ALFA ROMEO Giulietta 1750 TBi Quadrifoglio Verde Review

Alfa Romeo brought the Giuletta to life The Giulietta helped Alfa Romeo get back to life after World War II, with the Italians offering it their first mass-destined model. Actually, we should add an “s” as the Giulietta range included the Sprint (coupe), a Berlina (sedan) and a Spider (convertible) versions.

Actually, there was also a station wagon version called "Promiscua Colli", but this was a rarer model. The original Giulietta used its Pininfarina charms to cheer up the public in a time when this was needed more than ever, also hiding a sharp-engineered engine underneath its harmoniously-sculpted shapes.

But that was in a time when gasoline fuel injection was still a mechanical-only procedure. The Giulietta name (actually Alfa used the New Giulietta designation) was brought back under the spotlights in the late 70's, being used for a compact sedan.

We have to tell you that the Giulietta series 116, as it was called, aslo received a vulgar turbocharged version that used a 1962 cc engine producing 175 hp and came with a red interior. Only 361 units of this extreme incarnation were ever produced, so if you happen to own one, please contact us a [email protected]

Moving to contempoary times, we have to tell you that Alfa revived the Giulietta name to offer a replacement for the 147 model, with the move being a self-offered centenary present that gives the carmaker a new chance of serving a slice of the humongous compact segment pie.

The fresh Giulietta - series 140 - has received more pre-launch marketing than the Royal Wedding, so we were curios to see how the Fiat Group’s C-Evo platform, which is shared with Fiat, Lancia, Chrysler and Dodge models, was translated into Alfa Romeo language.

Alfa Romeo is a brand that has a special place in many automotive enthusiasts’ hearts, but we also wanted to translate this passion into real world dynamics, so we choose the 1750 TBi Quadrifoglio Verde (four-leafed clover) incarnation. The numbers (235 hp and 340 Nm of torque) recommend this as a hot hatch, but does it have what it takes to be competitive in the most active performance segment of the automotive industry? Let’s pretend we’ve spent almost EUR30,000 on it and find out.

You can remove the badges, as well as the Alfa shield at the front and you’ll still be able to tell that this is an Alfa Romeo. However, the car doesn’t follow the company’s classic design recipe - visual wise, the Giulietta is a rebel, but despite its bold efforts, it can be easily recognized as a member of the visually charming Alfa family.

Many cars come with opposite ends (before you say anything, just listen to the explanation) - only the front or the rear of the vehicle is appealing to the eye, with beholders wishing they could cut off the other extremity. Well, this is isn’t the Giulietta’s case.

In fact, the design is so expressive that you can watch the car from any angle and still have the impression that you’re looking in the eyes of a creature that is about to surge towards you. This makes you forget that Alfa refused to offer a three-door version of the car.

Speaking of eyes, we have to tell you that the designers at the Alfa Romeo Style Centre have managed to hide a few pairs of LED into the vehicle’s styling cues (not all Alfisti will agree with this). We could call the headlights “depress to impress” and the slightest touch of the brake pedal generates an explosion of lights that make you instantly want to flirt with the Italian temptress.

The Quadrifoglio Verde equipment level, which is only available if you agree to be propelled by 1,750 cubic centimeters of turbocharged engine, brings an aluminum look for the exterior mirror casings, with our test vehicle also being fitted with the optional 18-inch wheels. The color of our test car alone - Rosso Alfa Metallizato - was enough to raise our bpm, even before touching the vehicle.

We made the mistake of letting the Giulietta seduce us. What were we thinking (were we at all?) when we allowed ourselves to fall in love with a young Italian goddess? We believed every word she said - yes, she spoke to us through her curves. Once she put her spell on us, Giulietta hit us with its interior caprices.

Don’t get us wrong, it’s not a bad interior. However, if you consider the standard set by the exterior and the price of the version we tested, you just can’t be satisfied. OK, your eyes will be pleased, but if you zoom in, or decide to also use your tactile sense, you’ll be disappointed.

Let’s get into the details of the eye candy: the seats, the steering wheel, the gear shifter and the handbrake lever are covered in black leather that uses red contrasting stitching. The pedals and the gearknob bring an aluminum finish, while the dashboard trimming, which is spread over a generous area, uses a titanium effect.

It is now time to rewind and tell you that the seats aren’t what they’re supposed to be. They’re just not an efficient weapon in the battle with the G forces. OK, so is this because Alfa wanted to make them comfortable? Well... not quite. They can be like that for long trips, but don’t excel at this chapter either.

As for the aforementioned gear knob, this has to be one of the largest we’ve ever shook hands with, offering us a strange sensation every time we changed gears. Actually, we suspect that the employees that handled the creation of the interior were members of the S&M community. Let’s take the door finish for example. The area you touch when you use the armrest comes dressed in what seems to be a silk-imitating leather, but touch the one just above it and you might bruise yourself.

The overall ergonomics leave enough to be desired. It doesn’t take long to find an almost comfortable driving position (you just can’t keep your knee from hitting the center console), but whether you’ll want to play with the on-board computer or just operate the climate control, you end up being forced to learn the car’s language, when its supposed to be the other way around.

Excepting the part with the driver’s knee and the center console, the cabin offers loads of space, with this impression becoming stronger in the back. The 350 liters of the luggage compartment place the Giulietta on the podium of the compact segment, with the access to the boot being facile.

The Giulietta QV is a car that keeps you with both hands on the wheel and once you do that and cruise through the city, you feel like you’re walking with your hand around an Italian supermodel’s waist. Please excuse the dull figure of speech, but this is exactly the state of mind you get while behind the wheel of this car.

Unfortunately, just like an Italian supermodel, the Giulietta QV comes with a disturbing temper, which can easily get on your nerves in urban areas. There were quite a few times when we wished the vehicle wore high heels, as the 102 mm ground clearance seemed determined to convince the underbody to kiss the road or at least a kerb or two.

And she’s also rather hard to please. Every time you take her out through 100 km of city roads, you’ll need to prepare at least 14 liters of gasoline (17 US mpg). Start dancing and you’ll need around 19 liters (12.4 US mpg). At first, we couldn’t believe our on-board computer, but, as the boulevards, roundabouts and traffic lights kept passing by, the song remained the same.

Since we’re listing the negative characters of this urban tale, we’ll also mention the long travel of the gear lever, which makes traffic jams even more difficult.

Salvation A salvation attempt comes from the suspension setup. We were surprised to discover that this is polyvalent: escalate the situation and the car will stick to the road in a manner that gives you more confidence to squash the throttle - this made us expect a low defensive against bumps or potholes, but this wasn’t the case.

The DNA system doesn’t also control the suspension, but this manages to cater for both piloting and cruising needs, with one exception - it doesn’t manage to keep things under control when the car travels on irregular areas.

When it comes to visibility, the different areas of the car offer various level of visual access to the exterior. While the front one is good, you’ll really need the parking sensors for reversing.

In terms of urban usage, the Giulietta QV’s drawbacks, such as the reduced ground clearance and the fuel consumption are greater than its assets, such as the exterior styling and the ability to allow you to explore traffic gaps through the sheer power and its totally-controlled delivery mode.

We’ll start with some sort of a conclusion, so that you know where to seek the trills while behind the wheel of this car. The Giulietta QV is not a sharp hot hatch, but rather a compact performer that can be both comfortable and hardcore. Now, let’s see how we found this out.

We had planned to take Giulietta by the hand and hit the track. We knew that this wouldn’t necessarily impress the stopwatch, but we were curious to see what would happen during our efforts to do so.

On the way to the circuit, we discovered that the straight line moments where the Giulietta QV really shines is those when you want to overtake. Acceleration times in second and third gear are impressive, allowing you to effortlessly perform such maneuvers.

