LuxuryCarMagazine En Luxury Car Review and News
My limited experiences with Italian cars have never been very good. By limited, I’m referring to the few Maseratis I’ve driven where all three exhibited minor to major catastrophic failures. Because off this, I never bothered to test-drive the Alfa 4C for fear that I’d again get unlucky and this, despite all my colleagues praising the car as being nothing short of epic.
The Giulia on the other hand seemed far more worthy of my taking a risk and driving it for a week. In fact, I wish the Italian brand all the best and hope many compact luxury car seekers will take the plunge and bring an Alfa home on lease instead of a C Class Mercedes or 3 Series BMW, if only to not be like everyone else.
This car has much going for it beginning with its styling. Granted, the Alfa Romeo brand is not blessed with the best reliability reputation but a few moments aboard and behind the wheel will immediately broaden your horizon, especially if you are stepping out of a 4-year old Audi or Infiniti.
Styling inside/out
Despite the past, an Alfa Romeo in North America is as close to being an exotic car without being one. The Tri-Lobe shield caused many a double take as I scooted out and about my hood. A few passers-by actually made a b-line towards the car when parked in my driveway. In the past, this has only occurred with McLarens, Porsches or Lamborghinis so when I bring up “exotic”, I’m not exaggerating.
I’m a huge fan of the car’s proportions thanks to its medium-sized front and rear overhangs, clean bodylines and tidy rear end. The optional 18” 10-spoke wheels ad a touch of unexpected class, moving my tested Ti AWD away from it true sporty sedan nature.
The cabin is incredibly chic. The materials selected and the way they come together gives me the impression that a fashion designer had something to do with it. Am I projecting? I love the scarcity and clutter-free dashboard layout. The Alfa rotary pad sits in the middle of the center tunnel and, once more, top marks for the clean look however Alfa Romeo decided to go with its own connectivity menus and HMI. Sadly, the menus are far more complicated than necessary – a tweaked version of FCA’s excellent uConnect would have done nicely.
The seats are extremely comfortable all around and I can’t say enough good things about the insanely cool steering wheel. Grip is perfect, with thin well-integrated spokes and that engine start/stop button!
Comfort/space
Typically, the bigger the car, the heavier it is. And vice versa. For a long time, entry-level compact premium cars all suffered cramped interior if mostly to improve performance on every level. The advent of stronger and lighter materials has allowed carmakers to make the necessary adjustments to passenger comfort. Alfa Romeo made sure to do it right.
The rear bench is perfectly suited for two adults, or a child or adult along with a baby seat. Headroom is decent unless over 6-feet tall but this is not unusual. Up front, although as a driver I get the impression that I’m settled into a cockpit, I do not lack for space. Both rows of perches are as comfortable as they look good. The trunk, on the other hand, is a little snug. Golf bags will not fit unless a portion of the seatback is folded forward.
Value/equipment
There’s no way to sugarcoat it but the Alfa Romeo is expensive, at least more so than its immediate competition. At $48,995, the base Giulia is close to $10k more than an Infiniti Q50 and the question is: “Is it worth it?” This really depends on how much value you put on Alfa Romeo. The gap is not as great compared to a 2017 BMW 320i xDrive and Audi A4 (non-ultra), as it’s between $3,500 and $5,000. These are not inconsiderable sums and equipment-wise, the Giulia’s doesn’t exactly have a leg-up.
Standard kit does include a heated steering wheel, 10-way power driver and passenger seat and a few other items. The others can be spec’d out with similar equipment and still come in under the Alfa’s base price. Is Alfa Romeo saying that their high-end Italian brand commands a premium over the Germans and Japanese?
In my opinion, I think that Alfa Romeo can command a premium over the others but they need to heed the following warning: Do make sure that the car is up to snuff as buyers will not tolerate irritants or “bugs” for very long from the Italian company as they might from the Germans. Mercedes, Audi and BMW have long-standing recognition and even though Alfa’s 105 year old, they’ll not forgive and move on.
Powertrain/handling
Tied with the car’s styling as its best attributes is the way it drives. Alfa Romeo touts that they offer the most powerful base 4-cylinder engine and it is true that it provides some impressive get up and go. Its 306 lb.-ft. of torque and 280-horsepower are enough to shoot the Giulia to 100 km/h in as little as 5.2 seconds. The 8-speed automatic transmission does a great job responding perfectly to the driver’s throttle inputs.
I do take issue with the fact that wheel mounted paddle shifters are optional on my $56k+ Ti AWD. At $1,750, the Performance package includes the active suspension and limited slip differential. Be that as it may, the paddles should be standard in a car such as this.
Aiding in the Giulia’s performance is the drive mode selector. With Dynamic, Natural and Advanced Efficiency (because Italian…) or DNA drive modes, the Alfa rolls with the punches. Drive modes are nothing new although they work quite well in the car, I would have liked an individual or custom mode (individuale or fuoriserie) in order to maintain the natural ride comfort with dynamic throttle, brake and steering settings.
What’s most impressive from behind the wheel is how alert and nimble the car feels. The extensive use of ultra light materials, including carbon fibre, aluminum and high-strength composites shows. Once the steering wheel moves a degree past on-center, the car comes alive in an immediate and direct way. The driving experience is unburdened as it was in older cars such as an E46 BMW or B7 Audi.
The Giulia’s lightness and responsiveness puts the driver back in control event though it can optionally be setup as a semi-autonomous car like the others. The ride is firm, yet compliant in Natural with what I surmise to be a calculated amount of NVH allowed to travel up the steering column. From where I sit, it almost looks like the Alfa’s aiming straight for the ultimate driving machine crown… If anything, it’s all very refreshing to experience. And I love it.
The new 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia (base and Ti) is a breath of fresh disturbing air in the segment. I’m very much looking forward to see this car evolve and driving the mental Quadrifoglio, although I doubt I’ll like it more than this car.
Review Overview
Comfort - 85%
Performance - 90%
Interior Space - 85%
Exterior Design - 95%
Interior Design - 95%
Fuel Economy - 85%
89%
