Photo: Alfa Romeo
Porsche, Audi, and Volkswagen are arguably the laziest automakers when it comes to facelifts. But Alfa Romeo surpassed the German trio with the 2016 Alfa Romeo Giulietta facelift. I know this may sound to you like I’m a madman, but the 1974 Austin Allegro Vanden Plas is awfully similar to the refreshed Giulietta hatchback in that regard.
That British pile of atrociousness is awfully similar to the 2016 Alfa Romeo Giulietta because both of them are the most terrible excuses for an update in the history of the car. The Austin Allegro started at £1,159 in 1974 and the Vanden Plas model was £1,951. Care to guess what the Vanden Plas brought to the table over the standard Allegro? A honkin’ great grille inspired by the one adorning the 1965 Bentley T1.
The 2016 Alfa Romeo Giulietta facelift follows in the footsteps of British Leyland’s biggest flop because it doesn’t bring anything remotely fresh over the current Giulietta other than a different front bumper and mesh inserts in the grille. And no, the redesigned Alfa Romeo badge and four LEDs in each headlight as daytime running lights are not worth mentioning. Even the aftermarket industry would’ve done a better job with the facelift of the Giulietta than what the designers of the Alfa Romeo Style Center did.
On the inside, the only highlight comes in the form of a better Uconnect touchscreen infotainment system than the existing unit. The gear lever of the automatic transmission, though, is borderline similar to what the owner of a small Dodge has in its car. Sorry, Alfa Romeo, but you’re not the Alfa Romeo I was promised when Fiat Chrysler Automobiles head honcho Sergio Marchionne declared that he would turn the Italian brand around.
The engine lineup starts with a 1.4-liter with 120 PS (118 horsepower) and a Q2 electronic differential for good measure. At the other end of the spectrum, we have a 1750 TBi four-cylinder turbo with 240 PS (236 horsepower) matched with a TCT dual-clutch transmission. On the turbo diesel front, the 2016 Alfa Romeo Giulietta comes with a 1.6 JTDm with 120 PS (118 horsepower) and a 2-liter unit that churns out up to 175 PS (172 horsepower).
Impressed? As an Alfisti, I’m far from impressed. As a consumer in the market for a compact hatchback, I surely ain’t impressed because the segment is chock-full of better propositions. Sorry, Alfa Romeo, but the 2016 model year Giulietta is a disaster that makes matters worse for your ambitious 400,000 units per year volume target.
The 2016 Alfa Romeo Giulietta facelift follows in the footsteps of British Leyland’s biggest flop because it doesn’t bring anything remotely fresh over the current Giulietta other than a different front bumper and mesh inserts in the grille. And no, the redesigned Alfa Romeo badge and four LEDs in each headlight as daytime running lights are not worth mentioning. Even the aftermarket industry would’ve done a better job with the facelift of the Giulietta than what the designers of the Alfa Romeo Style Center did.
On the inside, the only highlight comes in the form of a better Uconnect touchscreen infotainment system than the existing unit. The gear lever of the automatic transmission, though, is borderline similar to what the owner of a small Dodge has in its car. Sorry, Alfa Romeo, but you’re not the Alfa Romeo I was promised when Fiat Chrysler Automobiles head honcho Sergio Marchionne declared that he would turn the Italian brand around.
The engine lineup starts with a 1.4-liter with 120 PS (118 horsepower) and a Q2 electronic differential for good measure. At the other end of the spectrum, we have a 1750 TBi four-cylinder turbo with 240 PS (236 horsepower) matched with a TCT dual-clutch transmission. On the turbo diesel front, the 2016 Alfa Romeo Giulietta comes with a 1.6 JTDm with 120 PS (118 horsepower) and a 2-liter unit that churns out up to 175 PS (172 horsepower).
Impressed? As an Alfisti, I’m far from impressed. As a consumer in the market for a compact hatchback, I surely ain’t impressed because the segment is chock-full of better propositions. Sorry, Alfa Romeo, but the 2016 model year Giulietta is a disaster that makes matters worse for your ambitious 400,000 units per year volume target.
Google News