t forget my favorite, the tippo 33, 2.0 liter V8 mid engine. She’s as sinuous and curvy as Sophia Loren! OUCH!
164 V6 24v, 166 V6 24v, Mito QV, Giulietta QV, Never EVER a big issue, the 166 was may be the best car I ever had, Giulietta QV is outstanding... sadly I can't afford a Giulia....
My dad had a 164.. always liked that car but next to five series bMW it just felt like a toy.. V6 engine though was lovely!
@@Number27exactly the same with my father...after 164 he went on to buy E34 525i and never went back...
How can he say that Alfa is in decline after their classic 155 model, the legendary 75 Turbo Evoluzione, and the recent victories at the Nurburgring from the Stelvio and the Giulia?
Well... because their sales are way under expectations. Of course Alfa has some inspiring successes such as the Giulia Quadrifoglio but it’s just not enough. Sales need to be higher if it is to survive! Thanks for watching Italian genius
No mention of the current Giulietta - we have one, great little car, very willing when driven enthusiastically, got me my FIRST speeding ticket at age 74 !! 😎
I was thinking of gettinng a base Giulietta .14 120hp. What should I look out for in an used one?
@@velkovskinikola2 - Hello Nikola I'm no expert but if you mean a 2014 Giulietta most of the development problems with mulitair etc were ironed out - as with any car, look for low mileage, full service history etc, oil changes with correct oil is very important on multiairs. Best I can suggest is the Alfa site www.alfaowner.com/Forum/alfa-giulietta/ Don't think you have to be a member, which I am, to view anything, plenty of good and bad stories on there ! 😊. I am off to sunny Spain today for 5 weeks and I avoid any social media there - so best of luck to you on your quest. 👍
Good to hear you like it Mike!! Was a great little car when it came out and still is but a bit old to compete at the top of the segment now.. thanks for watching Nikola!
The only reason Alfa Romeo has survived is because of financially strong owners. It was owned by the Italian state for a long time and then Fiat took over, which is now FCA. So I thank Fiat for continuing supporting Alfa Romeo, otherwise they would have ended up where Saab is now. Dead.
I love Alfa Romeo and think their cars are the best, no matter what. But one of their main mistakes, that they have been repeating over and over again, is that they don't take advantage of the technical platforms they have and make more different models and versions, sharing the same components. Where is the Giulia Sportwagon, or the Giulia Coupé? They say they don't need or want a Sportwagon because they have the Stelvio SUV. But that's the same mistake again, as you pointed out in the video: they are afraid of cannibalizing but instead they are losing potential customers because they don't have enough different models to attract customers with different needs.
Totally agree, they need a much wider range or cars!! Thanks for watching 👍
Maybe just maybe they working kn a much wider range but it takes time and money. Or are you not aware of the product plan they’ve released
www.motor1.com/news/243726/alfa-romeo-2018-2022-roadmap-revealed/amp/
I have owned dozens of cars, Japanese, German, British, a Maserati GTS MC Shift and most recently, an Alfa GT Busso V6. No cars were able to generate the same feelings as the Maser and Alfa. Yes, I held my breath every turn of the GTS ignition key waiting for an error light, but holy shit it sounded magnificent.I owned a new tuned 435i BMW for 6 months and never drove it. It bored me stupid despite being very quick. I have a CX5 turbo daily driver which is both outstandingly reliable and outstandingly bland. But nothing beats cranking over the Busso for a quick fang in the twisties.
I have my little 147 still waiting for some needed attention..I will get to her but she's going no where,Alfas are just so unique that I just wanted one
Continues? Have you seen/tried the new Giulia? The best car ever made?
Maybe not the best ever made but a very good car. Not enough on its own though, they need a full range of cars the the peak of each category for s proper recovery!
My pleasure. Daddy used to work in Alfa in Arese, so you can imagine my DNA in made by x, y and AR
Chasing sales is a waste of time. The big sellers are Fleet cars and Alfas are not Fleet vehicles. Alfa should remain a marque manufacturer of Fiat making sports vehicles and high performance saloons, that's part of the appeal.
