Driven: 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Super 2.2 Diesel 8AT

Thankfully, the Milan-based outfit got back in the game with the new Giulia Tipo 952. The twin-turbo V6-powered Quadrifoglio is, as you might have read in our track test of the 510 PS (503 hp) machine, the halo model of the range and a superior driver’s car compared to the likes of the M3 and C63.

But what about the bog-standard version of the dazzling Giulia? To find an answer to that question, we’ve got ourselves the 2.2-liter turbo diesel, an eight-speed auto, and the Super trim level. And in a nutshell, the Giulia in this flavor got me a bit conflicted.

It’s not that I was too pumped up from experiencing the Q with a good old manual transmission, but because the normal Giulia is a perplexing interweave of best-in-class and average attributes. The way it looks, for example, is a matter of no ifs, ands, or buts.

Automakers these days have a thing for concentrating the nicest bit of exterior design in a single area, most often the front fascia. That’s not the case with the Giulia, which is ravishingly beautiful from head to toe. The mons pubis-like grille, the slim and stylish headlights, superb arch-to-wheel ratio, elegant profile, and the curvaceous rear end, all of them form a cohesive design effort.

It’s a sexy little thing the Giulia, it really is. On closer inspection, you’ll notice that aerodynamics played a big role in modeling the bodywork. Look even harder, and it also becomes apparent that the Giulia isn’t quite up there with the German rivals in terms of body panel and shut line gaps. It’s no biggie, however, because the NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness) levels are better than expected. More to the point, you don’t need to raise your voice to have a conversation with your passenger at highway speeds.

Life inside isn’t bad on the whole, but the finest of details leave a wee bit to be desired. In essence, the quality and fit & finish are more in line with premium compact hatchbacks (i.e. Mercedes-Benz A-Class) rather than compact executive sedans. From an aesthetic point of view, the Giulia is more alluring than its rivals.

The small-ish driver’s door and hulking B-pillar make way to a leather-wrapped seat with perfect bolstering, whose headrest flaunts Alfa Romeo’s iconic logo. Speaking of which, that’s a serpent-like creature with a human in its mouth, not a three-pronged tongue as some people would lead you to believe.

Once inside, it becomes obvious that the seating position is pretty low to the ground, as in indubitably sporty. Try to make adjustments, and you’ll be surprised to discover that a vehicle costing almost €40,000 in this configuration has manual, non-heated seats.

And that’s baffling for the Super, the trim level that’s slotted between the base model and the Veloce. As for the plastics, well, the overall impression is better than average. A place where the beancounters could’ve done much better is the uppermost part of the door panel. Here you’ll find a finely stitched seam with a dirty secret. Although the granulated, rubbery material located above and below it looks and feels similar, a simple flick of the index finger exposes the lower quality of the lowermost part.

Practicality is another area where the Giulia has its misses. Case in point: The door pockets are tiny. The cup holder, as expected from an Alfa Romeo, isn’t too useful either. People seated in the back will also notice that headroom isn’t exactly sufficient for 6 footers (1.83 meters) and beyond, while the middle seat is there just for show.

If you’re the type of person who sees the glass as being half full instead of half empty, then it’s crystal clear that the cabin is more about character than substance. And despite the small niggles, everything is screwed together nicely.

To bring the best out of the Giulia’s interior, one shouldn’t ignore the Sport and Performance packages. The latter adds supercar-like aluminum shift paddles, as well as adaptive dampers and a limited-slip rear differential. And boy does this car handle unlike any other sedan in the compact executive segment.

Prior to pushing the steering wheel-mounted engine start button, the tacho and speedometer needles pulsate brightly four times, as if the Giulia knows you’re ready to fire it up. The 2.2-liter oil-chugging mill clatters gently into life. It’s not an inspiring aural experience, but thanks to adequate soundproofing, the only perceptible noise that gets inside the cabin is a subtle murmur.

In stop-and-go traffic, the stop/start function might become a little bit obnoxious due to the vibrations produced during shutoff and startup. Regular traffic conditions will also reveal that the Giulia chugs around 8.5 liters of diesel per 100 kilometers in the urban jungle, translating to 33.2 UK miles per gallon or 27.6 U.S. mpg.

It’s only when you escape from the clutches of the city that the Giulia becomes the lively animal it actually is. The 180 PS (178 hp) and 450 Nm (332 lb-ft) Multijet II turbo diesel is perfect for munching up those highway miles in a surprisingly efficient way. At a steady 140 km/h (87 mph), the red-painted beauty sips just 6.3 liters of fuel every 100 clicks (44.8 UK mpg / 37.3 U.S. mpg).

