Alfa Romeo Giulietta MultiAir and QV

Local Launch
Hunter Valley, NSW

What we liked
>> Fresh styling
>> Excellent cornering and grip
>> Decent performance from either engine

Not so much
>> Missing the classic Alfa engine note
>> Quirky driving position ergonomics
>> Noisy tyres

Overall rating: 3.0/5.0
Engine/Drivetrain/Chassis: 4.0/5.0
Price, Packaging and Practicality: 3.0/5.0
Safety: 3.0/5.0
Behind the wheel: 3.0/5.0
X-factor: 3.5/5.0

About our ratings

OVERVIEW
-- As modern as tomorrow, with a name from yesteryear
At long last there's a successor to the decade-old design of the Alfa Romeo 147, but ironically, the all-new Giulietta recalls even older namesakes from Alfa's past.

There was the (largely unlamented) Alfetta-based sedan from the late 1970s. Before that, the Giulietta model name was applied to a range of small sedans and sports cars built by the company during the 1950s and 60s.

The revival of the name marks a step-change for Alfa Romeo under the leadership of Fiat Group CEO, Sergio Marchionne. Gone are the three-digit numbers that served for model names since the 164 introduced here in 1989. When the replacement for the current 159 mid-size sedan arrives, it will be marketed as the Giulia (a larger, more mature offering than the Giulietta?).

The latest car to wear the Giulietta nameplate has been designed to cater to 'Dynamic' buyers, as Alfa Romeo describes the demographic. What's important to the typical prospective buyer (aged between 30 and 50 years old, either sex) is the focus on style, fun driving, social acceptance and emotional engagement.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT
-- Better value than 147, but what about the benchmark?
Alfa Romeo has held the starting price of the Giulietta to $36,990, the same entry-level price for the superseded 147. $5000 separates the entry-level model with the 1.4-litre MultiAir engine from the higher-spec Giulietta QV, which is priced at $41,990.

Standard equipment for both variants extends to leather-bound steering wheel, electro-chromatic mirror, six-speaker MP3-compatible CD audio with USB port, Blue&Me (Bluetooth connectivity and voice recognition), dusk-sensing headlights, rain-sensing wipers, reverse-parking sensors, front & rear fog lights, heated electrically-adjustable mirrors, electric windows, dual-zone climate control, cruise control and central locking.

In addition, the Giulietta QV features 18-inch alloy wheels (as distinct from the 17-inch alloys fitted to the MultiAir model), sports suspension (lowered 10mm), a premium steering wheel in full-grain leather and microfiber, sports seats in leather (versus cloth-trimmed seats in the MultiAir variant), BOSE premium audio system, side skirts, red brake calipers, tinted windows, sports pedals, dark headlight surrounds and satin-finish door mirrors.

The QV can also be identified by the cloverleaf insignia on the front quarter panels.

A comparison there for the making is that of the Giulietta and the Volkswagen Golf 118TSi, taking into account the purchase price and the standard equipment for both. It's very much a case of swings and roundabouts, provided you leave brand image and legacy out of the picture.

The base-grade Alfa produces more power for less torque, rides on larger wheels and comes with standard reverse-parking sensors and Bluetooth (both options for the Golf). As against that, the Golf features an eight-speaker-stereo rather than the Alfa's six, plus a seven-speed DSG box (versus six-speed manual for the Alfa) at a saving of $3000.

MECHANICAL
-- How green was my cloverleaf?
In developing the Giulietta, Alfa Romeo settled on new design criteria for the 21st Century. According to the manufacturer, no longer is it sufficient for a sporty hatch to deliver performance at the expense of sustainability. Nor should the modern car dispense with comfort and safety for the sake of dynamic traits alone.

The Giulietta is built on an entirely new platform that will also underpin future models (including SUVs). Alfa Romeo draws upon hot stamp technology in constructing the body for the Giulietta, the structure also comprising 60 per cent high and ultra-high strength steels. Other materials used include aluminium and high-performance plastic (Xenoy), both suitable for their crash safety resilience.

Both engines powering the variants sold in Australia are turbocharged, thus balancing environmental needs and running costs with calls for performance.

Displacing 1.4 litres, the MultiAir engine in the entry-grade Giulietta introduces an intake system comprising a series of solenoids to operate the intake valves, rather than a conventional camshaft. Exhaust valves remain operated by a camshaft and the gases drive the engine's turbocharger.

