Is the Alfa Romeo Giulia good enough? PH Blog
Does Alfa Romeo's new four-door cut it as both a well-dressed rep and an M3-chasing super saloon?
Proper review to follow - promise - but you might be fearing from that it's yet another case of huge expectation that an Alfa Romeo will deliver being dashed at the final fence. We've been waiting long enough after all - the 156 and 159 looked ace, but when you're up against the 3 Series and your sales pitch is emotive and based on sporting pedigree you need more than slick styling.
Credit to FCA for investing in a rear-wheel drive platform on which Alfa Romeo could build a proper contender, assuming it could be bothered with the fiddly stuff like calibration, ensuring it held together and making sure the dealerships are slick enough to win folk over from the Germans. Credit also due to Jaguar for doing the same with the (recently updated) XE, widening the pool for repmobiles with a hint of glamour and a vaguely sporty twist. Even when fitted with a BIK-friendly eco diesel.
FWD in a fancy frock wasn't going to cut it this time was it.
Tempting as it was to gravitate toward the Quadrifoglio (VERY tempting) I'm actually quite glad I was far enough down the queue to start with the 2.0 petrol and 2.2 diesel four-cylinder cars most 'real' customers will be buying. These start in the low 30s, were specced into the low 40s for our test drive and represent Alfa Romeo's attack on the core mid-range 3 Series, C-Class, A4 and XE alternatives.
It'll take some forensic number crunching to decide whether they add up in the Giulia's favour but the good news is at a very basic level - the few seconds from bum hitting seat to first gripping the wheel and taking in your surroundings - the Alfa Romeo scores some major hits. This having already impressed with the exterior looks, which even in 'normal' trim like the 'Super' spec cars we drove manage to look significantly sexier and sportier than anything else at this price. Your A4 might have a snazzy 'Virtual Cockpit' and well-damped action on the minor switchgear. But the Giulia has the head-turning appeal to make it look pretty frumpy, even if you specced it up to S Line with all the trimmings. In a sector where image is key this is going to matter. But only if the car and ownership experience can live up to it.
First impressions are promising enough to say hold off ticking the box for a 320d or XE until you've at least considered the Italian alternative. And that's not something we've been able to say for some time.
And I only had the briefest of goes in the Quadrifoglio. But even from that it feels proper.
Dare we hope? Just possibly.
Cover up the nose on any of the segment's cars and they all adhere to the same smart, but formulaic 3 box saloons. Not much surprise there though really. All need good wheels to offset the weight of their designs and large arhes...
If you accept that from front axle aft they all are so-so, then the face..the brand definer... is pretty key. And here Alfa have marketing gold with the shield grille, on par or bettering the ever present kidneys.
If you're interested enough to consider the rest, then Jag, Benz, BMW amd Alfa DO have their own surface treatment and again, the subtle, curvey, non-jarring creases on the Alfa are good, if a little heavy. It fails (if you can call it that) at the rear where it gets a bit Maserati or far eastern....but very few of the competition win here either, being bland or just plain annoying (Benz's blinding lights!)
Overall, no game changing aesthetics, but certainly 'current' and smart... and with THAT face, off to a good start imo.
If nothing else it's properly competing it seems from a quality and driving perspective as opposed to just looking good. That HAS to be a good thing.
Cover up the nose on any of the segment's cars and they all adhere to the same smart, but formulaic 3 box saloons. Not much surprise there though really. All need good wheels to offset the weight of their designs and large arhes...
If you accept that from front axle aft they all are so-so, then the face..the brand definer... is pretty key. And here Alfa have marketing gold with the shield grille, on par or bettering the ever present kidneys.
If you're interested enough to consider the rest, then Jag, Benz, BMW amd Alfa DO have their own surface treatment and again, the subtle, curvey, non-jarring creases on the Alfa are good, if a little heavy. It fails (if you can call it that) at the rear where it gets a bit Maserati or far eastern....but very few of the competition win here either, being bland or just plain annoying (Benz's blinding lights!)
Overall, no game changing aesthetics, but certainly 'current' and smart... and with THAT face, off to a good start imo.
