The Alfa Romeo Giulia has caught plenty of attention since first details and images emerged back in June. It has also proved a star of the show during its public debut appearance at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show.
Its distinct style, vibrant paint jobs and eye-catching performance figures ensured the Giulia got tongues wagging ahead of the saloon’s launch in early 2016.
More info will emerge nearer to then, but here’s a round-up of all the juiciest details we already know about the new Alfa Romeo Giulia so far.
It uses a name familiar to the brand
The Giulia name is one which has actually been used by Alfa Romeo before, albeit decades ago.
It was first introduced all the way back in 1962 when a four-door sports saloon was launched by the Italian manufacturer. Through most of the sixties, a shortened floorpan from the original Giulia saloon was also used to create a series of sporty two-door coupes and convertibles called the Giulia Sprint.
The last version of the Giulia Sprint (the GTA) ended production in 1969 and the original saloon was built until 1978. The Giulia name had been lying dormant since then until this year’s confirmation of its revival.
The Giulia name is being used this time round for a compact executive saloon which succeeds the 159, which ended production back in 2011.
The top model is powerful and very fast
The only version of the new Alfa Romeo Giulia revealed in detail so far is the range-topping Quadrifoglio Verde model. It’s the one most people will be interested in, as it focuses a lot on pure performance and the numbers make for exciting reading.
Under the bonnet of the Giulia QV is an all-aluminium bi-turbo V6 petrol engine delivering 503bhp and mated to either a six-speed manual or automatic gearbox. The powertrain was engineered with input from Ferrari. There has even been rumours that this V6 engine will feature in a new compact sports car for Ferrari in the future.
Whereas previous saloon like the 159 used front-wheel drive, the new Giulia can use either rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive.
The top speed of the Giulia QV is 191mph and it can go from zero to 62mph in 3.9 seconds. That’s about half a second quicker than the Alfa 4C coupe sports car and a few tenths quicker than the BMW M3.
To aid speed and handling, the Giulia QV also features an Active Aero Splitter which managed downforce from the front of the car to achieve better high-speed stability. Other driving aids include torque vectoring, active suspension and the new Alfa DNA Pro driving mode selector. The latter comes with the four driving configurations: Dynamic, Natural, Advanced Efficiency and (for high performance models like the QV) Race.
Alfa Romeo boasts that lightweight materials are used through most of the Giulia QV’s construction to achieve 50:50 weight distribution. The doors are made of aluminium, for instance, and the bonnet and roof are carbon fibre.
In a remarkable sign of its performance potential, Alfa Romeo reports that the Giulia QV has set a new saloon lap record around the 12.9-mile Nurburgring Nordschleife track. A popular circuit for manufacturers to develop performance cars, the Giulia QV is said to have gone nine seconds faster than a BMW M4 coupe with a lap time of 7 minutes and 39 seconds.
A non-QV version of the saloon is rumoured to appear at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show next March, so expect plenty of details on other engines by then.
The QV is more efficient than other super-saloons
With the new Giulia QV, Alfa Romeo is claiming best-in-class for CO2 emissions which are at 198g/km, whereas other similarly powerful saloons emit over 200g/km.
Fuel economy is unconfirmed but the Giulia QV is rumoured to record around 35mpg, which puts its ahead of the BMW M3 saloon with its official average figure of 32.1mpg.
The interior is sporty and packed with gadgets
Alfa Romeo says the Giulia has a driver-centred interior, and in the case of the QV model, there’s also a lot of gadgets to access.
Highlights include the Connect 3D Nav infotainment device, voice recognition and gesture recognition systems, a rotary pad and an 8.8-inch TFT display screen. The 3D Nav technology supports Apple and Android operating systems, as well as TomTom maps.
The main controls, including the start button, are incorporated in the steering wheel, a move inspired by Formula 1 cars.
This approach of mixing sportiness and gadgetry applies also to the Giulia QV’s exterior, which sports large LEDs in its wide, sweeping headlamps. The deep creases on the curvaceous bonnet and large air intakes just under Alfa’s trademark V-shaped grille are other significant features.
Sales start very soon
Sales of the Alfa Romeo Giulia QV will begin in the UK during this autumn, with deliveries following early next year (probably February).
UK pricing has not been announced yet, but details will arrive soon. For left-hand drive markets, the price of the Giulia QV has already been confirmed. Using that as an indicator, the Giulia QV is likely to start from just over £50,000.
Can't wait for the next Quadrifoglio Verde model from Alfa? Check out our video review of the Giulietta QV:
