2013 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Reviews

Ewan Kennedy reviews the 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 Alfa Romeo Giulietta as a used buy.

The Italians finally nailed it with the Giulietta hatch after years of less-than-ideal makes New Italy has given us some wonderful things — Michelangelo, the Mona Lisa, Pavarotti and pizza — but it has also burdened us with some dodgy cars. For many years now, anyone buying an Italian car such as an Alfa Romeo has

The only species breeding faster than rabbit seems to be the hot hatch.

This car generally wouldn't be on anyone's radar except for a few 'Alfisti'-- Alfa Romeo lovers.

Hard to stand out in a small car these days, what with every second diminutive hatch or sedan in sight being a Mazda3 and almost everything else looking alike. Try, if you can be bothered, picking out a Pulsar or a Cruze while walking past a crowded carpark.Anyone with a few extra bob to drop on their shopping trolley is dropping it on a new Volkswagen Golf. And why wouldn't you? There's nary a choice from this overpopulated segment (of which some 250,000 will sell this year) that isn't utterly dependable, safe, sound and resoundingly dull.One of the exceptions, a car so marginal as to barely impinge upon the collective consciousness, is Alfa Romeo's Guilietta. For a hatch, a vehicle type defined by practicality, it's something of a perverse pleasure. The entry level 1.4-litre Gulietta has been re-labelled as the Distinctive. That it is.VALUEDespite a drastic and overdue price slice, the Alfa Romeo is still a bit overpriced at a little under $30,000 next to the new Golf. It's another $2000 to get an auto (one of the twin-clutch variety), which is standard on all Golfs bar the very base model. And that is not so very base despite starting about $6000 under the Alfa.Moreover, VW brings capped price servicing and a big dealer network. In terms of equipment, the Alfa hasn't much to boast of. And the resale will eviscerate you.Yet if you're straying in the direction of these few and far between showrooms, it's reasonable to assume you're less interested in litres per 100km than the way in which you get to 100km/h. While those who style themselves as Alfisti tend to be focussed firmly on the past, here's a contemporary car worthy of Alfa's hallowed heritage. Put what price you will on that.TECHNOLOGYAnyone who still somehow doubts small turbo charged engines are not where it's at -- that only capacity counts -- will be dragged into this decade by the Guilietta's 1.4 MultiAir four.The International Engine of 2010 combines turbocharging with direct fuel injection and a system that opens the engine's valves to the optimum. The result is an instantly tappable wave of torque, almost all of which occurs at barely above idle.That can be regulated by the DNA switch, which in Dynamic mode produces yet more torque. In addition to beefing up the steering feel, it's this setting you'll engage at almost all times. Normal mode is that in which the diesel-challenging fuel consumption figure was obtained, but then you're not in the market for a Prius are you?All this makes the bigger capacity but free-breathing petrol plants most Japanese carmakers persist with look like the relics they are. If the cost is paid in premium unleaded, the Alfa's breadth of talent is worth every cent. Standard is the Q2 electronic differential which vectors the power to the front wheel with the most traction. Like that clever little engine, it works so seamlessly you're scarcely aware of it.DESIGNYou won't find many functional objects with so much form. The trad Alfa cues shield grille, Milanese badge, offset license plate and hidden rear door handles individualise this five door. This base model lacks the presence of the top line Guilietta QV. Lowered suspension, bigger wheels and leather trim can be optioned if you really must.Venture within and you're reminded Italy is a country that has struggled to consistently mass produce a decent affordable car. Oh, don't bother writing in. You know it's true. The Guilietta's inside story is as doleful and drab as the exterior is evocative. Fit, finish, materials and ergonimics aren't good enough. A $19,000 Cruze has better plastics.SAFETYAlfa has not Volkswagen's remorseless reputation, but its safety package is every bit as sound. Five stars from Euro NCAP are one thing, but it's the active ability component that will save you from putting that to the test.DRIVINGEngage ignition. Select Dynamic mode. Find first gear. And be engaged. With the exception of Ford's Focus Sport, there's not a small car this side of hot hatch money that entertains to this degree. In any case, the Australian issue Ford for the moment lacks a turbo four to compete.As things stand the entry Guilietta is a better all round device than the near $40,000 QV. A second slower to 100k/h it may be (7.8 seconds in the manual) but its ride serves vastly better when getting quickly across the busted blacktop that passes for a B road in this country.While the heavier QV would be impacting hard the same ruts the Distinctive skims, it's also running out of puff. Though formidable down low, the QV's 1.75 turbo simply doesn't want to know after 5800rpm -- a frustratingly low, diesel-like ceiling. The ostensibly lesser car has meaningful power to impart on top of its torque. It's usefully more flexible and enjoyable, with a tastier engine note to boot.VERDICTHardly the soundest small car choice, but at least you've made a choice.Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1.4Price: from $29,350Warranty: 3 years/100,000kmResale: 46 per cent (Glass's Guide)Service interval: 12 months/15,000kmCapped servicing: NoSafety: 5 starsEngine: 1.4-litre turbo petrol; 125kW/230/250NmTransmission: 6-speed man or twin clutch auto; FWDThirst: 5.9/5.2L/100kmDimensions: 4.3m (L); 1.8m (w); 1.4 (h)Weight: 1290kgSpare: Space saver

