Road Test: Alfa Romeo Giulietta

There's no doubt that Alfa Romeo make beautiful looking cars, writes Brian Byrne. Whether the very aspirational 4C and 8C limited edition semi-supercars or the quite practical compact family hatchbacks, the lines are invariably quite gorgeous, and the ambience quintessentially Alfa. And no grille is as distinctive as that triangular affair with the red cross and snake badge.

The Giulietta I had recently filled out all the style and sporty fittings ethos of the brand. Even though it has been around since 2010, with some mild tweaks for the current model year, it still turns heads, and I occasionally caught directly eyes which had more than a suspicion of longing in them. Perhaps a recalling of a time of life when a sporty car might have fitted in, BF — before family?

In fact, the Giulletta could fit in with a family lifestyle comfortably enough, because it's a typical format compact family hatch, four doors and wide access to a decent boot space. Economical too, with an equivalent fuel consumption of more than 70mpg claimed for the 1.6 JTDM diesel which powered my review car.

It was the top Exclusive spec in the range, with leather sport seats and larger alloys and some other stuff that your dealer will be happy to tell you about ... but in fact the basic Progression grade comes with a very decent specification anyhow, including the Vehicle Dynamic Control which offer three different modes of driving response from the car.

The interior fittings and fit all looked top quality, and felt good to touch, so the senses are well catered for. And yes, if one was in a mid-life crisis — I'm still waiting for mine — the Giulietta could go a long way to dealing with it, without having to sacrifice any practicality.

There are a range of engines available, from turbocharged 1.4 petrols with 120/170hp power options, to 1.6 and 2.0 diesels with 105/150/175hp available. A sense of the differences comes with the range of 0-62km/h sprints, from 7.6-11.3 seconds, depending on engine choice.

In my review car's case, it was the lowest power available, the 105hp 1.6 diesel. And there would be the key downside of cutting one's cloth to meet less expensive need. It simply didn't cut it with the rest of the look and feel of the car.

Now, that's not a deal-breaker, because most car buyers are not that fussed about the speed or acceleration of their motor, especially given the proliferation of speed cameras around that have severely curtailed much spontaneous exuberance in driving. So the look of the Giulietta is probably enough for many who would consider buying it. But I did find that it was best to keep the VDC switch in Sport mode all the time to get any sense of urge from the otherwise excellent engine.

The 6-speed manual gearbox is precise in operation, though I'd have liked a little more lightness in operation of both it and the clutch. Again, nothing that would turn me from the car. And, getting the last niggle out of the way, there's a fair bit of glare on the instruments glass that could get annoying.

All in all, I did enjoy the car. I intend to try and get a run in one of the more powerful versions, which I suspect will be fun. And the thing is, the fun probably starts at the cheapest version, the 120hp 1.4 petrol from €22,500. The price range goes up to €32,650, while my review car slotted in at a fairly high €28,250. It all depends on what a mid-life crisis might be worth to you ...