Alfa Romeo Giulietta Cloverleaf
Alfa's newcomer is full of promises, but can its stunning looks and characterful engine topple our class champ?
We’ve come to expect stunning designs from Alfa Romeo, and the new Giulietta Cloverleaf hits the bull’s eye again. Despite its five-door body, it looks like a sporty three-door thanks to its concealed rear handles.
Tinted windows, 18-inch alloy wheels complete with an anthracite finish and charismatic front wing plaques add to its appeal – although our test car’s striking 8C Red paint costs a hefty £1,750 extra!
Video: watch CarBuyer's video review of the Giulietta
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Under the skin, the Cloverleaf gets 10mm lower suspension and red brake calipers. And these additions help it to steal the limelight from its German rival at the kerbside. Inside, however, it doesn’t live up to the promise. Parts of the Giulietta’s cabin show real flair, but overall it’s a disappointment. The stereo is fiddly, stowage space is lacking, and the trip computer display looks like something from the Eighties.
Quality drops off away from the main dashboard, too. The door panels are made of scratchy plastic, and the centre console looks cheap. Also, the car deserves a more stylish steering wheel than the plain, overly large item fitted here.
Elsewhere, the hard seats don’t offer enough under-thigh support and the driving position isn’t ideal. The poorly positioned metal pedals are too close together and unevenly spaced. They’re slippery when you have wet feet, too.
The 350-litre boot is shallow, while will the rear seats are a gloomy place to sit – the Cloverleaf’s darkened glass restricts the amount of daylight coming through the narrow windows. At least you get plenty of kit: climate control, auto wipers, Bluetooth, part-leather seats and cruise control are all standard.
As with all the finest Alfas, the best piece of equipment is to be found under the bonnet – and the 1750 TBi engine is a real highlight. It has an effervescent character that makes the car fun to drive, as well as fast. And this performance comes accompanied by a rewarding, hi-tech turbo soundtrack.
The smooth-revving unit offers real bite. In soaking conditions, the Cloverleaf sprinted from 0-60mph in 7.1 seconds. The Golf completed the benchmark in 6.6 seconds, but its time was recorded in the dry. In addition, the Alfa requires more effort to get off the line cleanly, and the full 340Nm of torque is available only if you select the Dynamic mode on the DNA driver control system. Otherwise, it offers 300Nm at a peaky 4,500rpm.
The six-speed box isn’t as positive as the Golf’s, either. On twisty roads, the steering is extremely responsive, which is typical of the brand, although the electric set-up doesn’t provide sufficient feel, and you have little idea what the front wheels are up to. So, while the car is very stable, it’s all too easy to carry too much speed into a corner, as the front tyres scrub wide of your intended line earlier than you expect.
We’re still not convinced by the DNA set-up, as it’s a bit gimmicky. The steering is too light in Normal mode, while throttle responses are noticeably blunted. Things improve in the Dynamic setting, and the brakes bite harder thanks to their pre-fill function.
Alfa Romeo’s racy challenger has bags of character and real promise on paper. But on the road, it fails to hit the heights of the Cloverleaf legend.
Details
Chart position: 2
WHY: Range-topping version of the beautiful new Giulietta features a fiery 235bhp turbocharged engine. Can it live up to the reputation of the classic Cloverleaf badge on its wing?