Peak power is 125kW, occurring at 5500rpm. The engine develops maximum torque of 230Nm at 2250rpm in Normal mode, or 250Nm at 2500rpm in Dynamic mode, through the car's 'DNA' system, which monitors and/or regulates the engine's throttle mapping, steering, transmission and stability control. Fuel consumption, based on combined-cycle testing is 5.8L/100km, with CO2 emissions of 134g/km.

Sharing an iconic four-digit number with classic Alfa engines from the past, the 1750 TBi four-cylinder is also turbocharged (TBi: 'Turbo Benzina' -- Italian for 'turbo petrol'). As the centrepiece of the Giulietta QV, it develops 173kW of power at 5500rpm. In Normal mode, torque peaks at 300Nm with the tacho showing 4500rpm. Switched to Dynamic mode, the engine achieves 340Nm from as low as 1900rpm. Fuel consumption in combined-cycle testing is 7.6L/100km and CO2 emissions in the same test cycle are 177g/km.

Both engines drive through a six-speed manual transmission. Alfa Romeo doesn't currently offer an automatic transmission option, although a TCT (Twin Clutch Transmission) is on the way to Australia and will reach us in coming months.

The Giulietta is suspended by MacPherson struts at the front and a compact IRS system behind. Featuring trailing arms and upper/lower diagonal links, the IRS system works through coil springs located remotely to leave room for a lower boot floor.

Brakes are ventilated discs up front and solid discs at the rear, with larger rotors in the QV model. Measurements for the rotors are respectively 330/278mm for the QV and 305/264mm for the base Giulietta, front/rear.

Rack-and-pinion steering is assisted by electrical means and prescribes a 10.9m turning circle.

The 17-inch alloys fitted to the base model come with 225/45 R17 tyres and the QV is fitted with 225/45 R18 tyres on its 18-inch alloys.

PACKAGING
-- Consigning the traditional Alfa driving position to history
Alfa Romeo's own research indicates that the Giulietta boasts more interior space than the benchmark in the small-car (C Segment) market sector, the Volkswagen Golf. Front or rear, the Alfa will accommodate passengers falling within the 95 percentile -- something the VW can't claim, although the Golf has the edge in front-seat accommodation.

Headroom in the rear of the Alfa is certainly good enough for adults of average height, but kneeroom is passable at best. A brief sit in the rear of the Giulietta also seems to indicate that egress might pose a minor challenge -- due to the space to swing your feet out between the B pillar and the seat.

So despite the Giulietta taking the fight up to the Golf in theory, the Alfa is not without some minor packaging issues. In the past, Italian cars were known for contorting drivers into untenable positions, but the Giulietta is much better than its forebears.

Mostly it's a question of lacking a footrest for the driver, for instance, or finding it hard to recline the seat because the knob is fouled by the seatbelt near the base of the B pillar. This reviewer found the driving position more like modern Peugeots', which feature the instrument binnacle mounted high. This necessitates adjusting the wheel high also for a clear view of the instruments. Then it's required to adjust the backrest closer to upright and the seat base higher so that the driver isn't 'clinging' to the wheel.

The driver's side mirror would not adjust outboard far enough to eliminate the oblique blind spot to the rear on that side. It seems to be, perhaps, a symptom of an incomplete transition from left to right-hand drive. Other symptoms include the handbrake closer to the front passenger than the driver and the indicator/wiper stalks reversed.

The gearshift was light and snicked home with a positive action. Both variants featured an aluminium gear knob, which experience tells us can get very hot when the car is left standing in summer sun.

As well as the Giulietta lacking a footrest for the driver the footwell was a bit tight on the left.

Seats were comfortable and relatively well bolstered, although the co-driver felt the seat contouring might have been a bit more aggressive. After stepping out of a small Korean car earlier in the day, the Giulietta's seats seemed acceptably good.

With leather-trimmed bolsters for the seats and mock-anodised decorative trim, the QV's interior is a little more interesting than that of the base model.

The style of the dash, with its toggle switches in the centre fascia, is really a hybrid of early Alfa heritage and MINI retro style. And the instrument binnacle also harks back to Alfa style from days of yore, but it works and it's stylish.

Giulietta buyers are probably less likely than most small-car buyers to shop the car on the basis of its load-carrying capacity, but at 350 litres, the Alfa's luggage capacity matches the Golf's, which is a welcome outcome.

SAFETY
-- A new benchmark in Euro NCAP testing
Within days of the Giulietta's local release came news that the small Alfa had achieved a five-star crash-test rating from Euro NCAP. In fact, according to the press release issued by local distributor Ateco, Euro NCAP reckoned the Giulietta was not only the safest small car tested by the safety body during 2010, but is the safest small car ever to undergo testing.

