The Alfa Romeo Giulia is a compact executive car produced by the Italian manufacturer Alfa Romeo. Known internally as the Type 952, it was unveiled in June 2015, with market launch scheduled for February 2016, and it is the first saloon offered by Alfa Romeo after the production of the 159 ended in 2011. The Giulia is also the first mass-market Alfa Romeo vehicle in over two decades to use a longitudinal rear-wheel drive platform, since the 75 which was discontinued in 1992. The Giulia was second in 2017 European Car of the Year voting and was named Motor Trend Car of the Year for 2018. In 2018, Giulia was awarded the Compasso d'Oro industrial design award.
History In 2013 Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne requested a clean-sheet design for the next Alfa Romeo—a rear-wheel drive sports saloon to help return the company to its roots. He appointed former technical director at Ferrari and chassis engineer for the 458 Speciale Philippe Krief as chief engineer for the Giulia, and asked him to assemble a team of ten to create the Giulia, to be designed and built in two and a half years. Krief oversaw the development of the Giulia, along with the platform that underpins it—Giorgio. This is an all-new, longitudinal-engine, rear-wheel drive platform developed by Alfa Romeo.
Marco Tencone of Centro Stile Alfa Romeo at the Fiat Mirafiori factory in Turin headed the design team, with oversight from Lorenzo Ramaciotti. The Giulia had a long gestation and delayed launch due to Marchionne sending its design back to the drawing board.
The new Giulia was unveiled to the press at the Museo Storico Alfa Romeo in Arese, on 24 June 2015, at an event which involved only the top-of-the-range Quadrifoglio variant and a rendition of "Nessun dorma" by Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli. The occasion coincided with the company's 105th anniversary, and also saw the company debut a restyled logo for all future Alfa Romeo models. The Giulia was also presented under the new La meccanica delle emozioni slogan ("the mechanics of emotions" in Italian).
The Giulia is the first model in the company's relaunch plan, which involves a €5 billion investment for an eight car line-up and a worldwide sales target of 400,000 by 2018—up from 74,000 in 2013.
Overview
The Giulia uses a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout, targeting an even 50% front and 50% rear weight distribution. Suspension is independent all-around—double wishbone with a semi-virtual steering axis front and multilink rear. All Giulia models employ a carbon-fibre drive shaft made by Hitachi Automotive Systems, as well as aluminium alloy shock towers, suspension components, front wings, and doors. All-wheel drive is offered in non-Quadrifoglio models. The Giulia has a drag coefficient of .
The Guardian, testing a two-litre petrol model, described the Giulia as a "midsize executive car" and "a counterpoint" to the Audi A4, BMW 3-Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class. The Daily Telegraph, reviewing a Veloce Ti model fitted with the optional Performance Pack, called it a "sports saloon" and compared it "compact executive" competitors such as the Audi S4, BMW M340i, Mercedes-AMG C 43, and Jaguar XE S, noting that the Giulia was sold with what they considered a better warranty than those rival products. The Sunday Times compared the Quadrifoglio Verde model they reviewed to the BMW M3, and implied it to be "a mid-sized, four-door car". Regarding the exterior design, the Guardian said "lines flow from the shield-shaped grille past the unusual rimless headlamps and make the car appear elegantly stretched" before saying "the wedged tail is topped by a curvaceous lip and flat-topped lamps", while the Sunday Times criticised the driver's door, saying it "is either too small or in the wrong place."
The Guardian said that the driving experience was "lovely", while the Sunday Times said "it's an absolute joy to drive. The steering is fast — there are only two turns lock to lock" and that the optional carbon-ceramic disc brakes "were tuned perfectly." The Daily Telegraph described the steering as "remarkably quick, but without that artificial off-centre dartiness that’s so often engineered into modern steering systems." The Sunday Times said that the fuel tank is "not quite big enough" and that the 2.9-litre V6 engine in the model they reviewed is "smooth and magnificently sonorous".
Regarding the interior, The Sunday Times said "the quality of the interior fittings is not as good as you might expect" at the price point. They also found it hard to see which button on the steering wheel was which in dark conditions, and described the optional carbon front seats in their test car as "enormous" and "very comfortable" while noting that they limited space for rear passengers. The Guardian called it "generously luxurious." The Daily Telegraph said "the quality of the plastics used is still slightly behind those of its competitors" and "you never feel short of space in the front. The rear seats offer enough room, too" while noting that the switches and instruments are more intuitive than in previous Alfa Romeo models. The Independent, reviewing a Sprint model in 2021, made note of the updated centre-console screen, saying that it is "partly touch, partly operated by a rotary dial in the console, which is OK and probably safer than doing the whole thing like an iPad."
Models
Giulia, Super, and Speciale
The base Giulia, mid-level Super, and fully loaded Speciale are powered by a 2-litre gasoline engine, or the choice of 136 PS, 150 PS or 180 PS 2.2-litre turbo diesel engine. The base model comes with 16-inch alloys, the Super can be distinguished with 17-inch alloys and dual chrome exhaust tip for the diesel model. The Speciale has 18-inch alloys, black brake calipers, as well as leather sports seats and sporty bumpers from the Veloce. Fixed rear seat is standard on the base and Super, while the Speciale has folding rear seat.
