Performance Pack announced for Giulia and Stelvio
Alfa Romeo sprinkles the Quadrifoglio fairy dust as standard cars soldier on
While the continued existence of the Quadrifoglios was the standout news when a stay of execution was confirmed for the Alfa Giulia and Stelvio, it did also mean that the standard models were retained. While the respective line ups are much slimmer than they once were, with just the 280hp 2.0-litre turbo offered for the saloon and SUV, they are still on sale. And with so much fanfare around rivals the alternatives right now, from electric reinventions of household names to a new Chinese 4x4 every week, it was probably a good time for the pair to get a little glow up.
The Stelvio and Giulia you see here have been treated to a new Performance Pack, or Pack Performance as Alfa prefers to call it (we don’t). The upgrade, reckons Alfa, ‘leverages the brand’s sporty DNA with design, technology and driving dynamics content.’ Probably of most PH interest is the introduction of Synaptic Dynamic Control, using onboard sensors to adjust the behaviour of the dampers depending on road conditions, driving style and ‘stresses detected’. Apparently SDC delivers the holy grail of suspension tuning, ‘designed to offer the perfect balance between comfort, driving precision, and safety.’ The Dynamic mode on the drive selector will still prioritise precision with a firmer calibration, and the bumpy road setting remains. Given both saloon and SUV have always been praised for their ride and handling qualities, this change for the Performance Pack is encouraging.
Additionally, these new models introduce contrast red stitching and details throughout the interior, with carbon accents for a bit of fast car pizzazz. The big piece of new equipment, however, is a new Harmon Kardon Sound System; it comprises one subwoofer, four woofers, five midrange speakers and four tweeters. It promises ‘balance, power and detail in every frequency’, good news given the majority of non-Quadrifoglio Stelvio and Giulia drives might not be the most exciting. Indeed Alfa suggests that the HK upgrade ‘contributes to a more engaging listening experience consistent with the car's character, transforming every journey into an immersive adventure.’ So be sure to remind the kids of that when The Housemartins are on.
Otherwise that’s your lot for the Performance Packed Alfa Romeos. Not likely to be transformative, sure, but also further reaching than may have been expected for cars that are now at least 10 years old. While confirmed for Europe, it hasn’t been announced yet what a Stelvio or Giulia might cost in the UK; for reference, a 280hp saloon is from £43,800 as a Sprint to £53,200 for an Intensa. The SUV is currently £52,120 to £61,520. That being said, nearly new examples are under £40k for both. Let’s hope the same may also be true for the Performance Packs soon…
The vast majority of non-QF Giulias are the 280 bhp 2.0T which is apparently a very engaging drive.
The rack is super fast, the ride very supple and it handles brilliantly. I had one and it was like a 4 door Exige.
The engine note was meh and it could be a bit gruff and ideally, a lift to 325bhp would have made it a brilliant 440i competitor.
I suppose it might bump sales from "almost none" to "very close to none"?
I suppose it might bump sales from "almost none" to "very close to none"?
Your garage is empty, what sweet-handling purist daily drivers fulfils your higher expectations?
I suppose it might bump sales from "almost none" to "very close to none"?
Your garage is empty, what sweet-handling purist daily drivers fulfils your higher expectations?
For what it's worth if I was ever in the market for this sort of car it'd be high on my list although I've had enough experience of Alfa Romeo dealers that there isn't the remotest chance I'd buy a new one or whatever approved used offering they have.
Before they got rid of option packs and built them into trim levels, they had a 'Performance Pack' which was the SDC suspension plus the Q2 LSD, and flappy paddles if the spec didn't already have them. All of this is just about worth having, but it's been there since the beginning.
As a separate option there was the 14 speaker HK setup, which is nothing to write home about - the system architecture is helpful for upgrades but the actual speakers cost about 20p and most of them aren't actually HK.
After they built them into trim levels, some or all of this stuff came with... count them... the Veloce Ti, Estrema, Competizione, Tributo Italiano, and Intensa. All basically the same.
This constant twiddling adds nothing and just confuses anyone trying to navigate specs.
I suppose it might bump sales from "almost none" to "very close to none"?
I see a lot more Guilia's on the roads now than I ever did a year or two ago.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff