It’s never simple with the Italians. In fact, that’s what keeps us coming back to them and to what they do. For instance: where did the Alfa Romeo Giulia come from? Why is she so special? Ask those questions to an Italian, and you will have to listen for hours.
Or you can have a look at the car, and tens of minutes might go by as your eyes will be drawn to all the Giulia's stylistic details. We are going to make this shorter, for the sake of relevance. In lapidary fashion, the Alfa Romeo Giulia (designed by Centro Stile Alfa Romeo) took over the succession of the Alfa 159 (designed by Giugiaro).
But do they look like a sort of mother and daughter? Not really. And that’s because Giugiaro designed the Alfa 159 as a kind of sedan derivative of the exotic Brera coupe, while the Giulia is completely integrated into the family of the cars recently designed by the Centro Stile Alfa Romeo.
Photo: Alfa Romeo
Also, while the 159 had transverse engines, the Giulia has a traditional longitudinal positioning of its powertrains and a rear-wheel-drive platform. The Italians will insist on convincing you that the Giulia is the absolutely genuine mid-size sports sedan from Alfa Romeo. "Non c'è niente di più autentico!"
Ambiance
It is impossible not to fall in love with the design of the dashboard. Probably the best-in-class example of a driving-oriented concept. There is nothing more important there than the instruments area, and it’s easy to see this.
The dials are analog, the start button is on the steering wheel (under the left-side spoke), and the center console doesn’t emphasize the multimedia screen, even if its dimensions are considerable. Every detail around looks like a small sculpture with something special in its shape.
Photo: Alfa Romeo
The assembling quality is not the best, but it looks good. The whole image is so beautiful that it makes you think that the addition of some digital instruments or devices could only spoil it.
The design of the seats and other interior elements follows the same kind of neoclassic inspiration. There is also a fascinating sensorial effect while being inside the car, coming from the advanced ergonomics wrapped in an elaborate nostalgic aesthetic. The Alfa Romeo Giulia definitely excels in this regard.
Thrust
We’re talking about Italy here, so you can have a flavored one, a spicy one, or a hot one. There is no mild Alfa Romeo Giulia. There is no gasoline engine with less than 200 horsepower. At the top of the range, the Giulia GTA brings in a 2.9-liter biturbo V6 engine that provides 540 PS (532 hp).
Photo: Alfa Romeo
This particular V6 was designed together with the specialists from Ferrari. No matter what engine comes into discussion, there is an eight-speed automatic transmission mated to it. All-wheel-drive can be added starting with the 280-PS (276-hp) 2.0 turbo engine.
Also available in Europe are three versions of a four-cylinder 2.2-liter turbodiesel, all of them using eight-speed automatic transmissions from ZF. And they are rather vigorous.
Dynamics
Despite the sedan configuration of its body, the Alfa Romeo Giulia lies on a sports car-like technical platform. The engine is placed longitudinally, a bit behind the front axle. The rear axle has a multilink configuration, and the car’s front/rear weight distribution is perfectly even.
Photo: Alfa Romeo
While driving, all these things translate into virtually infallible stability and naturally balanced road-holding. Even when grip limits are reached, there will be no nasty surprises. Its remarkable agility gives the feeling of a lightweight automobile.
This impression is reflected in the car's specifications. All the engine versions have quite good weight-to-power ratios, despite the fact that the Giulia doesn’t have a self-supporting aluminum lightweight body.
Doubts
Over time, a lack of generic confidence in the reliability of all Italian cars has built up. That was justified especially in the 1990s and the first decade of the third millennium when German and Japanese automobiles saw considerable increases in this area.
Nowadays, the efforts of the Italians to catch up with the competition are bearing fruit. Alfa Romeo, especially, should be considered as a relevant exponent for this trend.
Well, do they have to become obviously better than Audi or BMW to fix this once and for all? After all, isn’t this too much to ask from someone who strives to put original products together?
Photo: Alfa Romeo
We could also talk about some notable technical weaknesses of certain German automobiles. However, the Italians would better keep working on reliability since the Alfas don’t come cheap.
In Europe, the least expensive Giulia starts at €42,000, while Americans have to shell out at least $39,400 for one.
Instead
Longitudinally mounted engines on rear-wheel-drive defined technical platforms can also be found at BMW and Jaguar. All-wheel-drive with longitudinal mounted engines are offered by Audi, BMW, Jaguar, and Subaru.
Yet, any basic conceptual similarities between all these won’t make the selection easier. And Alfa Romeo is a killer in terms of brand identity, refined styling, and characterful ambiance.
"Allora, cosa resta da dire?" If life has brought you into the position of having to make such a choice, in the end, you will have to make it with your own mind and soul. So grab the wheel, push the loud pedal and only look forward! You will know if there is an Alfa Romeo Giulia around your driver’s seat right away.
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