Alfa Romeo Giulietta 2.0 JTDm Lusso
Can flagship diesel engine power eye-catching Italian to victory?
Alfa Romeo surprised a few people with the name of its latest family car challenger. The Giulietta was expected to wear the Milano badge, but an 11th-hour change of heart saw the firm introduce the famous Giulietta nameplate to a new generation of car buyers. Does it live up to the legend of its past?
From a styling perspective, the Alfa is something of a mixed bag. Its distinctive heart-shaped grille sets it apart from its more conventional class rivals, and its signature LED tail-lamps are equally eye-catching. But from every other angle it looks much more traditional. However, it’s less in-your-face and prettier than the quirky MINI.
Video: watch CarBuyer's video review of the Giulietta
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Our two contenders are chalk and cheese on the inside, too. The Alfa takes a conventional approach, with a line of old-fashioned rocker switches across the centre of the dashboard the only significant nod to the past. In contrast, the MINI cabin is a riot of retro design details.
The Giulietta’s driving position is decent, but there’s no room to rest your leg to the left of the clutch pedal, and access to the rotary adjuster for the backrest is obstructed by the seatbelt buckle and B-pillar. These little ergonomic details take the edge off the experience, and draw your attention to other elements of the cabin that don’t work as well as they could. The over-sized gearknob looks as though it’s made of a cold-to-the-touch metal. In reality, though, it’s disappointingly made of plastic.
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Passenger space in the back isn’t exactly generous, either, and the MINI provides more leg and headroom. Three adults will find the back seat of the Alfa cosy, and the small rear side windows restrict visibility. At least the boot is a decent size. Its 350-litre load area is par for the course in this sector and it’s a more user- friendly shape than the MINI’s.
On the road, the promise of the Alfa’s racy roots fails to materialise. The flagship diesel engine isn’t short of pace, and it sounds reasonably sporty, but it doesn’t deliver the kind of driving fun that you get in the MINI.
Against the clock, the much more powerful Giulietta wins hands down – its smooth 170bhp Multijet diesel engine provides real muscle. It sprinted from 0-60mph in 8.7 seconds and its dominance was even greater in our in-gear assessments, where the Alfa accelerated from 50-70mph in sixth gear in 8.6 seconds – six seconds faster than its rival. But the Alfa’s three-mode DNA system really takes the edge off the enjoyment.
In Normal setting, it seriously blunts performance (it adds 2.2 seconds to the 50-70mph sprint in top gear). But when you switch to Dynamic mode, the steering feels artificial, and loads up in faster corners. It doesn’t inspire the same confidence as the lively MINI. A notchy gearshift and soft brake pedal also count against it.
The Giulietta is more adept at cruising, as its cabin is quieter and suspension softer, but it lacks composure on undulating B-roads and doesn’t generate as much grip. So the Alfa won’t be the first choice for keen drivers, despite its performance advantage.
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WHY: Eye-catching looks and punchy diesel performance are the order of the day here. But is that enough to see off the retro-inspired MINI Countryman?