I've had a 1969 Berlina (1750 motor upgraded to a 2000 motor) and a 1987 Milano V6 (75 in Europe?). Loved both cars, they both performed rather well. The induction sound of the 2 liter motor was something and the V6 was the best sounding car I've ever had, and the handling of that four door sedan was something else. They both had some rust, however, but well, I had these cars in Ohio and nothing survives their salty winters (when I got them in the late 90's I never drove those cars in the winter but the damage had been already done to them). I would add another element to the Fiat takeover: front wheel drive. That's one thing that added salt to the wound in the 90's, in my opinion. But the key thing that really killed Alfa came two decades before, and it is the Alfasud, the issue was in the name, "sud". It may have a connection to your union element to the story. The quality of those cars made on a plant designed and influenced by union and government interested in developing the south of Italy... what seemed to be a great idea, one stone to kill two birds, became the needle that broke the camel's back on the opportunity Alfa had to break into the big leagues. The Alfasud missed its opportunity for Alfa to make it into the popular but interesting cars market, the VW Golf was the writing on the wall, when Alfa fell on the trap of ideas prevalent at the time, not on the interest of the company and the brand, but one of an illusive equity model. Like many organizations around the world, they killed the chicken that laid the golden eggs...
Ive got an alfa romeo gt junior that i swapped the standard 2litre engine for a 3l v6 from a 164
@@LucaMastrolacasa Man... must be something!
@@TheCDANet it is mad!!
We are still trying to get it on the road but should be i 2 weeks
As I already pined up, the poor reputation in rust was justified, but in mechanics you have to consider that once Alfa engines and mechanics were really outstanding, so that they needed the right maintenance (with the right materials and components)!
A Giulia 1.6 runned at 175
when a Opel or a Mercedes 1.9 reached 160...
The Alfetta 2.0 with its 130 cv runned like a real sportcar in total handling and comfort.
Not to talk about the boxer little devils first models.
Of course you must respect them by the right maintenance
I drove a Sud Veloce in the mid 80s. Lovely car, lovely flat four motor, good handling.
Indeed, what a missed opportunity.. of only the quality was right too..
155 Q4 was a car to match M3 E30 back in the day. I had one, and yes, 2 x timing belt snapped, but used as a daily driver, 120k miles. Never regretted having it, then I got married...
The 75 qv was already a match for the E30 M3.
My 2009 159 2.2 TI manual is a bloody fantastic car to drive, look at, and sit in. Everyone comments on how beautiful it is, it sounds amazing, pulls hard at 4K-7krpm, has the best driving position of any 4 door I’ve been in, and handles way better than a long wheel base fwd has any right to. My only issue is the fuel consumption, only avg 18mpg around town from 190bhp isn’t great.
Do love the way the 159 looks. Probably one of the best designs ever!! Thanks for watching!
Alfas don´t fail!
They may not work, they may fall apart, they may depreciate like the old soviet but they NEVER fail!
"Well, You Know, That's Just, Like, Your Opinion, Man."
🤣Yes!! That is mostly true!! Thanks for watching !
As if unions have an impact on the design or marketing of cars. What a load of crap.
dirk bomans, No, they just drain the finances of a company. They promote and protect mediocrity and incompetence.
I get your point, however I chose a Giulietta over a Golf, my Mothers Golf has cost her thousands of pounds in repairs until someone wrote it off, my Alfa has cost me nothing.
They are beautiful cars tarnished by something big car makers won't let them forget.
Good to hear that the Giulietta worked well for you. But not totally convinced this is all just prejudice against Alfa, it regularly comes low in the marque reliability rankings too.. thanks for watching!
@@Number27 I don't think it's a prejudice, more a pre conception because of a bad press, yes, Alfa's went rusty in the 1970's /80's as did every other manufacturer apart from the German marques. (Apart from BMW)
This guy really should get a shot of what Davide Cironi does at his channel. Now thats a real car guy's channel.
Davide is indeed fantastic.. I'm not really trying or pretending to be super knowledgeable or a race driver, just a normal guy having fun. Thanks for watching in any case!
The Seat or VW comparison is pointless. Seat (as Skoda) shares pretty much everything with VWs. All this part sharing keeps costs down and means these brands can have quite a big lineup.
Last time Alfa had a big (for the time) lineup was during the 90's in the first reboot by Fiat with the 164, 155, 145/6, GTV/Spider 916. The cars that always get flamed by people who know absolutely nothing and just complain about its Fiat underpinnings (also called part sharing) and being FWD.
The truth is that those Alfas were great cars for the time. The GTV was one of the best handling coupes of its time. The 155 won at everything it raced and singlehandedly held the Alfa name high on competition. The 145 was one of the best hatchbacks of the '90s, being modern, practical, fun and a massive step up from the 33.
Of course then came the 166, 156 and 147 which were better but the market was changing and a hatchback, a mid size sedan and a E-class saloon just wouldn't cut it anymore.
