#Accelerate

2E | FLORIDA TODAY | SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2017 #ACCELERATE
2018 Atlas S
$
0
DOWN
PAYMENT
$
0
SECURITY
DEPOSIT
$
0
1ST MONTH’S
PAYMENT
$
379 ** /mo.
36 mos.
2018 Tiguan S
*6 years/72,000 miles (whichever
occurs first) New Vehicle Limited
Warranty on MY2018 VW Atlas S,
excluding e-Golf. See owner’s literature
or dealer for warranty exclusions and
limitations
$
299 ** /mo.
36 mos.
*6 years/72,000 miles (whichever occurs
first) New Vehicle Limited Warranty on
MY2018 VW Tiguan S, excluding e-Golf.
See owner’s literature or dealer for
warranty exclusions and limitations
2017 VOLKSWAGEN Jetta S
$
99
36 Month
Lease
PRESTIGE
VOLKSWAGEN
MELBOURNE
1416 S. Harbor City Blvd
Melbourne, FL 32901
321.574.8276
www.melbournevw.com
2017 Volkswagen Jetta S, $99 for 36 months with $3000 down or equitable trade plus tax, tags, title and applicable dealer fees. **Excludes tax, title, license, registration, options, and dealer fees. Forhighly qualified customers through Volkswagen Credit. *Closed end lease financing available
through January 2,2018 for anew,unused 2018 Atlas Swith automatic transmission, on approved credit by Volkswagen Credit through participating dealers in Florida and Alabama. Monthly lease payment based on MSRP of $31,425 and destination charges, excluding title, tax, options,
accessories, and dealer fees. Monthly payments total $13,644 and include acquisition fee of $625 and capitalized cost reduction. Your payment will vary based on dealer contribution and the final negotiated price. Lessee responsible for insurance, maintenance and repairs. At lease end,
lessee responsible for disposition fee of $350, $0.20/mile over 30,000 miles and excessive wear and tear.Purchase option at lease end for $17,598, excludes taxes, title and other government fees. Closed end lease financing available through January2,2018 for anew,unused 2018 All-New
Tiguan Swith automatic transmission, on approved credit by Volkswagen Credit through participating dealers only. Monthly lease payment based on MSRP of $26,095 and destination charges, excluding title, tax, options, accessories, and dealer fees. Monthly payments total $10,764.01 and
include acquisition fee of $625 and capitalized cost reduction. Your payment will varybased on dealer contribution and the final negotiated price. Lessee responsible for insurance, maintenance and repairs. At lease end, lessee responsible for disposition fee of $350, $0.20/mile over 30,000
miles and excessive wear and tear.Purchase option at lease end for $15,917.95, excludes taxes, title and other government fees. Offer not valid in Puerto Rico. See your Volkswagen dealer for details or,for general product information, call 1-800-Drive-VW.©2017 Volkswagen of America, Inc.
2018 ALFA ROMEO GIULIA:
‘O BRAWLING LOVE! O LOVING HATE!’
By Brian Normile
CARS.COM — In the first 30 minutes
of being behind the wheel of the 2018
Alfa Romeo Giulia, I was confused,
and so were my colleagues. We’ve spent
a good amount of time in the Giulia;
it participated in Cars.com’s 2017
Luxury Sports Sedan Challenge and
we had both the Ti and Quadrifoglio
versions into our office this year. Our
general assessment of the Giulia tends
to be something to the effect of: “I really
liked it,” followed by a pause, and then,
“Well, it has some issues ... “
It’s a bit of an odd duck in that
regard: Your first instinct is to really like
it, but then your head catches up to your
heart and the practicality of living with
a car that will in consecutive seconds
delight and infuriate gives you pause.
There are common themes to our near-
Shakespearean love-hate relationship
with the Alfa Romeo Giulia:
Love — Handling and Steering
The first thing I noticed when I got
behind the wheel of the Giulia was how
taut the whole package felt. It has one
of the tightest and quickest steering
racks I’ve encountered, especially for a
car with electric power steering. Turn
in is immediate, and the Giulia doesn’t
so much turn into corners as dive into
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them like a runner stealing home.
This is aided by a strong chassis and
a stiffer suspension that can hold up to
these sharp movements without making
the car feel out of control. These
characteristics also rang true with
multiple versions of the Giulia that we
drove, from the Ti all the way up to the
Quadrifoglio.