Sprint The Giulia Sprint is positioned above the base and Super model grades, but below the Ti and Veloce. In Europe, the early Giulia Sprint was powered by either the base 2.0 gasoline engine, or 180 PS 2.2-litre diesel engine. For 2020, the Sprint got the updated diesel engine with 190 PS. In North America, the Giulia Sprint was new for 2021 model year. It is the entry-level model although motored by the same engine as the Veloce. The diesel-powered Sprint was never offered in North America.
Ti and Veloce
The Giulia Veloce was presented at the 2016 Paris International Motor Show held in October. The Veloce offers the choice of two engines: the 2.0-litre turbo petrol and the 2.2-litre diesel inline-4 engines, both equipped with an 8-speed automatic transmission and Alfa Q4 all-wheel drive system (rear-wheel-drive in the UK).
The Veloce has specific bumpers and a glossy black door trim; it has also various performance components like special rear extractor with double exhaust pipes and optional 5-spoke 19-inch alloy wheels (the 19-inch option is not available in the UK). On the interior, it has black, red or tan leather sport seats and a sports steering wheel with a suede grip, aluminium inserts on the dashboard, central tunnel, door panels and Xenon headlights.
The new four-cylinder petrol engine is rated at a maximum power output of at 5,250 rpm and a maximum torque of at 2,250 rpm. It has MultiAir electro-hydraulic valve activation system along with "2-in-1" " turbocharger system and direct injection with a 200-bar high pressure system. The diesel all aluminium straight-4 engine comes with MultiJet II technology and electrically operated variable geometry turbocharger.
The Alfa Q4 all wheel drive system behaves like a rear-wheel drive vehicle: 100% of torque is distributed to the rear axle. As it reaches the wheel adherence limit, the system transfers up to 60% of the torque to the front axle. To ensure maximum speed of response in re-distributing torque, the system exploits a high mechanical over slippage (up to 2.5%) between the two axles, which translates into segment-beating vehicle control in terms of traction and directional stability on bends.Fiat Chrysler Automobiles EMEA Press: the Giulia Veloce with Q4 system behaves like a rear-drive vehicle: 100% of torque is distributed to the rear axle. As it reaches the wheel adherence limit, the system transfers up to 60% of the drive torque to the front axle in real time, thanks to a dedicated transfer case. To ensure maximum speed of response in re-distributing torque, the system exploits a high mechanical over slippage (up to 2.5%) between the Quadrifoglio with an optional carbon fibre pack and standard 19-inch alloys from the Quadrifoglio.
Meanwhile, the Giulia Ti is the luxury-oriented version. It has chrome grille and window surrounds, heated steering wheel and front seats, wood panel interior, 18-inch alloy wheels, and headlight washers. Basically, it came with more features than the Sprint, but without paddle shift like in a Veloce. The North American Ti is powered by the 280 hp gasoline engine, while the European Ti was also offered with the 187 hp diesel engine. The Ti was also available with Lusso package which consists of Cannelloni leather interior, heated rear seat, and the choice of multi-spoke or optional "Y" shape 18-inch alloy wheels. With paddle shift, 19-inch 5-hole alloy wheels, sportier front and rear bumpers, the North American Ti Sport was roughly the equivalent of the Veloce, before it was officially called the Veloce for 2022 model year. The American Ti Sport Carbon or European Veloce Ti is basically the Veloce with carbon fiber mirror caps and body kits.
Based on the Veloce, the Estrema was released in 2022 for 2023 model year. It came with standard active suspension, 19-inch alloy wheels, "Estrema" side emblems, Alcantara with red stitching seats, dashboard, steering wheel and shift knob, and 14-speakers Harman Kardon sound system. The Giulia Estrema is offered with either 280 PS gasoline engine, or 210 PS diesel engine matched to 8-speed automatic gearbox and Q4 all-wheel-drive system.
Quadrifoglio
The top-of-the-line Giulia Quadrifoglio (Italian for "four-leaf clover") was the first model in the new Giulia range. It was unveiled in Italy in June 2015. It made its official international debut at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show. The Quadrifoglio's main competitors are the Mercedes-AMG C63, BMW M3, and the Cadillac ATS-V.The Alfa Romeo Giulia QV Is Going To Crush The Competition: Mercedes-AMG C63, BMW M3, and Cadillac ATS-V, access-date: 5. January 2017
The Quadrifoglio is powered by an all-aluminium alloy, twin-turbocharged gasoline direct injection 90° 690T V6 engine, with a single-cylinder displacement of just under half a litre, for a total of . This engine was developed for the Quadrifoglio by engineers with Ferrari background and is derived from Ferrari's own twin-turbocharged F154 CB V8 engine, sharing the California T's bore x stroke of . The engine has a maximum power output of at 6,500 rpm, and of torque between 2,500 and 5,000 rpm. The turbochargers are single-scroll compressor IHI units integrated into the manifold, with water-charge air coolers.2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia: Up to 510 Horsepower: There are two turbochargers, both single-scroll IHI designs integrated into the manifold, with water-charge air coolers. Side-mounted direct fuel injection has a peak pressure of 200 bar. , access-date: 14. January 2017 It has side-mounted direct and port fuel injection, and the peak turbo boost reaches up to relative pressure.
With the inclusion of cylinder deactivation (that switches off the right bank of three cylinders), this model achieves a fuel consumption of and emissions of 198 g/km, in the combined cycle. The EPA combined fuel economy rating is 20 miles per gallon.