Alfa Romeo Giulia Super petrol 2017 review

Is there anything interesting about its design?

8 / 10

The Giulia Super looks gorgeous. That long bonnet with the plunging V-grille and narrow headlights, the set-back cabin and upright windscreen, the chunky C-pillars and the short rear deck – it adds up to an emotional yet sensible looking beast.

There also seems to be more than a bit of BMW and Benz mirroring going on in that side profile, and the Giulia Super's dimensions nearly match the Germans, too. At 4643mm long it's 10mm shorter than the 320i and 43mm less than the C200; but at 1860mm across it's wider by 50mm than the BMW and Benz and shorter than both in height, by about 5mm.

The Giulia Super's cabin is elegant, plush and modern. The Super grade brings the leather stitched dash and the wood trim, plus the more premium leather upholstery in the seats. I love how the screen is set flush into the dash panelling and not just a tablet that sits on top like so many other cars. I also like small touches such as the start button on the steering wheel – just like a Ferrari.

I'd never opt for the light-coloured interior, regardless of how nice it looks. It started getting dirty with me just looking at it.

How practical is the space inside?

8 / 10

The Giulia is a four-door five-seater sedan with enough legroom in the back for (191cm tall) me to sit comfortably behind my own driving position, with room to spare. The optional sunroof fitted to our test car does reduce headroom, but at 480 litres the Giulia's boot is enormous and matches the cargo capacities of the 320i and C200.

Storage throughout is good with two cupholders up front and another pair in the fold down armrest in the back. There are small pockets in the doors and a decent sized centre console bin.

Does it represent good value for the price? What features does it come with?

9 / 10

The four grade Giulia line-up kicks off at $59,895. The petrol version of the Super sits on the second rung in the range and lists for $64,195. That's just undercut by rivals such as the BMW 320i in 'Luxury Line' trim ($63,880) and Mercedes-Benz's C200 ($61,400).

The Giulia Super boasts a similar standard features list to the BMW and Benz. There's an 8.8-inch display with reversing camera, sat nav, eight-speaker stereo, dual-zone climate control, leather upholstery, front and rear parking sensors, auto lights and wipers, power adjustable heated front seats, active cruise control, bi-xenon headlights and 18-inch alloy wheels.

There's also an excellent suite of standard advanced safety equipment.

What are the key stats for the engine and transmission?

9 / 10

The Giulia Super we tested had the 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine. That's the same engine as the base-spec Giulia, with an identical output of 147kW of power and 330Nm of torque. Alfa Romeo says the Super, with its different throttle mapping, is half a second faster in the 0-100km/h sprint, with a time of 6.1 seconds. With more power and torque than the 320i and C200 the Super is more than a second faster to 100km/h.

There's a diesel Super with less power and more torque, but we haven't tested this car yet.

The transmission is a beauty – an eight speed automatic that's smooth and responsive.

If you want insane sledgehammer power there's the top-of-the-range Quadrifoglio with its 375kW twin-turbo V6

Now this isn't the most powerful four-cylinder engine in the line-up – the Veloce grade above the Super has a 206kW/400Nm version, but you'll need to pay more to step up to this level.

The Super's powerplant is absolutely going to make most of you happy, not just in off-the-mark acceleration, but in the way it works so well with this automatic transmission. The combination makes it feels as though the grunt is always there under your foot ready to use.

If you want insane sledgehammer power there's the top-of-the-range Quadrifoglio with its 375kW twin-turbo V6, but you have to part with about $140,000. Stick to the Super, then?

How much fuel does it consume?

8 / 10

Alfa Romeo says the combined fuel economy of the Giulia Super is 6.0L/100km. In reality, after a week and 200km of country roads and urban commutes the trip computer was reporting 14.6L/100km, but I wasn't trying to save fuel at all, even if I did have the stop-start system activated at times.

What's it like to drive?

9 / 10

When I drove the top-of-the-range Giulia Quadrifoglio I knew BMW's M3 and Mercedes-AMG's C63s were in danger – the car felt that good, in its ride, handling, grunt and refinement.

The Super, while not a weapon like the Quadrifoglio, is an outstanding drive, too, and its rivals such as the BMW 320i and Benz C200 should be afraid.

The Super feels light, pointable, and agile. The suspension tune is excellent – a little too soft perhaps, but the ride is deliciously comfortable, yet the handling is impressive, too.

That four-cylinder petrol engine delivers it's mumbo through the eight-speed auto beautifully. You can let the auto shift for you or grab those enormous metal paddles and do it yourself.

That engine note verges on hot-four territory when you boot it

The Super has three drive modes – 'Dynamic', 'Natural' and 'Advanced Efficiency'. I skip the efficiency setting and go to Natural for the city, and Dynamic if I'm on the open road (or in the city, and in a hurry) where the throttle response is sharpened and gears are held for longer.

That engine note verges on hot-four territory when you boot it with all that drive going straight to the back wheels, and the grip is fantastic.

Finally the steering – smooth, accurate, with great turn in.

Any niggles? This is an Alfa, right? Well, no. Only normal niggles, such as the reversing camera screen being too small, although the picture quality is excellent. The B-pillar is also close to the driver and does a good job of getting in the way of over-the-shoulder vision.

What safety equipment is fitted? What safety rating?

8 / 10

The Giulia has not been tested by ANCAP, but its European equivalent EuroNCAP gave it the maximum five-star rating. Along with eight airbags there's an impressive amount of standard advanced safety equipment, including AEB (which works at up to 65km/h), blind spot and rear-cross traffic alert, and lane departure warning.

There are three top tethers and two ISOFIX points in the back row.

What does it cost to own? What warranty is offered?

7 / 10

The Giulia is covered by Alfa Romeo's three-year/150,000km warranty.

Servicing is recommended annually or every 15,000km, and is capped at $345 for the first service, $645 for the second visit, $465 for the next, $1295 for the fourth and back to $345 for the fifth.

Verdict