Yahoo News Alfa Romeo Giulia review – can this Italian stallion outpace the Germans?
You need something special to tear buyers away from the BMW 3-series, Audi A4 and Mercedes C-class, and this Alfa Romeo Giulia could well be it. It certainly has a style that is missing from its German rivals, and even outdoes the British-built Jaguar XE in the looks department.
However, the real test here is whether this four-door saloon has got the substance to match. Powered by a choice of petrol or diesel engines, and available only with an automatic gearbox, the Giulia aims to put Alfa Romeo back in contention, as well as set it up for the arrival of the forthcoming Stelvio SUV.
Space 8/10
Matches its rivals
The Alfa Romeo Giulia’s boot is identical in size to that of its three German rivals, and bigger than you’ll find in a Jaguar XE. Its opening isn’t as wide, but you’ll still be able to slot in a couple of large cases. To extend the load space you can individually fold the three rear seats flat, although you need to specify this as an optional extra.
Passenger space is impressive, with enough room to fit one tall adult behind another with knee room to spare, although accessing the space requires squeezing your feet through quite a narrow gap and ducking under the low roof line. The middle seat is also very firm and requires the passenger to straddle a large lump in the floor, so like its rivals the Giulia works best as a four-seater.
Up front there’s ample headroom, but in-car storage is only average, with the door bins, glovebox and central cubby hole all being on the small side.
Comfort 7/10
Works well on British roads
The Giulia’s seats do a good job of holding their occupants in place without becoming uncomfortable on a long drive, and there’s lots of adjustment in the steering wheel, so finding a good driving position is easy.
Road noise isn’t as well controlled as in the Audi A4, but the Giulia matches the BMW 3-series and Jaguar XE in this area, and the 2.2-litre diesel and 2.0-litre petrol engines are both quiet when cruising (the diesel is a bit rattly at idle, however).
We’ve so far only driven the Giulia on 18-inch wheels with runflat tyres and adaptive suspension. While not as smooth riding as a Mercedes C-class or Jaguar XE, it’s still a combination that works pretty well on British roads. Ultimately we suspect that opting for 17-inch wheels will add a little extra compliance over sharp bumps, but even with the larger alloys fitted the Giulia has a welcome flow about the way it rides.
Dashboard layout 8/10
Good, if not a match for German rivals
Although much improved over the 159 that it replaces, the Giulia still can’t match the Germans for the interior ambience. That said, Alfa Romeo has created a pleasant enough place to spend time, with clear dials (including a central digital display) and chunky if slightly cheap feeling heater controls.
The infotainment system is available with two screen sizes, both of which uses a rotary controller in the style of BMW’s iDrive, but can’t match it for functionality or swish graphics. The satnav is effective, however, and the system switches between functions suitably quickly.
Easy to drive 8/10
Great steering and automatic gearbox help it score well
Ease of use is helped by the fact that all Giulias come with an automatic gearbox, and a very good one at that. The eight-speed unit shifts smoothly and responds quickly when you ask it to kick down to accelerate hard, and the steering column-mounted paddles (again optional on some models) are a joy to use when you want to take control.
The steering is also terrific, matching Jaguar’s for accuracy and feel without being too heavy. Over the shoulder visibility is, however, lacklustre, so while all models feature reversing sensors we’d also advise adding the rear-view camera.
Those who live in areas that frequently see snow might like to note that unlike its rivals, the Giulia is not currently available with four-wheel drive.
Fun to drive 9/10
Alfa has done a great job here
You’d expect an Alfa to offer a sporty drive and the Giulia doesn’t disappoint. The diesel (which is available with either 147bhp or 178bhp) and in particular the petrol engine deliver strong enough performance to put a smile on your face, and the car changes direction well.
Again though it’s the steering that really delights, being beautifully weighted and even offering some feel. It makes guiding the Giulia down a decent road a genuinely enjoyable experience, and is also helped by having one of the most tactile steering wheels (the thin rim is a delight) of any car on sale.
No version of the Giulia is a slouch when it comes to acceleration, but if you want truly serious performance the flagship Quadrifoglio is akin to a four-door Ferrari saloon, and makes a glorious noise to boot.
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Reliability 5/10
Alfa’s record is far from the best
The Giulia comes with a two-year, unlimited mileage warranty, plus a further year’s cover added by the dealer. That’s not quite as good as its key rivals, which offer the full three years of manufacturer cover (although Audi caps the mileage limit at 60,000).
Alfa Romeo’s reliability record is not the best, however. It consistently performs towards the lower end of JD Power customer satisfaction surveys and is also towards the bottom of the list in Warranty Direct’s Reliability Index. Ultimately though, the Giulia is an all-new car built in a new factory, so it’ll be some time before we have any concrete evidence about its long-term reliability.
Fuel economy 6/10
Thirstier than rivals
On paper the Giulia’s fuel economy figures look solid, but can’t touch the best its rivals can offer, in part because it is only sold with an automatic gearbox. The 2.2-litre diesel returned 67.3mpg in official EU fuel economy tests (regardless of whether you opt for the high power or lower power unit), while the 2.0-litre petrol managed 47.9mpg. Compare this with the Audi A4, for which the best diesel managed 74mpg and the best petrol 53mpg and it’s clear that Alfa still lags some way behind for ultimate economy. Equally concerning was that in our tests of cars that had admittedly limited mileages on the clock, the diesel failed to crack 40mpg, while the petrol couldn’t better 28mpg. Without doubt those figures should improve once the engines are run in, but by how much remains to be seen.
Affordability 7/10
Competitive against rivals with automatic gearboxes
Alfa Romeo has priced the Giulia competitively against rivals with automatic gearboxes, and all models are well equipped. CO2 emissions are solid if not outstanding (for example, there is no version that emits less than 100g/km of CO2), with the diesel performing better than the petrol in this regard and thus expected to account for the bulk of sales.
Resale values are predicted to be strong, if not quite as good as those of the BMW, Audi or Mercedes, which partly explains why the Giulia also currently costs more to lease. Deals are likely to emerge in time, however, and the keen list prices and reasonable CO2 emissions of the diesel mean that as far as automatics go it’s fairly cost effective to run as a company car.
Safety 9/10
Lots of safety equipment as standard
Euro NCAP, the industry standard crash test organisation, awarded the Giulia five stars out of five. It scored almost perfect marks for adult occupant protection, and wasn’t far off rivals for child, pedestrian and active safety protection.
All models come with lane departure warning and an autonomous emergency braking system that monitors the road ahead and can warn the driver if an impact with either another car or a pedestrian is imminent. If the driver fails to respond the car can then brake itself to avoid a collision. Adaptive cruise control and blind spot monitors are available as options.
Standard spec 8/10
Worth upgrading to Super trim
The range starts with the basic Giulia, which features 16-inch alloy wheels, dual-zone climate control, plus a 6.5-inch infotainment screen featuring Bluetooth connectivity and a DAB radio.
Upgrading to Super spec adds 17-inch wheels, a larger 8.8inch infotainment screen with satnav, part-leather seats and paddle shifters for the automatic gearbox, while Speciale features 18-inch wheels, sportier body styling and electric heated sports seats.
Top-spec Veloce models add to the Speciale spec with leather sports seats and aluminium interior detailing.
Our favourite version
Super 2.0 Turbo petrol, list price £31,180
Options you should add: Metallic paint (£695), Driver assistance pack featuring front and rear parking sensors and reversing camera (£550)
Verdict 7/10
Be in no doubt that the Giulia is the best car Alfa Romeo has built in a very long time. It stands shoulder to shoulder with German rivals in most areas, and is more fun to drive than any of them. Tempted? We can see why you would be.
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