Alfa Romeo Giulia
Brilliant new Alfa Romeo Giulia puts the famous Italian brand back on top.
Everybody loves a comeback story, so here’s one straight out of Italy. Since production of the Alfa Romeo 159 ended in 2011, Alfa Romeo had been without a saloon. The 159 was a very good car but its high price and disappointing driving dynamics made it fall well short of offerings from rivals like BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz.
In the summer of 2015, during Alfa Romeo’s 105th birthday celebration, the successor to the 159 was revealed and it is the car you’re seeing here on this very page – the Giulia. When it was launched fully later on in 2016, the world began to fall in love with it. It came second place in the 2017 European Car of the Year award voting and motoring press from around the globe gave it excellent reviews, revitalising the Alfa Romeo brand and finally giving customers the choice to once again drive an Italian saloon.
In many ways, the Giulia has exceeded its biggest rivals’ abilities. It is a true driver’s car, exceptional in the corners and with a light, direct steering and communicative handling reminiscent of a sports car. Crucially, Alfa Romeo gave the Giulia rear-wheel drive which really adds to the overall feeling of balance and poise, though some models are also available with ‘Q4’ all-wheel drive too.
Power comes from petrol and diesel engines, with a high-performance ‘Quadrifoglio’ topping the range with a 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 developed in collaboration with Ferrari. If that’s just a little bit too racy for your liking, a sensible 2.2-litre turbo diesel and a mid-range 2.0-litre, 276bhp turbo petrol are the more traditional alternatives and can be paired nicely with an 8-speed automatic gearbox.
Alfa Romeo has made sure the overall package is as competitive as possible so expect to find high-end equipment such as climate and cruise control, heated leather seating, DAB radio, navigation, reversing cameras and active safety systems across the range.
After years without a car in this segment the Giulia is a fantastically executed new saloon that oozes class. Not only is it one of the best driving cars you can buy, it’s also one of the most beautiful. Alfa Romeo is back to its best.