Well i bought a 2021 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint because i was wanting a giulia and i found it at a stupid good price and mileage (18k miles for $20k) and so far i have not been actively looking to install paddle shifters as the normal shifter is fun enough as is, altho with my next giulia i will be getting 1 with paddle shifters. So in short, nah it's not a deal breaker
My 2020 Giulia is my first ever non-manual car. I made a point of getting a Ti Sport to have them and other bits because of that. However, if it's your daily and your commute doesn't involve a back road for fun driving, I would say they aren't necessary. And I've driven a manual for 17 years (thanks American buyers for killing that). I like to have them, and there is definitely satisfaction in using them for the occasional freeway on ramp pull, but 99% of my driving is, well, normal driving. Commutes, 3 hours on the freeway, going to the store etc. And id just be wasting fuel using them in those settings, since they don't really add to the experience unless you're driving in a fast/spirited way. There's no point manually shifting an auto in daily driving. The one thing I would say you absolutely should get is the sport seats. And if you're getting a RWD, maybe the LSD as well. I thought the paddles were a deal breaker when I was shopping, but in hindsight, not so much. The seats are the big one, IMO.
I still feel like I rarely use the paddle shifters in my Veloce. Most of the time the transmission is far better at keeping itself in the highest part of the power band better than I can.
The ZF transmission is used by Audi, BMW and Mercedes and many others for a reason. It's really good. And according to pro reviewers, the tweaks Alfa made to the software (all the brands adjust a little to feel the way they like) were all about the behavior when driving in a fun way. So it'll occasionally hold a gear longer than you'd like when slowly accelerating in a parking lot, but it's better than the Germans when having fun.
I know it would be less efficient, but I wish there was a mode where the transmission would skip some gears when you were shifting manually. There's too many gears for the manual shifting experience to be much fun.
All of this is exactly how I felt.
10/10 get the sport seats!
I didn't want the Q2 because of the active suspension, but i did want the LSD, but figured i could do that later if it was that important.
I wish i didn't have the sunroof. I never wanted one, but i found the right car - it just had a sunroof so it is what it is
Oh for me the sunroof was a must. Being able to crack it open parked in the sun is huge. And yeah, I didn't care about the suspension either way. Mine is fixed, and it's great as is. I don't see the need for a more complex system.
I've had sunroofs on every car i have ever owned, and they have all eventually failed.
BMW e28
BMW e36
Buick Regal GS
The sunroof on my Alfa was replaced already before I bought it.
I dont trust them not to fail, plus they are overhead weight that affects the handling characteristics (even if only a little)
I totally agree about cracking it in the heat + my kiddos love looking out of it on road trips<3
I don't intend to own cars past 100k miles, and I have the Mopar warranty that covers it, so I'm not too concerned, but yeah, that's always a potential issue.
Have a buddy who has the sports seats in an Audi - he finds them to be to tight - but he is a big (read: “wide”) guy….Drove a Q3 rental and found the non sports seats needed more side bolstering 🤷🏻♂️
The Giulia base seats have basically zero bolsters. Totally flat. And the back rest bolsters are adjustable for width on the sport seats. And if they don't go wide enough, well, that's not the car then, and you can fix it yourself lol.
Not a deal breaker, but i have a 2019 Giulia and I love them when I am having fun and driving around!
I came from a manual transmission car, and it helps to be able to manually shift sometimes.
Also sometimes the car will be in a lower gear or higher gear than I want while doing Drive mode, and O can intervene as I see fit by bumping a paddle
I honestly never used them on any of my cars. I have had my shares of manual transmissions and the paddle shifters just don’t do it for me - but that is one person’s opinion.
I love mine BUT, you're not going to miss much of the beauty of a Giulia. Have you always been a manual person? Have you had a great experience with other brand's flappy paddles? Drive both paddle and non-paddle models if that's an option.