While it hasn't traditionally been within the remit of Euro NCAP to test cars for their active safety, the crash experts did also pass judgement on the Alfa's ability to avoid a crash in the first place. How does 86 per cent for active safety technology sound?

Developing the Giulietta, Alfa Romeo subjected the car to thousands of hours of testing -- and the virtual design was backed up by 200 material tests on the car's safety components and subsystems, plus 80 crash tests and 150 Hyge slide shock test simulations.

Standard passive safety features fitted to the Giulietta include six airbags, three-point seatbelts with double pretensioners/load limiters and active headrestraints. Secondary safety is further bolstered by the car's construction, which extends to a "three-load-line" that channels impact forces to reduce the load on the cabin and occupants.

The Giulietta comes equipped with stability control and antilock brakes with a 'Pre-Fill' function to facilitate emergency stops.

COMPETITORS
-- A brace of hot hatches, but cross the B-Class off the list
With two different levels of trim on offer, the Giulietta faces competition across a fairly broad spectrum. There are models such as Volkswagen's Golf, which straddles the Alfa range above and below -- and Alfa Romeo certainly sees the VW as a rival. The Italian company also nominates Audi's A3, the 1 Series BMW and the Mercedes-Benz B-Class as competitors for the Giulietta.

The Mercedes in particular is priced well above either Giulietta variant and is a significantly larger package inside, as we recall. For its part, the Alfa is more a driver's car than the B-Class, so we're not convinced that the Alfa would be cross-shopped by B-Class buyers.

In addition to Alfa's own competitor set for the Giulietta, we would offer the Citroen DS3, which is also distributed in Australia by Ateco Automotive, and the British-built Honda Civic hatches (Si and Type R) as wildcard entries.

ON THE ROAD
-- All the satisfaction of older Alfas, minus the soundtrack
The drive program for the launch of the Giulietta took us up through the Hunter Valley from Ateco's HQ in the Sydney suburb of Waterloo.

Once the speed rose -- but the bends tightened up -- the Giulietta was in its element. Especially noticeable on damp, winding roads, the Alfa proved very capable, exiting corners without torque steer, wheelspin or axle tramp. It was very consistent in the way it tracked through corners.

Turn-in was excellent and handling was very close to neutral, without any dodgy traits to mention. Steering was well weighted and the level of assistance didn't vary as much between the DNA system's D and N modes as it does in some Audis fitted with the Audi Drive Select feature -- a similar facility by a different name. The difference was that the Giulietta's electrically-assisted steering was reasonably communicative in either mode.

Dynamically, the Giulietta's suspension and steering were complemented by the progressive and powerful brakes.

Even on the Dynamic setting the Alfa's ride wasn't punishing over grotty country roads, and conversely, nor did the Normal mode leave the driver feeling insecure in corners. While difference in ride comfort between the two modes was certainly obvious, we would expect drivers to leave the Giulietta permanently in one mode or the other -- depending on preference.

Of the engines that distinguish the two variants of Giulietta neither delivers the sort of aural thrill of older Alfa engines: Weber or Dellorto-fed DOHC units powering 105 or Alfetta models from the 1960s and 70s. But both the modern engines are highly refined at higher engine speeds and deliver strong linear performance across the middling and upper reaches of the rev range -- although the technically interesting MultiAir engine seemed to need a bit of a rev to launch in Dynamic mode.

The 1750 TBi engine in the QV is demonstrably more powerful than the 1.4-litre MultiAir, but the two engines are similar in character otherwise.

Fuel consumption for the MultiAir averaged 7.7L/100km, according to the trip computer. That was a consequence of wending our way through Sydney's inner suburbs combined with a smattering of freeway driving and a bit of press-on motoring. The QV averaged about 8.5L/100km, but with a longer section of freeway touring thrown in.

Early on, negotiating Sydney's suburban roads, it was apparent that the tyres fitted to the Giulietta transmit a lot of noise from the road surface. The noise didn't let up in on country roads either and the QV model we drove later in the day upped the ante again.

On patchy bitumen the QV's tyres (on 18-inch alloys) were noisier and thumped noticeably over each repaired pothole. That's the downside of rubber that otherwise clings to the road like a limpet.

As concessions go this is not a deal-breaker. In fact, nor is any aspect of the Giulietta if you love Alfa Romeo style and remain open-minded about front-drive mechanicals and turbocharging.

The new Giulietta may lack the legacy of earlier Alfas, but it seems to be a mature and yet engaging sporty design for the 21st Century. What more can one want?