Alfa Romeo Giulia review - Practicality, comfort and boot space

There’s only one Giulia body style, which is the four-door saloon, although if you do need more practicality from your Alfa, then there's the new Tonale compact SUV and recently updated Stelvio mid-size SUV. The Giulia's driving position is good, with a comfortable and sporty seat arrangement in the front that sits you low but with a good view ahead.  

Useful standard kit includes keyless entry, automatic wipers and high-beam function, electrically-adjustable and folding door mirrors, front and rear parking sensors, climate control and active cruise control.

Size

The Alfa Romeo Giulia is 4,643mm long and 2,024mm wide (including mirrors), while a wheelbase of 2,820mm creates a decent amount of space inside. In comparison, the latest BMW 3 Series is 66mm longer and has a slightly longer wheelbase too, but the Alfa is wider and lower, giving it a slightly sportier stance.

Leg room, head room & passenger space

There’s plenty of space up front in the Giulia, and rear passengers won’t have too much to complain about either because the Alfa Giulia actually has one of the longer wheelbases in its class, so there’s a good amount of legroom in the back. In fact, it feels less claustrophobic than it does in the back of a Jaguar XE, and there’s more headroom. However, even though the difference to the Audi A4 is only marginal, it’s not quite as spacious, and the Giulia's large transmission tunnel means anyone in the middle seat might feel cramped.

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Boot

It’s clear that Alfa's designers benchmarked the 3 Series when developing the Giulia, as it shares the same 480-litre boot capacity. However, the opening is smaller and there’s a high load lip to overcome in the Alfa. Hidden storage space in the cabin is good, with a decent-sized cubby between the front seats and a large glovebox. However, the Giulia has to give best to the 3 Series when it comes to storage elsewhere, as the Alfa's door bins are smaller and there’s nowhere to store a smartphone on the centre console.

Towing

The Alfa Romeo Giulia is rated to tow up to 1,600kg, which should be enough for most needs.