That pleased Managing Editor Joe
Bruzek, who said: “You don’t need
to load the Giulia up with a hoard
of packages to get one of the most
rewarding luxury sedans in its segment
to drive. The Giulia Ti left all other
luxury sedans in its dust when we tested
acceleration, handling and braking
performance against six other luxury
sports sedans (at our Challenge).”
Hate — Interior Quality
For a luxury car with a luxury price
tag, the Giulia’s interior isn’t up to snuff.
There isn’t quite the level of consistency
of materials that you see in other luxury
brands (especially Mercedes-Benz) and
parts of the experience — particularly
on the multimedia front, which we will
address later — just don’t measure up
to competitors. Cars.com Executive
Editor Joe Wiesenfelder also found
an enemy in the Giulia’s turn signals,
which spring back to center after you
activate them.
“The stalk should stay where you put
it,” he said. “And if you hold the stalk
in position, it still stops blinking after a
few times. Just weird.”
There was, however, one part of the
interior we did really like ...
Love — Paddle Shifters
There are giant paddle shifters
mounted to the steering column on both
sides — and they’re fantastic. They’re
made of aluminum instead of cheap
plastic like we see on some vehicles, and
Senior Research Editor Mike Hanley
lauded not only their looks, but also
their responsiveness.
“They’re not usually my thing, but I
loved the massive shift paddles on the
Giulia’s steering wheel,” Hanley said.
“They look and feel great, but more
importantly when you pull on them a
gear change happens immediately.”
Hate — Multimedia System
The Giulia has a subpar multimedia
experience for a few key reasons,
starting with the screen itself. Aaron
Bragman, our Detroit bureau chief, had
difficulty just seeing the screen, saying:
“I’m not sure if it’s a polarized filter
or what it is, but it’s dark, grainy and
difficult to see in bright sunlight.”
Part of that is the difficulty users will
have with controlling the system — it’s
not intuitive, whether you’re using the
large dial control or the steering-wheel
controls. For example, the buttons on
the steering wheel that would normally
scroll you through your radio-station
favorites instead just tune up one
satellite radio station, and there’s no
way to modify the action of that button.
One final nit: The screen itself is
a decent size, but for some reason it
doesn’t use all of the screen as a display
for the backup-camera system. It only
uses about one-third of it to show the
picture, and I found myself having to
stop and lean in to get a better peek at it
while reversing.
Love — Engine
Both of the Giulia’s available engines
— the turbocharged 2.0-liter fourcylinder
and the twin-turbocharged
V-6 found in Quadrifoglio models —
deliver excellent power and work well in
tandem with their transmissions to put
it down to the wheels.
In fact, while surveying Cars.com
editors for impressions, even if my
colleagues chose to highlight a different
part of the vehicle, they always included
a mention of the powertrains. Asked
what he loved most, Bragman perhaps
put it best: “Dat engine. Either in 2.0 or
V-6 guise, the powertrain is fantastic.”
Hate — Lane Departure Warning Noise
When the lane departure warning
system is activated, the warning sound
that comes through the cabin is abrasive.
It sounds like a mix of a buzzer and a
vibrating cellphone — and when you’re
not expecting it, it’s downright spinetingling.
A friend riding along with
me likened it to the noise made by the
Operation board game when you screw
up.
The sensitivity of the system can be
turned down or off, but the alert can’t
be modified. I ended up shutting the
whole thing off for most of the week I
had the car, which was frustrating.
Love — Styling
From those circular, cloverleaf-like
wheels to that unique grille, we loved
the Giulia’s styling and little flourishes
— like the start button being placed on
the steering wheel by your left thumb,
Formula One style. Even the logo is a
triumph, and Alfa knows it because
it’s stamped all over the interior, on the
wheel and even in a super-cool embossed
fashion on the head restraints.
It’s telling that the Giulia, despite
these issues, took second in the Luxury
Sports Sedan Challenge this year. The
driving experience of it really is that
good, and as someone who can be won
over by such things, the Giulia holds a
special place in my heart.
This special sedan isn’t for everyone.
But if, like us, you love it just a little
more than you hate it... you could learn
to live with it.