LA Auto Show 2016

[aggie57]

So visiting the LA Auto Show is pretty much a regular then for me now, it started last week so I headed over on Friday for a look see.  What was of note?  The Stelvio for Alfisti of course, although it was good that Alfa also had the cooking model Giulias there this year and you could actually get in them.  Not so the Quad...why is that?  Are they afraid we'll drive off in them?  Serious, it's over 12 months since they were first shown.  Unlock the things!  Anyway, photo's attached.

[aggie57]

But the stand out was this full size Lego Porsche 919..... 1/2 Lego, 1/2 real.  Plus a Ford GT that ran in Le Mans and hasn't been washed.  Maybe looks like Evan's Sud after a Winton outing...

There was more but generally a pretty "dah" event this year.  For good measure I'll throw in a shot from yesterday's Cars and Coffee in Aliso Viejo.  Both Porkers are real ones, not plastic rip-offs.  Sorry they're not Alfa's (although you can just see a Sprint behind the Speedster)

[aggie57]

A couple more - the dash of the Giulia Ti from the drivers seat, it's 280hp 4-cylinder engine (boring huh!), and another of the several huge banners draped around the place proclaiming the Stelvio's arrival. 

Sitting in the Giulia was a nice place to be, some dodgy switches apart.  But you've gotta ask, when will they actually start selling the bloody things here!  I mean, seriously. 

[Evan Bottcher]

Nice update Alister, thanks. What do you think of the Stelio?

[Colin Edwards]

Hi Alister,

Nice photos.  What are your thoughts of the 4 cylinder Giulia Ti? 

Very curious to know if this model will make it to Oz.

[aggie57]

Nice update Alister, thanks. What do you think of the Stelio?

Pretty nice actually Evan. It does look like a stretched Giulia but that's not such a bad thing. When I got home and showed the girls the brochure they gave it the thumbs up which was interesting.  A shame though that it was on one of those raised plinths behind glass barriers so you couldn't get up close.

[aggie57]

Hi Alister,

Nice photos.  What are your thoughts of the 4 cylinder Giulia Ti? 

Very curious to know if this model will make it to Oz.

Thanks Colin. What was interesting to me was how similar it is to the Quad. You can tell them apart of course but i had to look a few times to register the differences, especially if the Ti has the Quad wheels (which can be optioned).  The inside was a nice place to be,  didn't feel cheap at all, good space and good driving position.

It's not pretty like a 159 or interesting like a 916 GTV though, or individual like an old Giulia. More just another modern euro sedan.

The day after I was chatting to a journo from a Danish car mag (he was passing through on his way to the Audi Q5 launch in Mexico) and he'd been driving them before he came away. His biggest comment on the lower spec cars was the tiny infotainment screen...said it was about the same size as a business card!  But interesting you ask if the lower spec cars will be released in Oz. In Denmark they have diesels as well.

[poohbah]

Personally, I couldn't care less how big the infotainment screen is (none of my current or former cars have had one). And I reckon its a sad indictment of the state of motoring journalism if that is the thing that most stood out for the Danish hack. Unless he meant there was nothing memorable about the car's performance. Which would just be bloody disheartening.

[Colin Edwards]

+1
Most car reveiwers (as opposed to "road testers") are more concerned with the feel of switches, knobs and the menu structure of the GUI than how the car drives.  When was the last time a reviewer mentioned how well the wipers keep the screen clear in the rain or how good the headlights are in absolute darkness at 140kph.
 
Its almost as if car reviewers are commenting on a home appliance or other form of whitegood!

Maybe these reviewers are part of some global plot to discourage DRIVING a car and encourage merely road "usage".  Their however is no doubt a growing percentage of those behind the wheel of a car are becoming less involved in driving every day.   We should be thankful their are still a few car makers out there making cars for those of us that actually want to drive!  And need to drive well!!

[aggie57]

Why is it so bad that a journo (not a hack BTW, a really nice guy and a genuine enthusiast) makes a point about where Alfa could do better?  He's just doing his job.  He also complained that Alfa had delivered them a test Giulia Quad on summer tyres, when it was 0 degrees outside.  Why?  Because they couldn't test it properly.   

[poohbah]

Hi Aggie, I wasn't dissing him by calling him a hack. I'm an ex hack myself. It's just what we call anyone in the trade. My beef is the constant focus of motoring writers on stuff that has very little to do with the way a car performs. It is all about what gizmos a car has. I appreciate that I may be in a small minority who considers such things to be irrelevant. But if I were reviewing a "performance oriented" car that is what I would focus on. I certainly wouldn't make my ultimate judgement based on its doodads.

[aggie57]

Hi Aggie, I wasn't dissing him by calling him a hack. I'm an ex hack myself. It's just what we call anyone in the trade. My beef is the constant focus of motoring writers on stuff that has very little to do with the way a car performs. It is all about what gizmos a car has. I appreciate that I may be in a small minority who considers such things to be irrelevant. But if I were reviewing a "performance oriented" car that is what I would focus on. I certainly wouldn't make my ultimate judgement based on its doodads.

Fair enough. Not sure I'd call a diesel Giulia a performance oriented car though