With maximum torque available from as low as 1,750 rpm and a ZF-developed eight-speed automatic that’s perfectly in tune with the engine, the Giulia also has the legs to overtake pretty much anything, anywhere. The manner in which this thing gains speed is, make no mistake about it, fairly impressive. But only as long as the transmission is in auto, because upshifts in manual mode take longer than expected.

Curiously enough, it’s only the paddle of the left-hand side of the steering wheel that I found using on most occasions. The truth, however, is that the diesel-fed Giulia is most happy in auto, with the DNA selector set in “normal.” The exciting stuff starts the moment the knob is turned to “dynamic” mode. Do that, and the 6.5-inch Alfa Connect media system sets the mood by displaying an animated Quadrifoglio. Speaking of the base infotainment unit, polarized sunglasses don’t make a great team with the system’s screen.

Going into “dynamic” firms up the chassis to a wholly different level from how the car feels in “normal.” There’s a silver lining to this stiffness thanks to the two-stage adaptive dampers, but then again, it’s impossible not to sense the Giulia’s excellent structural rigidity. Weight favors the Giulia as well, with our car tipping the scales at 1,520 kilograms (3,351 pounds).

It beggars belief how committed the Giulia is in the twisties, partly thanks to the pin-sharp front end and partly due to the confidence inspired by the rear axle. It’s no wonder the Giulia is such a hoot to drive. To put it bluntly, it surely shows that Alfa Romeo infused a lot of Ferrari know-how into this model.

There’s no other way to put it, so here’s how the cookie crumbles on the subject of driving dynamics: The Giulia wipes the floor with the equivalent 320d and C 220 d. Feeling the rear tires load up as the weight transfers to the rear during corner exit nothing short but magical. From the driver’s perspective, body roll is close to nonexistent in real-life driving scenarios.

The out-and-out willingness the first rear-wheel-drive Alfa Romeo in more than two decades changes direction is another high point of the driving experience. On the other hand, its takes some time to get used to the brake pedal. That’s because, unlike other cars in this segment, the Giulia bundles the stability control and servo brake into one unit baptized Integrated Brake System. It stops on a dime, I’ll give the IBS that, but there’s too little feedback coming from the pedal.

Now the time has come for us to talk about the elephant in the room, and that elephant is the electronic stability program. For whatever reason, Alfa Romeo chose not to allow the ESP to be turned completely off. Only the Quadrifoglio turns it 100 percent off in “race,” but the regular Giulia doesn’t have such a mode.

Roberto Fedeli, whose business card reads chief technical officer at Alfa Romeo and Maserati, said that the decision to keep ESP on at all times was a difficult choice that divided the engineers in half. So why did Alfa Romeo decide on keeping things safe and sensible with the non-Quadrifoglio variants of the Giulia? There’s no clear answer to this curiosity, I’m afraid, and that’s a bit of a shame considering that the Giulia is so satisfying to drive.

When all is said and done, that’s probably the most conflicting thing about the Giulia. Alfa Romeo knew it had the best platform and the best looks in the segment, yet someone had the idea to artificially limit the car’s dynamic capability. Heck, even a 3er with the 1.5-liter three-cylinder lets you turn every electronic nanny off.

“Will it drift, though?” I’m afraid it is impossible to complete a left-to-right transition smoothly given these circumstances, even in wet weather. The best way to enjoy a brief moment of hooning is with a dab of lift-off oversteer. By comparison, mashing the loud pedal and violently turning the steering wheel will result in understeer.

Be that as it may, the Giulia is the undisputed leader of its class in the driving department. It’s also far sexier than the 3 Series, C-Class, A4, and XE. And in truth, handling and looks are the innate traits of all great Alfa Romeos.

Taking into consideration all its shortcomings, the Giulia doesn’t put me off. The passing glances of admiration from other drivers and onlookers are testament to that, but from a discerning buyer’s perspective, Alfa Romeo could have made the Giulia even better than it is.

British essayist Thomas De Quincey once said that imperfection itself may have its ideal or perfect state. The Giulia falls in that exact category, and for what it’s worth, Alfa Romeo gets a full-hearted thumbs up from me. And in retrospect, the Milanese automaker has never been in the business of appealing to everyone.

Provided that you’re fed up with the predictability of the German establishment, you might find that there’s plenty to like about the Giulia. It’s easy to understand why one would be tempted into buying the Giulia over its rivals.

All things considered, it’s the best car Alfa Romeo has built in a long time.