The 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia drives like a dream.
This mid-size sedan with an all-new rear-wheel drive platform is super quick, has very responsive steering, and boasts a great exterior look — at a price that isn’t astronomically high. So, all in all, it is a great car.
Unlike the Maserati Ghibli and the Fiat 124 Spider, Alfa Romeo has prescription-strength Italian-ness right where you want it — at your fingertips and under the hood. The Giulia is Alfa Romeo’s answer to the BMW 3-Series, Mercedes C-Class, and Audi A4, and offers U.S. customers two engines.
The four-cylinder Giulia I test drove was powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine. Although it is a little curious that this aluminum-block-and-head 16-valve engine has only one camshaft, it makes 280 horsepower and 306 pound-feet of torque. And while the engine sounds a little gritty and angry, I’m way okay with that because it provides amazingly good thrust and a zero-to-60 mph time of 5.1 seconds with the standard rear-wheel drive.
But what really sets the Alfa Romeo apart from the competition is its steering. A quick, 11.8:1-ratio rack translates to 2.3 turns lock-to-lock, and even better than the responsiveness is the intuitive feedback and road feel. Ride quality is excellent on the optional 18-inch wheels, which were on my test drive car, and the structure is as solid as any in the segment. Alive and graced with some of the rawness of Alfa’s 4C sports car, the Giulia steers with precision and purity.
Inside, it os impressive. Perhaps, for some the back seat lacks legroom, but front-seat occupants certainly enjoy a nice amount of space.
And speaking of space, the trunk appears to be in line with the competition, althrough the opening is a tad small.
Base versions come well equipped with leather seats, bixenon headlights, LED taillights, dual exhaust, two-zone automatic climate control, four-piston front calipers, a six-way power driver’s seat, parking sensors, a rearview camera, and a proximity key with push-button start.
Moving up to the higher trim level, you get a larger (8.8-inch) touchscreen, wood dashboard trim, 18-inch wheels, and heated front seats.
My test car also offered the benefits of lane-departure warning, automatic high-beam headlights, and forward collision warning with automatic braking in the optional Driver Assist Dynamic Plus Package.
The base price of my model was just under $40,000. It topped off at $45,840 with the additional Driver-Assist features I mentioned, as well as the extras that came with the Customer Preferred Package, including:
Sport Interior Package — Leather-wrapped steering wheel, bright aluminum pedals, and aluminum interior accents;
Cold Weather Package — Heated front seats, steering wheel, and washer nozzles, and
Sport Appearance Package — 18-inch sport aluminum wheels, sport front and rear fascias, and custom-painted brake calipers, and a
Dual Pane Sunroof and Silverstone Gray Metallic exterior paint.
Fuel economy comes in at a respectable 24 mpg city/ 33 mpg highway.
Alfa Romeo Giulia is fantastic and like no other car. The performance outrageous the styling is beautiful. Not only is the car unique, it is beautiful, fast and luxurious! It meets and exceeds all my needs and desires.
Grant Miller is the publisher of Miami’s Community Newspapers. He may be contacted by calling 305-662-2277 or via email at Grant@CommunityNewspapers.com.