If nothing else it's properly competing it seems from a quality and driving perspective as opposed to just looking good. That HAS to be a good thing.
"Look at Keira Knightley, she's just an ironing board with a face and she works."
I'm a fan of Mercedes' current design language. I own an XF but I find the XE to be very... generic, almost dull, just like an A4. BMW just... no.
This Alfa strikes all the right chords for me. It did have to grow on me for some time but now when I see it, I really think it's a very pretty car.
All of this is in the eye of the beholder of course, but I do wonder on seeing a 3-series (or better still, 3 GT) and wonder: how many would they have sold if it didn't have the BMW badge on the front.
This Alfa strikes all the right chords for me. It did have to grow on me for some time but now when I see it, I really think it's a very pretty car.
Having said that, I'm trying to think of the last Italian car I liked the styling of and struggling. Maybe the 8C?
Cover up the nose on any of the segment's cars and they all adhere to the same smart, but formulaic 3 box saloons. Not much surprise there though really. All need good wheels to offset the weight of their designs and large arhes...
If you accept that from front axle aft they all are so-so, then the face..the brand definer... is pretty key. And here Alfa have marketing gold with the shield grille, on par or bettering the ever present kidneys.
If you're interested enough to consider the rest, then Jag, Benz, BMW amd Alfa DO have their own surface treatment and again, the subtle, curvey, non-jarring creases on the Alfa are good, if a little heavy. It fails (if you can call it that) at the rear where it gets a bit Maserati or far eastern....but very few of the competition win here either, being bland or just plain annoying (Benz's blinding lights!)
Overall, no game changing aesthetics, but certainly 'current' and smart... and with THAT face, off to a good start imo.
If nothing else it's properly competing it seems from a quality and driving perspective as opposed to just looking good. That HAS to be a good thing.
"Look at Keira Knightley, she's just an ironing board with a face and she works."
I'm a fan of Mercedes' current design language. I own an XF but I find the XE to be very... generic, almost dull, just like an A4. BMW just... no.
This Alfa strikes all the right chords for me. It did have to grow on me for some time but now when I see it, I really think it's a very pretty car.
All of this is in the eye of the beholder of course, but I do wonder on seeing a 3-series (or better still, 3 GT) and wonder: how many would they have sold if it didn't have the BMW badge on the front.
I've had BMW's for 20 years but wouldn't even consider an F30. Yes they drive nice but the interior is a mess and they're just everywhere - but in the way Sierras were everywhere. There's nothing WOW or special about it at all.
The A4 is okay, but does anyone even notice them now?
XE? Not a bad effort and prettier than the above. Looks great in the dark green with big wheels. Looks st in Grandad maroon with the standard rims.
The C Class? Such a pretty car. They really got this right both inside and out. Realistically, it would be my choice were I in the market. It looks worth the money.
But I saw a Giulia the other day on the Dronfield bypass, dark metallic blue 2.0 or a diesel and it looks fabulous on the road in motion. It will never be a default choice, and all the better for it.
No I'm not baiting. It really was.
I distinctly recall a (then) brand-new 156 selespeed leaving it's owner stuck at 45° across an A road due to some bizarre 'box malfunction. I swore I'd never touch one after that. Alas that the Mrs. has bought a Mito. Don't much like that, either. IMO, they've still got work to do to rebuild/reinforce their brand image.
Then I saw one in the metal. Just a bog standard hire car at Geneva airport. Looked fantastic and when I pointed it out, the people I was with went over and were commenting on how good it looked.
It's a very smart looking car. And sounds like it drives well. So, maybe it does or doesn't beat the usual suspects, but bravo Alfa.
This Alfa strikes all the right chords for me. It did have to grow on me for some time but now when I see it, I really think it's a very pretty car.
Having said that, I'm trying to think of the last Italian car I liked the styling of and struggling. Maybe the 8C?
Probably about 3 or 4 people who might end up with something other than the default Co Car choice might want something genuinely different - the other 99% just want a bit of something, be that cheap, fast, German and so on.
So, why be different to make in all likelihood little or no money, whatever the right/wrong of that is?
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