(Fri 26 Feb 10)

In its centenary year, Alfa Romeo is reviving the Giulietta name - which it has used on and off since the 1950s - for a new model which will make its first official appearance at next week's Geneva Show.

Based on a new platform, but with clear styling links to the smaller MiTo, the Giulietta is a five-door hatchback with a very sporty choice of engines. There simply isn't a dull-but-worth unit in the whole line-up. The least powerful cars have 170bhp, provided either by the 1.4-litre MultiAir turbo petrol or the two-litre JTDm turbo diesel, while above that comes the 235bhp 1750 TBI engine fitted to the Cloverleaf.

The two trim levels for the regular, non-Cloverleaf cars are called Progression and Distinctive (full marks for originality there), the latter being the more expensive and including dual-zone climate control air-conditioning, a leather steering wheel with radio controls, cruise control, a radio/CD/MP3 player, foglights, a reconfigurable instrument pane and seats upholstered in Competizione fabric, among other things.

There are also two custom packs. Sport includes 17" or 18" alloy wheels, side skirts, sports pedals and enhanced interior trim, while Premium consists of bi-xenon headlights, the Blue&Me system (with Bluetooth connectivity, a USB port and an MP3 player), rear parking sensors, electrically folding door mirrors and an electrochromic rear-view mirror.

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