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Alfa Romeo Giulietta

Stylish new Golf rival aims to take Italian firm into mainstream

Alfa Romeo Giulietta

By Paul Bond

June 2010

It's the Alfa that’s all about mass appeal. Following on from the arrival of the MiTo supermini, the new VW Golf-rivalling Giulietta needs to please both diehard fans and newcomers alike.

We drove the most powerful diesel model to find out if the hatch is a genuine crowd pleaser. The Giulietta keeps the familiar silhouette of the 147 it replaces, but adds neat touches such as LED running lights and the trademark triangular grille, which now ‘floats’ free from the bodywork.

Video: watch CarBuyer's video review of the Giulietta

 

The coupe looks discreetly conceal the fact that this car is only available as a practical five-door, with the extra handles disguised in the C-pillars. Step inside, and it’s obvious that real effort has gone into making the Giulietta a quality product. The swept-back dashboard – complete with a neat trio of circular switches – is well made, and the materials used are good to the touch.

The Giulietta also excels in other areas. According to Euro NCAP, it’s the safest compact car ever crash tested, and the entire range is fitted with Start&Stop technology.

Carbon dioxide emissions on this model are only 124g/km – not bad for a car with the capacity to sprint from 0-62mph in only eight seconds.

The 2.0-litre JTD engine delivers its 170bhp in a very smooth fashion, and its refined character fits well with the comfortable ride, which is a big improvement over the more jittery MiTo. This is partly thanks to the sophisticated new multi-link rear suspension. However, it’s the driver-controlled DNA switch which dictates how the car feels on the road.

Selecting Dynamic mode sharpens up the responses of the throttle and brakes, plus frees up an extra 30Nm of torque from the engine. But it also adds weight to the numb steering, making spirited driving tiring rather than rewarding.

The alternative is normal mode, but most will find throttle response too lethargic in this setting. It’s a shame that there isn’t a better compromise between each mode, and the system spoils a car which is otherwise a big step forward.         

For an alternative review of the latest Alfa Romeo Giulietta visit our sister site carbuyer.co.uk

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9 Comments

Autocar leave the Bias aside!!

This is a classic case of Autoexpress' giving 5 star rating first and then awarding a meagre 3 stars to Alfas... I ve driven this car and its way better than either focus or Golf and is way beautiful than either of them. So please give us real journalism rather than a biased review. Alfa Rules!!!!

By ambsinuk on 28 June, 2010, 6:21pm

Why only 4 pics?

Why only 4 pics? I would like to have seen more pics of the car, particularly of something as good looking as this.

By mjgray100 on 29 June, 2010, 12:26am

Another flop.

Another adolescent design with with 'hidden' doorhandles. If it is a 2 door coupe, then what are the bloody great shutlines doing there! How childish do they think we are?
Subsequent reports will comment on the uncomfortable driving position and the unreliability. At that point we can all heave a sigh of relief that we didn't buy one. It is an Alfa after all.

By pajbse on 29 June, 2010, 11:14am

What do you drive, pajbse, a 10 year old Nissan......

I would suspect you are living in the past with your cliched comments, yes, life can be so pleasant driving a 'safe car' that will work like a fridge or washing machine. Well, it takes all types and thankfully there is a great range of cars available and lots of people will still want cars that excite and are good looking. Yes, I have been driving an Alfa GT for the last 6 years and I love it, ask me if I would buy another and it would be a definite yes. Will you buy another 'safe' car, I'm sure the answer will be yes also.......
Enjoy motoring.

By BruceThe on 29 June, 2010, 6:38pm

Rubbish, mr. Bond, rubbish.

By Sportwagon_JTD on 29 June, 2010, 6:58pm

Compare this to the next generation Focus! Alfa wins in every style detail. Quite like the new grille treatment too.

By Lostash on 29 June, 2010, 7:58pm

Bizarre Review!

Bizarre, considering every other review, from Motorsport Magazine, Car Magazine, What Car has raved about the crisp handling, all be it the 1.4 multiair and 1.6 diesel versions.

I'll judge it by test drive

Agree with the first comment - biased. 3 other quality magazines can't be wrong

By keith_65 on 1 July, 2010, 7:51pm

An Englishwoman in Italy

Living in Italy I finally got my hands on my new Giulietta 2.0 JTD on Friday. It is great fun to drive - so much nicer than the Lancia Delta that I have had for the last 18 months (this is not available in the UK as they do not make a RHD version). When you switch from Normal to Dynamic the car feels like it received a very large shot of strong Italian coffee - great fun to drive.
The ride is great - tested on Italian motorways and the local roads here ( which are just as bad as English roads) - a bit harder then a French car but softer than a German car.
The only thing I do not like is the warning light telling you to change gear 'SHIFT' - I will just have to learn to ignore it!
Finally I suppose not wanting to be too much of a woman - I have the Metallic Blue colour - it looks fantastic - but be careful because in some of the other colours it looks a bit nothing.
When you can buy it in the UK - give it serious consideration and break out of the Focus or Golf rut.

By iolanthe65 on 18 July, 2010, 4:57pm

An Englishwoman in Italy

Living in Italy I finally got my hands on my new Giulietta 2.0 JTD on Friday. It is great fun to drive - so much nicer than the Lancia Delta that I have had for the last 18 months (this is not available in the UK as they do not make a RHD version). When you switch from Normal to Dynamic the car feels like it received a very large shot of strong Italian coffee - great fun to drive.
The ride is great - tested on Italian motorways and the local roads here ( which are just as bad as English roads) - a bit harder then a French car but softer than a German car.
The only thing I do not like is the warning light telling you to change gear 'SHIFT' - I will just have to learn to ignore it!
Finally I suppose not wanting to be too much of a woman - I have the Metallic Blue colour - it looks fantastic - but be careful because in some of the other colours it looks a bit nothing.
When you can buy it in the UK - give it serious consideration and break out of the Focus or Golf rut.

By iolanthe65 on 18 July, 2010, 5:00pm

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FIRST OPINION

    THE Giulietta is an appealing car that could push Alfa into the mainstream. It blends traditional Italian strengths such as design flair and gutsy engines with decent build quality and practicality. However, even though it’s a handsome machine with a premium feel, buyers might baulk at our test car’s £21,195 price tag. And it can’t match its rivals in terms of driving pleasure, as it’s let down by clumsy controls and a DNA system that needs fine-tuning.

 

AT A GLANCE

    Price: £21,195
    Engine: 2.0-litre, 4cyl turbodiesel  
    Transmission: Front-wheel drive, six-spd manual gearbox
    Power/Torque: 170bhp/350Nm  
    0-62mph: 8.0 seconds
    Top speed: 135mph
    Econ./CO2: 60.1mpg/124g/km
    Standard equipment: 16-inch alloys, dual-zone climate control, leather multifunction steering wheel, cruise control, Start&Stop
    On sale: Sept
     
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