2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia 2,0t (280PS, version North American)
Finally, a sports sedan for those who miss the older BMWs.
Summary:+ Precise, agile, lively
+ Drivetrain
+ Well-spec'd as is, well-priced.
- Rubbish OE all-season tires- have to spend your own money to get performance tires.
- Backseat not spacious
- Limited dealer network; limited availability and allocation.
Chiudo gli occhi e salto fidandomi di un battito oh oh
anche se non guardo so che mi prenderai in voloIn the not too distant past, BMW made the best sports sedans (and wagons) in the world, called the 3er. Take a solid chassis, spinkle some luxury, and keep it focused as a driving machine, simple eh? Unfortunately, some marketing and MBAs decided that in order to please shareholders, they had to sell more. Which of course, meant watering it down, softening it to mainstream, luxury car buyers around the world who have other priorities than taking the next intersection turn at 60km/h and clipping the apex. So today, you have the current 3er, which is...er......."nice", like all the other luxury sedans out there.
If you want a sporty sedan on the other hand, there hasn't been really another more focused, desirable choice out there, until now.
If you ignore the FCA parts-bin key fob (
), you certainly won't mistake the Giulia for other cars in its class......the lines are mature, stylish without being overwrought . Then get inside. The leather is nicely stitched, and comes in an alluring variety of colours (single and two-tone). Even the standard black looks and feels, and smells nice, although I recommend something else. The controls are logically laid out, although the climate control displays are annoyingly in the main infotainment screen. The view out the back is a bit small, but passable for visibility, and the view forward is excellent.
The drive? The 2 litre, turbocharged petrol motor fires up nicely with a nice burble when cold that settles down once it warms up. When you thrash it, it's no inline-6, but it's got a nice growl to it that other automakers have engineered out. Throttle response is immediate in Dynamic mode, quite good in normal, and there's something about an eco-mode but I tried it for about 2 km then switched out of it. It's paired to the excellent ZF 8-speed gearbox that swaps cogs seamlessly when puttering around, but gives the nice positive feedback when driven hard.
This......is a lot of car. With 280PS arriving at 5200 1/min and a fat 410 Nm of torque from 2.000-4.800 1/min, you will ride a tidal wave of speed, push, and power to your local police jailhouse. I put my foot down 70% of the way on a rural backroad in 3rd, and 60-120km/h was accomplished deftly in no-time. Overtaking happens without second doubts. You will not be short on power, but this may be more power than is practical.
When the road gets curvy, this is where the Giulia comes to the forefront. The steering, while no hydraulic unit, has a dash of heft but
speaks clearly to your fingers. You feel the broken South Carolina pavement, the tire adhesion, road bumps. The ratio is quick and direct, gleefully reminiscent of my BMW's Active Steering. Point the wheel, the chassis responds with agility and takes a set without excess movements or "flab". Although my route lacked what I could consider "serious curves", I had no qualms taking a 155° acute intersection right turn at 60km/h. And on the backroads at 100-110km/h, the Giulia's standard sport suspension hugs the roads, but never crashed over any dips.
Full marks here.There's other tricks too. The brake-by-wire supplied by "a company I know well" is a tad sharp at first, but you quickly get used to it and pedal feel is good and easy-to-modulate. The standard Dynamic Cruise Control includes braking functions like my BMW, and works just as smoothly, so it'll be great on long drives (ACC is available). And the level of standard equipment for a sporty-oriented driver is unbeatable. Standard sport suspension, lumbar support, bi-xenon headlamps, and more are baked into a competitive starting price, and the options structure isn't too bad*.
Complaints? The OE all-season Bridgestone Potenzas are loud, horrid, and have no place on anything costing this much. The cabine is a quiet, serene place at speed.......except for the road noise from these tires on the coarse, rubbish South Carolina pavement. I couldn't get the seating position down to the floor as much as I prefer (think go-kart, like my 325i sport), and the lateral support also isn't as good as I'd demand (again, see my 325i sport). And the car's a bit more German than I'd prefer. It's well-built and solid, and a fairly exciting drive for its class, but I'd like to hear a bit more engine. There's no CD player, like every other FCA product. The fixed, optional aluminium paddle shifters look nice, but get in the way of the indicator stalk- but they don't use those in Italy so they wouldn't have noticed. Oh, and the Engine start/stop button should be red. If you put it on the steering wheel, and it's italian, it needs to be red.
But none of those are show-stoppers.
This is the car for those who want a sporty, fun-to-drive sedan that's luxurious for the other days of the week when you don't your sporty sedan to beat you up. Thankfully, someone still remembers how to build these in today's day and age.
Key Facts:Motor: 2.0 litre 4-cyl MultiAir turbocharged petrol; 280PS/410Nm
Gearbox: ZF 8-speed automatic
Optional equipment on test car: 18" wheels, painted Brembo brake calipers, aluminium paddle shifters, 8" TFT Touchscreen. Of course, I drove the red one pictured above.
Test drive took place in York County, SC (just over the state line) on suburban and rural backroads. Route was approx 50km, in sunny 15° weather.*Options structure my vary by country.
² If you want my opinion: this isn't good enough to make me want to replace my E90 325i sport.......but it's better than any new sport luxury sedan out there.
