Today we spent some time at Donnelley Group’s Alfa Romeo showroom in Mallusk to get the first glimpse of the all new Alfa Romeo Giulia which is a new comer to the executive car segment and brings with it the beauty that only Alfa Romeo can offer.
Sales Manager Drew McVeigh commented “The Giulia starts a new beginning for Alfa Romeo . The first of 8 new cars that will arrive on UK roads over the next 30 months the next of which will be the Stelivo SUV due in June 2017″ Drew continued “The Giulia offers fantastic value for money with high levels of spec and trim and with low C02 emissions we predict that this car will be successful not only for the retails buyers but also offer company car drivers a cost effective option”.
Smilingly Drew finished by saying “The Giulia is a true sports saloon with RWD and sports tuning through its DNA . and lives up to the motto of LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO DRIVE BORING CARS”.
The Giulia is indeed a fantastic looking car as expected, coming from the Italian stable and it comes into a market with stiff competition from the likes of the Mercedes C-Class, Jaguar XE along with the more common Audi A4 and BMW 3 series.
The latter two being the bland looking options with the first pair offering something that little bit more individual and unique with more quality. They won’t be as common a sight on the roads and these are the cars I can see the Giulia really pitching against.
With the Giulia pricing starting at close to £30k it sits slightly dearer than all the others, however with good reason as it is expected to be the best driving experience in the class, has much better kit and quality and offers some great performance along with keeping in tune with Co2 levels allowing it to easily be added to company fleets.
Being rear wheel drive with a 50:50 weight distribution the Giulia is a car that I personally am eager to drive when the chance arrives as I do believe it will surpass the XE as a class leader in the handling department. It has already won my heart as the best looking car both inside and out.
With no manual gearbox available (I really don’t see the need for a manual in such a car myself) the Giulia may not appeal to some however the 8 speed auto with paddle shift is said to be very good indeed. Alfa’s DNA technology is fitted to the Giulia also.
This allows for a change in cars settings depending on the driving style you wish to adopt and what you want from the Giulia at any one time. The DNA modes are Dynamic, Normal and Advanced Efficincy and having experienced DNA before, there is a noticeable difference between modes.
Quadrifoglio 2.9 V6 Twin Turbo engine
Engine wise the Giulia comes with just a few options, keeping things simple is best sometimes, there is a 2.0L turbo petrol offering 200bhp whilst a 2.2L turbo diesel is available with either 150bhp or 180bhp whist the range topper and the one I am most excited about is the 500bhp Quadrifoglio with its Ferrari derived 2.9L v6 twin turbo engine.
Economy for the entry petrol engine is claimed as 45+ mpg with the diesels returning a claimed 65+ mpg with the road tax for both diesels coming in at a mere £20 it is certainly going to be the most popular choice whilst the petrol tax is £130/yr. The Quadrifoglio is a surprisingly affordable £270/yr to tax with something just over 30mpg achievable.
Three trim levels are being offered with the Giulia which are – Giulia, Super and Speciale with a pair of optional packs being available for models, these are Sport and Luxury which will add as you would expect will add a sports feel or more luxurious feel respectively.
Giulia spec comes with just the 2.0L petrol engine 16” alloy wheels, cloth trim and leather steering wheel whilst Super spec (likely to be the most popular) offers all three engines, large screen with sat nav and half leather in black, red or tan. Finally, the Speciale only comes with the 180bhp diesel unit with 18” alloy wheels, full leather interior and the sports pack.
The Quadrifoglio can receive race inspired performance upgrades if desired as in standard form it already is equipped with huge amounts of performance and styling differences over the others as well as race inspired front seats with a fantastic feeling steering wheel finished in a mix of leather, alcantara and carbon fibre with carbon scattered throughout the interior alongside the white and green stitching.
This Giulia Quadrifoglio also receives a “race mode” via the DNA system and lapped the nurburgring in a record setting 7m 32s which makes it the fastest saloon car on sale as well as sounding delightful!
Room inside is generous, both front and rear and the dash is well laid out with no overdose of buttons and controls that are not required, Alfa have kept things simple inside by not adding a mountain of tech and features that 99% of buyers have no interest in and as such make the Giulia a nicer place to be and very comfortable as expected.
Alfa Romeo have reintroduced the sporty four door saloon to the brand and expect to pay no more than £35k for a Giulia with a nice spec and for the business market there is fantastic Business Contract Hire deals from just £269+vat/month with a Tecnica model coming soon for the business market which will be even more affordable.
If you are thinking outside of the box and appreciate a great driving experience then get over to Mallusk and speak to Drew and his team about the car and options available to bes suit your needs, we aim to have a full road test of teh car in the new year.
Words & Photos: Graham Curry