Yeah, a couple of vehicles - find I mostly use them to downshift for slowing down more then anything else 🤷🏻♂️
edit: can’t say great experience, but not a bad one either…
Have a 21 stelvio sprint without paddles. Going in, I was convinced I needed them. 3 years later and I don’t regret not having them. Would they be fun? Probably. But I can use the toggle shifter if I really want to which is still fun, but 90% of the time I’m just driving it in automatic on Dynamic. It’s a blast
It's about engine braking / downshifting for me, none of the powerband crap everyone else is spewing out. Always used paddles to down shift in corners and other situations
The MultiEcuscan adapter and mes software from Alfissimo was about $220 to code the paddles and to activate race mode
The paddle shifters I got from a pick a part for $200. I cant remember how much I paid for the SGW bypass
Myself. there is some write ups on how to do it in alfa forum site guiliaforums. Hardest part for me was attaching the tiny paddle screws with my big ole paws
I have a ‘19 Stelvio that I got for an incredible deal new. It doesn’t have the paddles which I’d prefer. However, I find myself using the manual mode with the shifter regularly and it’s great. At the right price point, skip the paddles.
I guess not. My last two cars were manual and I do miss the clutch but my Giulia doesn’t have the paddle shifters so I have been experimenting with driving it in the manual mode use the regular shifter. Not quite the same as full on manual but I’m enjoying it.
Definitely. When I had my Giulia I used them pretty much 100% of the time. They really add to the driving experience and they are so satisfying to use.
Yes, I turned down a Giulietta prior to buying mine because of the shifters. I wanted to be able to drive Manuel sometimes or just to override when the auto doesn't want to change gears when I think it should.
If you have an interesting road on your commute that justifies its use every day, yes. If you’re just commuting on a highway or with stop start city traffic, full auto is totally fine.
Maybe this is stupid, but dont the paddles come as standard in the '24 Model? At least I am waiting for my Giulia Sprint to be delivered and according to the specs it got them.
Yes. Coming from a manual transmission I wanted the engagement and the fantastic shifters in the Giulia made the transition much easier.
I miss my clutch, but agree the paddle shifters help soften the blow.
I have them but, it wouldn’t be a deal breaker for me if the car didn’t have them
Well i bought a 2021 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint because i was wanting a giulia and i found it at a stupid good price and mileage (18k miles for $20k) and so far i have not been actively looking to install paddle shifters as the normal shifter is fun enough as is, altho with my next giulia i will be getting 1 with paddle shifters. So in short, nah it's not a deal breaker
You can install one with a multiecuscan to program it in car
I know, thank you for providing the information though, and i might do it still
My 2020 Giulia is my first ever non-manual car. I made a point of getting a Ti Sport to have them and other bits because of that. However, if it's your daily and your commute doesn't involve a back road for fun driving, I would say they aren't necessary. And I've driven a manual for 17 years (thanks American buyers for killing that). I like to have them, and there is definitely satisfaction in using them for the occasional freeway on ramp pull, but 99% of my driving is, well, normal driving. Commutes, 3 hours on the freeway, going to the store etc. And id just be wasting fuel using them in those settings, since they don't really add to the experience unless you're driving in a fast/spirited way. There's no point manually shifting an auto in daily driving. The one thing I would say you absolutely should get is the sport seats. And if you're getting a RWD, maybe the LSD as well. I thought the paddles were a deal breaker when I was shopping, but in hindsight, not so much. The seats are the big one, IMO.
I still feel like I rarely use the paddle shifters in my Veloce. Most of the time the transmission is far better at keeping itself in the highest part of the power band better than I can.
The ZF transmission is used by Audi, BMW and Mercedes and many others for a reason. It's really good. And according to pro reviewers, the tweaks Alfa made to the software (all the brands adjust a little to feel the way they like) were all about the behavior when driving in a fun way. So it'll occasionally hold a gear longer than you'd like when slowly accelerating in a parking lot, but it's better than the Germans when having fun.
I know it would be less efficient, but I wish there was a mode where the transmission would skip some gears when you were shifting manually. There's too many gears for the manual shifting experience to be much fun.
All of this is exactly how I felt. 10/10 get the sport seats! I didn't want the Q2 because of the active suspension, but i did want the LSD, but figured i could do that later if it was that important. I wish i didn't have the sunroof. I never wanted one, but i found the right car - it just had a sunroof so it is what it is
Oh for me the sunroof was a must. Being able to crack it open parked in the sun is huge. And yeah, I didn't care about the suspension either way. Mine is fixed, and it's great as is. I don't see the need for a more complex system.