As we accidentally found out, the vehicle’s launch from a standing start is also excellent, with the electronic Q2 differential handling the power and torque well. Now, about that “accidentally”...

We somehow managed to find a non-public road, where we encountered a Golf GTI Mark V. As we were performing our 0 to 200 km/h (124 mph) acceleration tests, its driver decided to join the party. We’re always in the mood of making new friends, so we played along. After all, how could 200 hp do any harm?

As it turned out, the guy knew what he was doing: we had been in second gear for 2 or 3 seconds when it became obvious that we would soon get to see the GTI’s exhaust.

The explanation: the owner had taken advantage of the Volkswagen Group’s LEGO-like powerplant aftermarket capabilites and increased the 2.0 TFSI unit’s power rating by over 50 percent (310 hp to be more precise). It seems that tuners hadn’t heard about Henry Ford’s Alfa Romeo hat-tipping habbit, as he had no remorse after repeatedly smoking us without mentioning the tweaks. We shook horns at the end and returned to public roads. Since we're here, we'll mentio that the open road fuel consumption for when respecting the speed limits, sits just below 9 liters per 100 km (27 US mpg).

Unfortunately, the stopping power doesn’t manage to match the 1.75-liter mill’s surging capacity, sometimes becoming a source of violent negative emotions. However, we couldn’t accurately evaluate the vehicle’s deceleration abilities, as our test car was fitted with winter tires, which were only suitable for 40 percent of our test itinerary.

So, you might end up entering a corner too hard. Well, that might not be a problem, as the Giulietta’s road-holding abilities are top-class. The electronic Q2 does an excellent job at minimising understeer without becoming too much of a nanny, while the suspension (the QV sits lower than the standard Giulietta -15 mm at the front and 10 mm at the rear) manages to be a perfect leash for the car.

Yes, we did reach the track at a certain point. It was a narrow circuit, one that barely allowed us to use third gear. But that was no problem - as it was situated in the mountains, we had the opportunity to evaluate the car’s high-speed cornering abilities on our way back, but we’ll talk about that in a paragraph’s time. Now it’s time to get back to the track.

We started by being turned off... unlike the ESP, which didn’t come with such a function. Actually, the only way to deactivate the VDC is to remove a fuse that.. oh, this is too annoying.. you just can’t!

While the Giulietta feels nimble and composed on the road, the track cuts its wings, especially in the tight corners, where a beefy mechanical LSD (limited slip differential) would’ve done wonders in taming the understeer. The braking becomes even more unsatisfying, as fading takes over a bit quicker than we would’ve expected - keep in mind that tires play no role here.

However, the agile steering and the potent engine make the circuit experience a pleasant one - you feel that you’re not using the right tool for the job, but you’re having a bit of fun.

With the rotors glowing in the daylight, we entered the pits area and allowed the vehicle to cool down, before we hit the winding, inclined mountain road that we “had” to use to get back to the city.

In the Dynamic mode, the ESP allows the back to step out a bit during braking, just enough to let you enter the corner at the correct angle. The electronic differential doesn’t necessarily make the car feel extremely fast, but helps it shine by allowing you to make mid-corned adjustments, the kind of maneuvers that will probably be necessary pretty often for the real-world drivers.

The only moments when we managed to enjoy some proper sideways action had nothing to do with weight transfer or trail braking, not even with using the handbrake. At least not the handbrake alone. To fool the ESP, we had to abuse the lever between the front seats while traveling over a few centimeters of snow. As you can see in the image gallery, we even tried a bit of “soft-roading”, and the results were satisfying (just don’t ask the Clutch, he wasn’t too happy about that).

Before we end, we have to tell you that we were surprised by the vehicle’s ability to make us forget that we were travelling on long distances. The seats and the suspension, along with the generous boot that swallowed all our equipment, managed to do that. The only exception? The suspension runs out of savoire faire when it comes to long portions of road filled with irregularities.