Ready for the road
Ready for the road
The Alfa Romeo Giulia was a bestseller during the ‘60s and ‘70s. As one of the first manufacturers to add a powerful engine to a small car, Alfa Romeo made the Giulia a total motoring game changer. And it was well loved, right up until production of the Giulia Type 105 ended in 1977.
The Italian manufacturer’s fans have been waiting with bated breath for the return of this powerful model – and they’ve been kept on tenterhooks. The Giulia’s production has been halted several times, with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ (FCA) CEO Sergio Marchionne reportedly sending the car right back to the drawing board repeatedly, until he was satisfied.
If it was perfection he was after, he’s not far off. In fact, Jeremy Clarkson called it ‘an absolute joy to drive’, motoring journalist Andrew Frankel dubbed it the ‘most important car in Alfa Romeo’s history’, and Car and Driver labeled the Giulia ‘an emotional, hot-blooded Italian car’ – and, well, that’s enough to convince us.
Arnold Clark is now retailing both the Giulia and Giula Quadrifoglio. Let’s take a closer look at what makes these models so special.
Pitched against the likes of the BMW 3 Series and the Audi A4, this hotly anticipated performance sedan is sure to shake up the segment.
Featuring perfect weight distribution, sensual styling and innovative driver and engine technologies, the Giulia is a true testament to Italian design.
Scoring the full five stars from Euro NCAP, the Giulia has been praised for its innovative use of safety features – offering Forward Collision Warning System, Lane Departure Warning, cruise control and more as standard.
The car’s instrument cluster is framed in an attractive tan-coloured dash, offering luxuries such as UConnect, DAB radio and an 8-speaker audio system.
The 2.2-litre MultiJet 180 diesel engine comes in two guises, 148 bhp and 177 bhp. If you prefer petrol, there’s a 197 bhp 2.0-litre engine on offer too.
Winner of the prestigious ‘EuroCarBody 2016’ award, this entry-level model has enough panache to win the hearts and minds of car lovers the world over, never mind the range-topping Quadrifoglio…
The Quadrifoglio is truly a thing of beauty. With more muscular proportions, 19-inch alloys and other sporty touches like the rear spoiler and large air intakes, the Quadrifoglio certainly looks the part.
Powered by a 509 bhp twin-turbocharged 2.9-litre V6 engine, it isn’t messing about, either. Reaching 62 mph in 3.9 seconds, it’s the fastest road sedan ever made.
In fact, ex-458 creator Philippe Krief was involved in the car’s design, meaning it’s the closest you can get to a factory-built, four-door Ferrari.
The 50:50 weight distribution found in the standard Giulia is featured here too, creating an optimal balance between the front-mounted engine and rear-wheel-drive system.
The model also gets the distinctive cloverleaf badge that has been a symbol of good luck for Alfa Romeo through decades of track victories, from Ugo Sivocci’s win at the Targa Florio in 1923 to the Formula 1 World Championships in the ‘50s, and this, arguably its biggest victory yet.
