Alfa Giulietta review (09/08/2014)

ANYONE who has any hint of petrol flowing through their veins will have a soft spot for the Alfa Romeo brand.

The Italian company has, by turns during its colourful 104-year history, produced some of the most achingly beautiful machines the world has ever seen.

It also produced some of the most stunning performing cars we’ve witnessed. But, as is the way of so many things Italian it has made some of the most outrageous dogs the automotive world has had cause to witness.

By and large, however, the brand has caused more hearts to flutter than pretty much anyone else involved in the design and production of mainstream automobiles.

You only have to look at recent instant classics such as the 8C and the 4C to know that Alfa has in its DNA the ability to turn the potentially mundane into something which appeals to people on a level which few other companies can match.

Emotion and desire are human characteristics which impinge on our daily lives, but there are very few automotive manufacturers that can feed into those human traits by making — from metal, rubber, plastic and other incongruous materials — something which transcends mere functionality.

Unfortunately, and as part of the giant Fiat Group, Alfa has not always been allowed to follow its own path or instinct.

The inner beating heart of the company (whose early products once prompted Henry Ford to comment: “When I see an Alfa Romeo go by, I tip my hat”) has somehow survived the interference of so many others; the dilution of its core values; and, the bewildering absence of any cogent plan to revitalise it.

Latterly, however, Fiat Group Automobiles seems to have gotten its act together a bit and now seems intent on allowing Alfa the sort of loose rein under which it truly thrives. After all, there are only two mainstream Alfa models on sale right now, the MiTo and the Giulietta. the recently launched 4C which, while brilliant and beautiful all at once, hardly qualifies as mainstream.

The car we concern ourselves with this week is the newly face-lifted Giulietta which, in fairness, was such an attractive car anyway, it did not need much face-lifting. Undoubtedly it was and still is the best looking of all the family hatchback cars out there, even if it — rarely, if ever — appealed to families.

Nevertheless the new car has a revised look, new engines and loads of multi-media content. The new look incorporates a new front grille, revised front fog light bezels, new wheel designs and a raft of new colours, even if it is nearly a sin to drive an Alfa in any colour than red.

The interior has been revamped as well, although trademark characteristics such as the hooded instrumentation binnacle are thankfully left intact. One major plus is the redesigned seats which offer way more support than heretofore, but stuff like the awkward driving position — typically Italian suited to a short-leg, long-arm posture, which won’t suit everyone — and the absence of anywhere to put your left leg when it isn’t using the clutch, still remain.

So too the tight rear passenger space.

One thing they have improved greatly is the insulation which is now way better than previously and pretty much all of the road and tyre roar which so characterised the original car have been eradicated.

Now, as many true petrolheads will attest, the mere thought of an Alfa diesel is anathema to anyone who has ever driven a petrol one — remember those brilliant TwinSpark units, or any of the V6s or even any of the truly mad GTA versions down the years. But, this being the era it is, diesel has become a mainstay across every manufacturer’s resume and Alfa is no different.

The basics of this 1.6 litre JTDm-2 turbodiesel might not spark any flames among the traditionalists either, what with an output of just 77 kW (105 bhp), a top speed of just 185 kph and a 0-100 kph capability of just 11.3 seconds, However, I have to tell you that if your expectations have been lessened after perusing those figures, then you’ll have to re-evaluate.

This thing actually delivers quite a sparky performance — even in the ‘Normal’ mode in the Alfa’s so-called ‘DNA’ system which allows you chose the mode of driving you’d like. Select a more sporty mode and you get a slightly sharper throttle response, but it’s all a bit of a cod in my view. If left in the ‘Normal’ setting, you can still extract the maximum without the potentially jerky throttle responses found elsewhere.

Worth noting too is that this engine will return some 4.0 l/100 km (that’s 70 mpg in currency some of us still understand) and you have a package that has the potential to attract punters outside Alfa’s normal realm of influence.

On the road the car is excellent and Alfa’s combination of a MacPherson strut front suspension and a multilink arrangement at the back make for a very appealing drive where handling sure-footedness and grip are strong characteristics. It rides well too on its 17” alloys which comes as part of the Exclusive specification package we tested.

Right now the Giulietta offers the best of what Alfa are marketing and it struck me that if the forthcoming Giulia saloon (expected to be seen at the Paris Show next month) and the SUV which is also due soon, offer anything like what this car does, then we might be well on the way to a serious Alfa revival in the near future.

That would not in any way be a bad thing because for far too long now Alfa has been allowed rot in a slough of poorly executed and ill-advised mediocrity. This new Giulietta signposts a welcome era of resurgence for a brand which is an integral part of automotive history.

Alfa Romeo Giulietta

***

The Cost: From €22,500 — €28,250 as tested.

The Engine: Although not imbued with startling performance figures, the 1.6 JTDm-2 is still a perky performer and has excellent consumption characteristics too.

The Specification: In ‘Executive’ trim this thing comes as standard with such as 17” alloys, leather/micro-fibre upholstery, automatic wipers and lights, electric door mirrors, dark tinted windows, an electro-chromatic rear-view mirror, rear arm-rest and electric front-seat lumbar support, sports suspension, sports leather steering wheel with red stitching, aluminium sports pedals and kick-plates, darkened headlight clusters, satin-effect mirror covers and side body skirts.

The Overall Verdict: May not be enough to prise people out of their Golf or Focus, but a pretty good effort from Alfa.