The Giulia, Stelvio and the upcoming Tonale are a step in the right direction but I believe they need to find a balance in their lineup, they should make a MiTo and Giulietta successors in order to have two solid entry models. Which usually attracts more (young) people. I hope they don't loose track and get too carried away with crossovers, SUVs and copying the Germans
Alfa Romeo shares parts with Fiat to save costs too though. For example, the HVAC blower module of Fiat Punto and Alfa Romeo Giulietta is identical. It meant Alfa Romeo had to compromise on the dashboard design to reuse the existing fan ducting.
There’s always a chance,remember when Audi was in the shitter? Look at them now.
Let’s hope so!!
Audi is holding well now, still their cars are nothing special really, at least from this perspective. Alfas are really special, it is such a shame they can not manage to survive.
Why did you leave out the Alfetta / 116 series? Excellent cars with a revolutionary drive train at that time!
why does a brand have to make 27 different cars to be 'succesfull'? Alfa just makes 3 or 4, but they're all amazing and the design is always so on point that they never look old. Have you seen a Brera lately? It still looks amazing even though it's almost 15 yrs old. Compare that to a mark 5 golf, which looks dated as fuck.
The American market will save it. They are adding two new SUV models and sales have strong growth in America.
Alfa is not about SUVs .... Alfa is not an American brand.
It is now., because that's what the market dictates. Even RR is making an SUV.
FORZA ALFA BABY !!!! THE GERMAN FANBOYS ARE CRYING....!!!!!
Forza Alfa indeed.. lets hope they do ongoing forward. thanks for watching Dino
Well, FCA is likely to combine with PSA - Peugeot, Citroen, Opel/Vauxhall - before the weekend - and that will create a giant. One with some problems, but scale should help a great deal. I'd say AR's future is rather bright.
FIAT has killed Alfa and Lancia. Really they need to step it up and get both of these great historic companies back on track.
MAT has launched a 2019 version of the Stratos. It has allready had coverage of both Grand tour and top gear plus car magazines. They will be only 25 of them. . Fiat relaunched the 500, VW relaunched the Beetle, there is the new Mini. Ford redone the GT. Toyota has redone the Supra. For Lancia to not launch the Stratos and wait so long that someone got impatiant and do it themselves i think was very short sighted on Lancias behalf. If lancia had done the 2019 Stratos themselves it would have saved the company.
Agree
if it wasn't for Fiat, Alfa and Lancia would've gone bankrupt 40 years ago.
155 v6 ti best Alfa ever
Interesting but not sure I agree.. nice engine though
The reason Alfa’s last hay day was 1960’s is because you old! lol 😂 im a 80’s child and for me, those are the Alfas i look back at. Montreal, GTV6, Milano ( 75 ).
As a family of car workers I am honor bound to not bad mouth Unions so. lol 😂
😂.. there is a place for unions of course but here they had too much influence and power!! Thanks for watching
Number27 if that where true then why is there so much of a power imbalance towards industry and the wealthy? Unions have little power. Even then. Just examples of their struggles for equity and an occasional won battle in a seemingly lost war.
As for Alfa’s demise? I know less than you but I do know that the car industry’s history is replete with longed lived hangers on that everyone predicted would die any minute, and one hit wonders everyone predicted would be the next best thing that aren’t here now. So I’ll just support my brand while I can and they are here.
Rabbi Shekelberg your mother
I have had a Stelvio 2.0l for almost a year and over 20k miles. It’s great so far, will it make 200k? Who knows, but so far so good!
Glad to hear it.. I do desperately want Alfa to succeed
As much as I love these cars, I've Learnt the best way to live is by being brutally honest, about everything, no exceptions.
You're spot on, sad but true.
Our saving grace is that no matter what...we'll always love these cars.
Can it be explained?... I'm not sure.
But does it matter?
Alfas exist and we love them.
Enuf said?
The problem was that the ‘enthusiast’ mindset was needed across their entire range and that doesn’t translate for the bread and butter models. Case in point-147. I ran one of these for several years and it needed too many suspension bushes and bits replacing and economy was terrible; that’s ok if it’s a sports car but for a 1.6 hatchback it didn’t stack up. They need to have reliable, trouble-free cars as a baseline, then their legendary sporting character on top, to differentiate the brand. People’s expectations are high with cars now.
Totally agree, thanks for watching!!
Disagree--Alfa needs to stay as a niche sports car--just up the reliability an refocus on styling/handling/usable power etc.
Basically, Alfa just needs to keep cleaning up it's game while staying within the boundaries and expectations of the mark.
Beautiful cars, but that reliability issue is a killer to me. German car cost of maintenance is bad enough to make me go looking at Lexus, Acura, Infiniti and Genesis let alone Alfa.
If I had the money I'd lease it, would never buy it.
