Alfa Romeo Giulietta looks good from any angle.
Fans of the once illustrious Alfa Romeo marque would have been saddened by events over the past 20-odd years. Up until the 1980s and early 1990s, the enigmatic automaker delivered a delightful crop of cars widely hailed as true driver’s machines, with superb handling and lots of character. But after those glory years, Alfa appeared to have lost its direction with a string of forgettable products.
Older enthusiasts will certainly remember awesome Alfa classics like the GTV, Alfasud, Giulia, Giulietta, 75 and the Spyder. Nobody can forget the prominent role played by the Alfa Spyder in The Graduate. As a frustrated Alfa fan who had owned both the Giulia and the 75, I was very keen to sample the modern-day Giulietta. This newcomer, I believe, is a make-or-break model for the company, a car going all-out to show the world that the once-proud Italian firm can still create desirable driving machines.
The Alfa Romeo Giulietta is a Roman Golf for young executives wearing Armani exchange.
For starters, the Giulietta hits all the right notes with its bold styling. The face has an interesting blend of aggressiveness and cheerfulness, as if to say “I am fun, but also fierce”. Large, friendly headlights with the now-fashionable DRLs (daytime driving lights) flank the striking shield-shaped Alfa grille.
A nice mix of curves and creases highlights the flanks, with a prominent shoulder line running to the rear lamp clusters and lip spoiler. As a whole, this new-age Alfa is a refreshing change from the boring look-alike designs of so many hatchbacks today.
Alfa Romeo Giulietta’s hi-fi system is relatively simple to use.
The cabin is just as evocative. Alfa Romeo has taken great pains to give the Giulietta interior a classy ambience, with fit-and-finish of the highest standards in the Golf segment. High-quality leather adorns the seats and steering wheel. The design of the broad dashboard includes lovely retro elements such as chunky, circular controls for the audio and air-con, and a row of vintage-style tabs (inspired by those in the 8C Competizione cockpit) for the fog lamps, Start & Stop and lock/unlock.
A useful touch is the row of seat belt warning lights above the rear view mirror – the displays in green and red highlight whether the front and rear occupants are belted up! The seats themselves are comfortable and well cushioned. Rear legroom is a bit tight for the very tall, but the softly padded backs of the front seats ensure no distress for knees.
Alfa Romeo Giulietta meters are clear and neat; note that it’s “giri” instead of “rpm” and “acqua” instead of “water” – cool.
A six-speaker audio delivers pleasant sound with balanced treble and bass. Standard are items like a CD/MP3 player, USB port and Bluetooth connectivity with voice command. The steering-mounted stereo controls are convenient and clearly labelled, with customer cars also getting paddle-shifters.
The engine for the Giulietta is the 1.4-litre MultiAir unit, winner of the 2010 International Engine of the Year Award. Its clever technology includes an extremely high-performance cam profile for punchy thrust, and direct control of valve opening for greater low-end torque and improved efficiency. Turbocharging boosts power to 170bhp, with a healthy 250Nm of torque.
Alfa Romeo Giulietta’s fuel gauge is labelled “Benzina”, while its water gauge is labelled “Acqua”.
This translates to a lively, likeable nature on the road. Zero to 100km/h comes up in just 7.7 seconds, while top speed is nearly 220km/h – figures that are not bad indeed for a 1.4-litre car! One reason for this exuberant performance is TCT, Alfa-speak for its 6-speed twin dry-clutch transmission.
Apart from the occasional low-speed stumble, the gearbox works perfectly, with slick shifts and quick response to driver input.
Alfa Romeo Giulietta has a leather-wrapped steering wheel that provides decent feedback, but test car lacks paddle shifters.
Another important acronym in the Alfa is DNA. This lets the driver select anytime, via a rocker switch in front of the gear lever, his preferred driving mode – Dynamic, Natural or All-weather. The drivetrain and steering are adjusted accordingly, immediately.
In its “n” default setting, the Giulietta feels most, well, natural, with a very good balance of dynamism and inner calm. The steering works smoothly and with positive turn-in response, while the twin-clutch gearchanges are neither too forced nor overly early.
Alfa Romeo Giulietta’s backseat provides adequate rather than expansive room for rear occupants; leather seats have “cannelloni” rolls.
I would recommend “d” only when you’re in a great hurry or trying to exploit the car’s maximum potential on open roads. In this mode, the steering develops an artificial stiffness – the rack turns rubbery and does nothing right for the senses (rather like wearing protection versus the feel of carefree sex). The off-on throttle response in “d” also accentuates the one dynamic flaw of the Giulietta – its brakes are too abrupt. A gentler braking action would be welcome.
Handling is top-notch. This Alfa tackles both sweepers and tight corners with aplomb. It is responsive without feeling twitchy, even when powering through sharp curves or during high-speed lane-change manoeuvres. Over the really twisty bits, however, I missed having steering-mounted paddles to operate the gears myself while keeping both hands on the steering wheel.
Carry the correct catalogues in the Alfa Romeo Giulietta’s boot, which has the same 350-litre volume as the 2012 Volkswagen Golf.
Driving aids include DST (Dynamic Steering Torque), VDC (Vehicle Dynamic Control), CBC (Cornering Brake Control), Hill Holder and Alfa’s Q2 electronic differential. When it comes to the crunch (of metal), the Giulietta has earned the highest score yet for a compact car in the Euro NCAP ratings – 87 out of 100, and five stars, of course. This stellar rating is the result of over 15,000 hours of virtual analysis, numerous simulations and no less than 100 in-house crash tests.
Boot capacity is okay, with split-folding back seats and a sizeable ski hatch for long objects helping to accommodate an active lifestyle. In my case, ferrying a full-size golf bag needs one of the rear seats to be folded down, but this is no hardship.
The Alfa Romeo Giulietta is one of the prettiest hatches ever made.
The primary competitor to the Giulietta is the Twincharged 1.4 Golf Sport. The VW scores better on interior space, local market acceptance and perceived value, while the Alfa is far more stylish on the outside, a little more luxurious on the inside and packed with greater character. Both models have similar pricing and performance. Put simply, the Giulietta is charismatic and the Golf is conservative.
That the Giulietta is able to challenge the benchmark Euro hatch bears testimony to Alfa Romeo’s recent effort to up its game. If this progress continues with future models, there is every possibility the marque could recapture much of its previous glory and glamour. That would truly be good news for Alfa romantics hoping to rekindle their Italian love affair.
Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1.4 (A)
ENGINE 1368cc, 16-valves, inline-4, turbocharged
MAX POWER 170bhp at 5500rpm
MAX TORQUE 250Nm 2500rpm
GEARBOX 6-speed dual-clutch with manual select
0-100KM/H 7.7 seconds
TOP SPEED 218km/h
CONSUMPTION 19.2km/L (combined)
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