Alfa Romeo Giulietta review
by Tom Stewart (29 June 2010)
Despite the intense publicity surrounding the relatively recent arrival of contemporary versions of past iconic models – specifically the Volkswagen Beetle, MINI and Fiat 500 – some surprising and admittedly unofficial research (conducted by the author and colleague on own teenage offspring plus two classes of teenage girls) has revealed that not everyone is aware that these cars were heavily influenced, at least in terms of their styling, by their forebears of the same name.
In common with those cars and some other, recent and current Alfa Romeos (eg the 8C and 159), the Giulietta also heralds the revival of an old name. However, back in the 1950s and 60s Giuliettas came in a variety of shapes and guises, from small and sometimes exotic two-door coupés and convertibles to small and usually somewhat less glamorous four-door saloons and estates.
The arrival of the all-new Giulietta coincides neatly with Alfa Romeo's centenary celebrations, and although having been designed in-house by Alfa's Centro Stile design department, the new car has little in common with the many Giuliettas of old, aside from the traditional Alfa shield-shaped grille which now hovers proudly at the front of what can only be described as an exceptionally well-balanced, purposeful and attractive car.
Like the 1990s 156, the Giulietta's rear door handles are concealed in the C pillar, thus giving the impression that it's a two-door coupé - a trick accomplished a little more convincingly on this hatchback than on the 156 saloon.
Replacing the old 147, the Giulietta goes on sale in the UK on July 24. Three petrol and two diesel engine variants will be available, all with Euro 5 emissions compliant, Stop&Start-equipped turbocharged motors. Prices start at £16,995 for the 120bhp 1.4TB Turismo, rising to £24,495 for the top-spec 1750 TBi Cloverleaf model.
At £19,495 a 1.4TB MultiAir in Lusso spec seemed like a sensible place to start, and once behind the wheel I was immediately reminded of just how darned good these Fiat Group MultiAir petrol engines are. Though just a humble 1.4, this motor distinguishes itself by making both good power and torque - an impressive 170bhp along with 170lb/ft - a rare feat for a small petrol engine. On paper this equates to 0-62 in 7.8 secs and a 135mph top speed, but on the road it means terrific flexibility with oodles of available, useable power, even at low revs.
Couple this strong performance with a taut, all-new chassis, compliant suspension, well-weighted and responsive steering and bags of grip, plus Alfa's sophisticated Vehicle Dynamic Control, and the end result is a genuinely capable, comfortable and speedy hot hatch in everything but name. And in case you're aware that the jury's still out on the ride quality of one or two other current Alfas (particularly the MiTo) then worry not vis-à-vis the Giulietta as, though adjustable (through the VDC), its ride is cool, calm and controlled, at all speeds on all types of road. It's also worth noting that there aren't many, if any, hot hatches that return 48.7mpg on the combined cycle and emit just 134g/km of CO2.
So, the new Giulietta looks terrific and drives superbly, even in humble 1.4 guise, but it isn't quite perfect. Being ultra picky, I'd point to the hard plastic finish just fore of the front door armrests, and being a lot less picky, I couldn't sit upright in the rear without my head butting up against the roof lining.
Time for a drive in the top-spec Cloverleaf variant - a hot hatch if ever there was one. Its four-cylinder 1750 TBi motor isn't MultiAir, but it pumps out some 235bhp with 221lbs/ft, and though there are even more powerful and faster C-segment cars, Ford's Focus RS being one, the Cloverleaf Giulietta is more subtle in many respects than the racetrack refugees.
Powerful front-wheel drive cars used to be worse than a nightmare (which is why there weren't many of them), but chassis design and electronics have moved forward in leaps and bounds, and for the most part the Cloverleaf handles superbly. A whiff of old-fashioned torque-steer can be detected if you dish the full beans while exiting a bumpy corner, but during my spell at the helm this was never cause for alarm.
Last year I drove a big chunk of continental Europe in a 1750 TBi-engined 159. Though a bigger, heavier car with 35bhp less than the Cloverleaf Giulietta, I noted that that the sub two-litre four went like a three-litre six. I'm now tempted to say that the Cloverleaf Giulietta goes more like a 3.5 six, and, with a 0-62 time of 6.8 secs and a 150mph max, I wouldn't be far wrong. Add an excellent chassis, smooth gearchange, strong brakes and fine steering into the mix and you'd need a fairly recent supercar and no qualms at all to cover ground more swiftly.
37.2mpg (combined) isn't shabby either, and nor is the Giulietta's class-leading 87/100 score in the latest Euro NCAP crash tests. On a less crucial note, a slightly raspier timbre from the Cloverleaf's twin exhausts wouldn't go amiss, but I'm being picky again.
Based on my short time with two of the five variants I'd say that Alfa Romeo has itself a winner in the new Giulietta, despite its borderline rear headroom. But remembering the less-than-magnificent Giulietta saloon of the 1980s, I'm wondering whether the new car should instead have been named after that cult driving machine of the 70s and 80s - the Alfasud. Except this time they could have called it the "Alfanord". Just a thought.
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