New Alfa Romeo Giulia: Prices, specs, order books open now
£29,180 starting price for Alfa's important new saloon, with first deliveries just around the corner
Order books for the Alfa Romeo Giulia – Alfa’s new BMW 3 Series rival and the first car in the company’s upcoming product overhaul – are now open, with prices kicking off at £29,180 in the UK. First deliveries are slated to take place by the end of November, so those at the front of the queue will be getting their cars this Christmas.
The base price will net you a model in base trim, which comes as standard with a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol. Base models get 16-inch alloy wheels, cruise control, climate control, automatic wipers, rear parking sensors, and a 6.5-inch touchscreen infotainment system.
While this base model is a few thousand pounds more than an equivalent BMW 3 Series or Jaguar XE, the Giulia hits back with a more powerful engine and greater levels of standard safety equipment including autonomous city braking and lane-departure warning.
Trim levels run up from there through Super, Tecnica and Speciale before the top-of-the-line Quadrifoglio model. Buyers who stump up the extra £1,700 for Super Spec will be treated to larger alloy wheels, an 8.8-inch touchscreen and part-leather seats, while £115 on top of that brings a rear reversing camera, privacy glass and extra chrome on the outside as part of Tecnica trim.
Higher still is the Speciale version, which starts from £34,150 and upgrades the headlights to bi-xenon units while adding a sports bodykit, 18-inch alloy wheels and heated front seats.
Of course, the bonkers 503bhp Quadrifoglio model still sits at the top of the range, costing £59,000.
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Engine choices include the aforementioned 2.0-litre 197bhp petrol, only available on entry and Super spec cars. The only other petrol choice is the 3.0-litre V6 in the Quadrifoglio model, while diesel choices are both 2.2-litre and offer 148bhp and 178bhp respectively. All engines come with an automatic gearbox.
Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio prices and specs
Alfa Romeo chose the Goodwood Festival of Speed to announce the price for the hot Giulia Quadrifoglio. The car is priced from £59,000.
The price sits nicely in between main rivals, with the BMW M3 undercutting it at around £56,000, while the Mercedes-AMG C 63 starts at £60,000. The Giulia's 503bhp power output outstrips both of those cars, though, and matches the S version of the C 63 - which starts from £66,000.
The Italian firm claims the Quadrifoglio model can lap the Nurburgring’s fearsome Nordschleife circuit in just 7:39 - a new record for a saloon car if true. It is powered by a 503bhp turbocharged 2.9-litre V6 and can hit 0-62mph in just 3.9 seconds, in part thanks to 600Nm of torque. It’ll do 190mph, and thanks to its carbon fibre active aero splitter, will generate an impressive 100kg of downforce at top speed. Plus, Alfa says it's more efficient than its rivals, with emissions of 198g/km in the manual model.
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Alfa Romeo claims that all models feature 50/50 weight distribution and a sophisticated rear suspension set-up, which go hand-in-hand with a rear-wheel drive layout for better handling. Carbon fibre has been used in the car's construction as well, with aluminium and plastic used as well to keep the weight of the car down to 1,374kg in the 2.2-litre diesel and 1,524kg in the hot Quadrifoglio.
An 8.8-inch display screen inside is controlled via a dial, and can connect to both Apple and Android mobile devices for phone calls and music streaming. There's also a TomTom sat-nav system and the dash also features Alfa's DNA driving mode switch.
Behind the wheel there's either a 3.5-inch or 7-inch screen depending on the trim level, and the Giulia features a Harman Kardon 14-speaker stereo system. Autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection will be available on the car, plus a collision warning, lane departure warning, blind spot monitoring and adaptive cruise control.
Optional equipment includes leather seats, bi-xenon headlights, a heated steering wheel, gear-shift paddles for auto models, a limited-slip differential, keyless go, parking seniors and powered heated front seats.
Giulia sets a lap record with a difference
While the Giulia Quadrifoglio may be the fastest saloon around the Nurburgring, it’s not the only eye-opening lap record Alfa claims for its new super saloon.
Coinciding with the launch of the Giulia in the UK, Alfa has set a new benchmark using its BMW M4 rival – the fastest ‘blindfolded’ lap of Silverstone.
With the windows completely blacked out, a second Giulia Quadrifoglio is used as a support car to guide Alfa factory driver and former Le Mans 24-hour participant Ed Morris around the track. The 1:44.3 record hasn’t been set on the full Grand Prix circuit – instead it’s the smaller, 1.64 mile National layout.
Alfa says that the lap showcases some of the driver assistance tech available on the Giulia. Collision warning and automatic emergency braking may have only been a safety net, but lane departure warning certainly comes in handy when trying something like this.
Would you buy a 503bhp Alfa Romeo Giulia? Let us know in the comments section below...