Seat sells cheap cars. Dacia does too. Alfa doesn't. Alfa management is trying to push upwards into a market that is already oversaturated with established and well-loved spors sedans, 20k hatchbacks and SUVs. The MiTo needs to be put into retirement and replaced with something that stands a chance to compete in the subcompact market, before we talk about "passion". The brand needs a huge marketing push before it can hope to compete with German brands. It needs to win some races, or at least make a showing in some.
And please don't blame unions for Alfa's failings. Factory workers had little part in the design and production choices that led Alfas to rust into dust or experience horrible electrical failures. Alfa is a mismanaged brand.
For me the unions did have a big impact.. they made it hard for Alfa to make money and invest in new products. Productivity was low and quality of build also. But no doubt bad management had a big impact too
@@Number27 Alfa has problems making money and investing in new products even when everything is rolling smooth. Just look at the current situation: it certainly isn't a case of poor productivity. Alright, the past is gone and we can change nothing about it, but what about now? It sure as hell ain't Gianni l'assenteista that sabotages the brand. It's all up in the management rooms.
What about the “new” Giulietta? I mean, it’s been around for a while but the styling is brilliant and the chassis and driving performance is top notch. Quality issues? None whatsoever, but this is rarely mentioned now. When I bought it 3 years ago I knew Alfa was perceived as an ailing company and I would get the typical “Fiat » comments , but I don’t care in the least and every time I start it I know I’m driving a piece of car history with all the modern stuff, so I don’t repent having bought it, on the contrary I think I got the best car for my money.
Yes Giulio a great car BUT they need to continue to consistently make a whole range of cars at the top of the categories.. thanks for watching!
I cant go anywhere without seeing a new mito driving around...
I totally agree with the comments by Alfisti below. Yeah sure, Alfa Romeo might not be the best in terms of commercial success but Monsieur...when I get into my Alfa 166 or my little 59' giulietta spider...a wonderful sense of anticipation and happiness arises. Two Alfas which are almost 50 years apart but still have the same DNA. For that sensation alone, thank goodness not everyone wants to drive an Alfa. It's a car for the individual, not the crowd.
Problem is that a modern maker need to sell cars in big numbers in order to maintain the investment necessary to stay afloat.. and also that quality though MUCH improved is still below par. Thanks for watching Johnny !
@@Number27 Yes, you are right Monsieur - fair enough - somebody told me that exact same thing about mass car production just the other day and I have to say I just didn't realise that was the case. Poor old Alfa..!
Ex Alfa guy here. I had 3 Spiders and a GTV6. You can’t buy an Alfa with a manual transmission in the USA . So now I drive Porsche.
"Want to hear an Alfa Romeo joke? Hold on, I'm working on it!"
Desperately wanted to buy a 159 wagon and saw a 2.4 diesel. Gorgeous car in red, the build quality seemed amazing. Unfortunately, the front end seemed Heavy and slightly wayward, which I was gutted about. I drove it a few times coz I simply loved the car, but just couldn’t get on with the drive on it. The diesel was devoid of power at low revs but I could have lived with that.
I now intend buying a Guilia when I have the funds
I have one alfa Giulietta and it is a great car well build and easy to drive
No mention of that in this video line up or the 4C? I've got a G myself and it's been very reliable, I still love to drive it
As another comment pointed out you left out the Alfetta launched 1972 and the Giulietta 116 and Alfa 75 cars. The German motor press tested the new Alfetta against the new BMW 5 series when the car was launched and the Alfetta was head and shoulders above it. The 116 alfetta had a rear transaxle for 50/50 weight distribution, low unsprung weight front and rear, rack and pinion steering and all ali engine and gearbox mountings, superior to the steeering of the 105 series and with superior balance, room and comfort. Oh and before you mention build quality the German cars of the 60s and 70s all rusted just as well and most of the elecric components in the Alfa transaxle cars were by Boschmainly so blame them for any elctric problems.! Lastly since 1986 Alfa is "not" a marque and its build and design philosphy stopped. As formerly part of FCA but now Stellantis it is just a "brand". Its 4 ctlinder engines were Fiat based/designed and its new Giulia v6 engines are Ferrari based/designed and indeed the chief project leader of the Giulia along with several other ex ferrari engineers, was ex engineer responsible for the chassis of the Ferrari Speciale.
Have a 147 jtdm 150cv with 320000 km never failed me. Properly maintained alfas are as good in reliability as the other and they are more beautiful.
Glad to hear it, do have a soft depot for a 147!
I’m on the cusp of buying a 147 2.0Ti. An Alfa twin cam🥰
Good luck with it chap.. certainly more interesting than other him drum hatches that are around now!