For some mysterious reason Alfa Romeo went all German for a while with its model names, using boring numbers instead of proper names. That aberration is thankfully a thing of the past and we have must spent a most enjoyable week road testing an Alfa Romeo Giulietta.We did our best to put an Italian accent into our voices when talking about ‘our’ Giulietta, all the more so when it sat alongside our own Fiat 500C bambino in the garage downstairs. Both Italian machines were bright red – there is no better colour for any Italian sports machine. The two little Italians seemed to enjoy each other’s company.VALUEPrices start from $36,990 (manual) and $38,990 (TCT automatic) for the MultiAir 1.4-litre five-door hatch. Followed by $40,990 (TCT automatic) for the JTDm 2.0-litre turbo-diesel five-door hatch and $41,990 (manual) for the QV 1.8-litre five-door hatch.DESIGNAlfa Romeo Giulietta is all about style, particularly at the front where the bonnet flows upwards from the Alfa-shield grille. The five-door hatchback has been styled to look like a sports coupe thanks to cleverly hidden rear door handles. The result is a sporting look that hides what is in reality a practical family hatch.The Giulietta’s interior is reasonably spacious, although there are some compromises. Unless tall front-seat occupants are willing to give up some legroom those in the back seats will find themselves cramped. Headroom can also be tight for tall rear seat passengers, though it depends on body shape.As always, try for yourself by taking along potential passengers during your private pre-purchase road test. Though the Giulietta is configured as a five-seater, in the real world it is better suited to four, with an adult using the middle of the rear seat only in emergency situations.With no fifth passenger in the car, the armrest with fold out drink holders gives a feeling of luxury. The rear seats have a 60/40 split fold for when extra cargo area is needed above the standard 350 litres. Behind the rear seat centre armrest is a ski hatch.These days Alfa Romeos aren’t built only for drivers of Italian dimensions, rather multiple settings are offered in the way of a height adjustable driver’s seat and a steering column that can be adjusted in four directions. We had no trouble in finding driving positions to suit each of our road test crew.TECHNOLOGYAlfa Romeo imports Giulietta to Australia with a choice of two engines. Our test car had the 1.4-litre turbocharged MultiAir petrol unit with 125 kW of power. It can power the Giulietta from a standstill to 100 km/h in 7.8 seconds – again emphasising the sporting nature of the little car.Those who want even more performance can get a Giulietta QV with the turbocharged petrol 1750 TBi engine that produces up to 173 kW of power. Even more importantly this engine has torque of 340 Nm when the driver selects Dynamic mode.This torque reaches its peak at just 1900 rpm so there’s urge all the way through the range. Alfa Romeo Giulietta sprints to 100 km/h in just 6.8 seconds. There’s a 2.0-litre diesel engine if you feel that way inclined, can’t say we do...We found the consumption of the 1.4-litre Alfa petrol engine to be about six to seven litres per hundred kilometres on the highway and it seldom got over nine litres per hundred kilometres in town. These are impressive numbers for a car of this size with the performance characteristics that we love.Our test Giulietta was fitted with Alfa Romeo’s Twin Clutch Transmission (TCT), a self shifting manual gearbox with dual clutches for lightning fast gear changes.However, the response and actions of the TCT at very low speeds, particularly in stop-start traffic is frustratingly slow and lumpy at times and isn’t helped by turbo lag and a stop-start system that also gets in the way of decent response.Though we are great believers in minimising pollution we have to admit to turning off the Alfa’s stop-start. Give us a six-speed manual gearbox any day.DRIVINGThe moment you get behind the wheel the gorgeous little Giulietta feels just right. This is a true drivers’ car thanks to the willingness of the engine once it’s past the turbo-lag stage. There’s some torque steer under hard acceleration in first gear, but we rather enjoy this in a performance car.In hard cornering there’s a hint of understeer, as you’d expect from a front-wheel drive, but less than we had expected. The dash layout is contemporary. We liked the main switches that run across the centre of the dash for easy access. The tacho and speedo are large and easy to read, which is just as well with the free-revving engine, and Australia’s obsession with speed laws.SAFETYAlfa Romeo Giulietta has a EuroNCAP five-star safety rating thanks to a multitude of passive safety equipment. Even better is the crash minimisation technology. This includes ABS brakes with Brake Assist, Vehicle Dynamic Control, cornering brake control, dynamic steering torque and brake assist. Like many new cars from the Europe, the Alfa Giulietta has daytime running lights.VERDICTAlfa Romeo Giulietta is a great looking Italian machine from a company with a rich sporting heritage and will appeal to those looking for more than mere transport in their family hatch.Alfa Romeo Giulietta MultiAir 1.4-litre five-door hatchPrice: from $36,990Warranty: 3 years/ 100,000 kmWeight: 1290 kgEngine: 1.4-litre 4-cylinder, 125kW/250NmTransmission: 6-speed manual and TCT Fuel Tank Capacity: 60 litresTowing Ability: 1300 kg with braked trailerThirst: 7.8L/100km0-100 km/h Acceleration: 7.8 seconds