First off-- don't worry-- I'm not selling the ZHP. But as my friends know, I've been on the hunt for something to supplement her and take over primary duties going forward.
Two reasons I wanted something new: 1) I've been in the ZHP for over 7 years now and was looking for an updated ride; 2) I want to keep the miles down a bit on ol' Jersey Graphite so she lasts in this world longer than I do.
My search involved tons of research, lots of test drives, and lots of text message exchanges with Marc (zhpnsnv), who is an invaluable voice of reason emanating from a brain of extensive car love and knowledge. I drove the BMW stable-- M235i, M2401, 3 series including the 340i, 4 series... I drove the Jaguar XE, the Porsche Macan, Audi A4/5...
At the end of the day, while I came across some nice interiors, intoxicating power, and modern gadgets, I was left with the undeniable conclusion that none of them drove as well as my 12 year old BMW. So the search continued. Until...
The car caught my eye immediately-- and she kept popping up in every article. She was at the top of Car and Driver's entry luxury car ranking. The Alfa Romeo Giulia.
I read up on the early reliability stumbles and software glitches. I read about the terrible lease support from the manufacturer. Ultimately, I pushed her out of my head and resumed the search.
But I kept coming back. I found myself watching the videos-- loving the exterior-- enamored with the interior design. So I finally went and took one for a drive. And what a drive it was. She was an absolute blast to drive, and-- truly-- the first car to put a smile on my face like the ZHP. I told myself that the lease wasn't worth it, but a week later I was back to drive her again-- and this time I wouldn't leave without her.
As I sit here 1K miles later, I am convinced that the Giulia is the modern equivalent of the ZHP. When you look at her on paper-- there's nothing special about her (sound familiar?). But, man, when you put all of those non-special parts together, she just makes you giddy. She's comfortable on the long drive, but eagerly rises to the task when you aggressively hit the twisties. She turns heads like the ZHP. You get the distinct feel when you look at her, sit in her, and drive her, that she was designed by people who LOVE driving and made a car for themselves as much as the company would allow.
At the end of the day, I'll borrow a long-held ZHP description to describe my new Italian love-- she's greater than the sum of her parts.