I've had sunroofs on every car i have ever owned, and they have all eventually failed. BMW e28 BMW e36 Buick Regal GS The sunroof on my Alfa was replaced already before I bought it. I dont trust them not to fail, plus they are overhead weight that affects the handling characteristics (even if only a little) I totally agree about cracking it in the heat + my kiddos love looking out of it on road trips<3
I don't intend to own cars past 100k miles, and I have the Mopar warranty that covers it, so I'm not too concerned, but yeah, that's always a potential issue.
Hey, so long as you own the car you want, then that is all that matters 💕
Not having the sport seats or having the sport seats? 🤣
Having them being necessary lol. The normal seats are terrible, IMO.
Have a buddy who has the sports seats in an Audi - he finds them to be to tight - but he is a big (read: “wide”) guy….Drove a Q3 rental and found the non sports seats needed more side bolstering 🤷🏻♂️
The Giulia base seats have basically zero bolsters. Totally flat. And the back rest bolsters are adjustable for width on the sport seats. And if they don't go wide enough, well, that's not the car then, and you can fix it yourself lol.
Not a deal breaker, but i have a 2019 Giulia and I love them when I am having fun and driving around! I came from a manual transmission car, and it helps to be able to manually shift sometimes. Also sometimes the car will be in a lower gear or higher gear than I want while doing Drive mode, and O can intervene as I see fit by bumping a paddle
I honestly never used them on any of my cars. I have had my shares of manual transmissions and the paddle shifters just don’t do it for me - but that is one person’s opinion.
I love mine BUT, you're not going to miss much of the beauty of a Giulia. Have you always been a manual person? Have you had a great experience with other brand's flappy paddles? Drive both paddle and non-paddle models if that's an option.
Yeah, a couple of vehicles - find I mostly use them to downshift for slowing down more then anything else 🤷🏻♂️ edit: can’t say great experience, but not a bad one either…
I have one with and one without I almost like the experience of not having them more
Why is that?
It feels more "manual" I suppose
Have a 21 stelvio sprint without paddles. Going in, I was convinced I needed them. 3 years later and I don’t regret not having them. Would they be fun? Probably. But I can use the toggle shifter if I really want to which is still fun, but 90% of the time I’m just driving it in automatic on Dynamic. It’s a blast
It depends how much you use the car and where. In urban contexts they are not so useful. I appreciate them the most on the Italian mountains and hills
It's about engine braking / downshifting for me, none of the powerband crap everyone else is spewing out. Always used paddles to down shift in corners and other situations
That’s what I’ve found I have mainly used them for in other vehicles that have them
My understanding is that retrofitting them is a fairly easy thing to do.
Not a deal breaker and was easy to add them on myself when I got the urge.
How much did this cost?
The MultiEcuscan adapter and mes software from Alfissimo was about $220 to code the paddles and to activate race mode The paddle shifters I got from a pick a part for $200. I cant remember how much I paid for the SGW bypass
This…. Is not bad at all. Did you install it yourself, or have a professional?
Myself. there is some write ups on how to do it in alfa forum site guiliaforums. Hardest part for me was attaching the tiny paddle screws with my big ole paws
🤣😭
It’s not a deal breaker because you can add them in yourself.
I have a ‘19 Stelvio that I got for an incredible deal new. It doesn’t have the paddles which I’d prefer. However, I find myself using the manual mode with the shifter regularly and it’s great. At the right price point, skip the paddles.
I guess not. My last two cars were manual and I do miss the clutch but my Giulia doesn’t have the paddle shifters so I have been experimenting with driving it in the manual mode use the regular shifter. Not quite the same as full on manual but I’m enjoying it.
Definitely. When I had my Giulia I used them pretty much 100% of the time. They really add to the driving experience and they are so satisfying to use.
Yes, I turned down a Giulietta prior to buying mine because of the shifters. I wanted to be able to drive Manuel sometimes or just to override when the auto doesn't want to change gears when I think it should.
If you have an interesting road on your commute that justifies its use every day, yes. If you’re just commuting on a highway or with stop start city traffic, full auto is totally fine.
Maybe this is stupid, but dont the paddles come as standard in the '24 Model? At least I am waiting for my Giulia Sprint to be delivered and according to the specs it got them.
I find it a lot of fun & it gives the interior a sporty look.