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When it comes to choosing a family car, sedans are often overlooked for their long-legged wagon or beefy SUV cousins.
They're a bit of a forgotten hero but they'll always hold a piece of my heart for their practicality and (often) sexier kerb-side appeal.
If you can get used to your body cracking like a glow stick when you get in and out of them, the sedan may make a comeback!
The new Mercedes-Benz C-Class, in entry-level C200 form, has definitely tempted my family to consider a sedan in the future – it looks stately and refined but the driving experience also makes it fun.
Let's see what else it did right and if there was anything that could be improved.
Did I mention, I'm fond of sedans... ?
Alfa Romeo. A brand with more re-boots than success stories. Yet one which driving enthusiasts the world over can’t seem to shake the allure of.
Of course, these are not cars for just everyone. Most mainstream buyers are scared away by what I like to call the three Rs. Rust. Reliability. Resale.
Alfa’s tumultuous (and often overstated) past is one it has trouble putting behind it. Reputations are hard earned and easily lost, and besides, the majority of the voting public aspire to own something German, which they see a lot more of on the road.
It doesn’t help that Alfa also dragged its feet on committing to a five-year warranty in Australia (in early 2022), hardly a statement of confidence in its product.
You’re probably wondering by now why anyone would buy one, and why it’s the car which most enthusiasts wish they were brave enough to own.
Well the Giulia is the Alfa Romeo. The low-slung, sporty, sexy car which a few of us out there still use as a reference-point for how to make a sedan in 2023 good-looking, and how to make one drive like it has heart.
The brand can throw all the SUVs at us it wants, but for those who see Alfa Romeo for the brand it should be, this car is it.
Parting sorrow, perhaps, the version we’re looking at for this review may be one of the last - under its new Stellantis management, Alfa has said it will leave this fantastic, promising Giorgio platform behind it in a move to be more electrified.
Travel with me, dear reader, as we celebrate a car which is the culmination of Alfa’s past, at a moment before it steps into the future.
The Mercedes-Benz C-Class C200 is such a stylish sedan and I would totally have one. The driving performance, luxurious features and practical size made it a winning combo for my family. The price point is definitely up there but you do get a high-end build for the cash. I've seen bigger boots in other sedans and not being able to fit a third child seat will limit some families, but this still easily earns an 8.5/10 from me.
My son really loved this one. The ambient lighting was the highlight for him and he thought it looked like a "space car" inside. He gave it a 9/10.
The Giulia is a love letter to the increasingly lost art of the sporty executive sedan. As refined as it is beautiful and oh-so elegant to drive, it’s a reminder of why we always love Alfa Romeo, even when the odds are against it.
Emotional cars like this are hard to come by and they will soon be gone, replaced by something new. The future is not necessarily worse, but it will be different, so if a sporty European sedan with a combustion engine is calling out to you don’t miss your opportunity to drive the Giulia while it still exists in this form.
The C200 is a sleek and elegant steed.
Initially, you may think this is just a standard Merc showcase. There's the nice big badge on the pronounced nose. Beautiful sleek lines in the body... but it's the attention to detail that make this feel special.
There's a repeated badge motif in the grille and a cute cursive Mercedes logo tucked into the corner of the windscreen. The puddle lights on the doors project the badge at night time and you can often spot a badge etched into the LED lights.
However, it's the interior that's the highlight for me and I feel like it's a big step up from previous models I've been in.
Our model has the grey 'Artico' synthetic leather trim (says grey but it's really white) and a lovely mix of piano black and shiny chrome inserts that are set against soft touchpoints throughout.
The quality of the build oozes through every stitch and join. Don't even get me started on the cool customisable ambient lighting system inside, which makes this feel like you're on the set of Tron and really elevates the interior.
It's quite fun to build one of these in Mercedes' online configurator. You can customise your trims to make it feel like your own and their blue paintwork options are great (I do love a blue car).
Like any good Alfa Romeo should be, the Giulia is a work of art. It’s sleek, sharp, and immaculately proportioned.
This most recent update has artfully refined a formula too good-looking to mess with. The increasingly dorky headlamps from the previous car have been swapped out for a more contemporary all-LED set, with a three-bar DRL pattern.
The grille has also been tweaked for this update for a more modern style, and the Veloce is now graced with the iconic and more aggressive sport two-tone alloy wheels in the traditional five-hole 'tele-dial' style.
It’s effortlessly attractive, and instantly recognisable as an Alfa on the road. I can’t think of a better way to stand out in today’s executive sedan landscape.
The interior has received less of an upgrade for the 2024 model year, with the same core parts. The major change is the old-school analogue instrument cluster being swapped out for a slick 12.3-inch digital unit.
The puzzling thing about this is the 8.8-inch central multimedia screen hasn’t been upgraded in-kind, making a strange contrast between the sharp and fast digital instruments, and the laggy and dull multimedia panel.
At least it effortlessly sits behind the curvaceous design of the dash as to not interrupt a good shape.
There are of course plenty of other touches which I love. The leather seats look and feel the part, as do the real metal paddle shifters which float behind the simple yet refined and sporty steering wheel.
The push-to-start button on the wheel is reminiscent of other Italian sports machines, while the tasteful smattering of leather, gloss plastic, and textured surfaces keep the premium feel on-track.
Some areas I’m not so keen about: Some of the interior plastics, particularly for buttons and toggles, feel cheaper than they should, and the door cards are oddly basic considering how much attention has been given to every other part of this car’s look and feel.
I'm not going to lie – there are sedans out there that have an almost limo-like space inside but the C200 isn't one of them.
It's not small by any means and all occupants enjoy the comforts of decent legroom and headroom but it's not cavernous considering the specs (1437mm high/1820mm wide/4751mm long).
The optional panoramic sunroof does cut into the headroom for back seat passengers, which is something to consider if your family is very tall.
The storage is maybe a tad leaner-than-average for a car of this size. The glove box and middle console aren't massive but will suffice.
The cupholders up front can be removed if you need extra storage space for larger items and back seat passengers enjoy retractable cupholders in the armrest.
The way the front doors curve out creates a larger than normal storage bin and drink bottle holder – which help make up the difference. There is a dedicated phone pocket, to tuck it out of the way.
The boot space is 455 litres (VDA), which isn't as large as some others on the market but it was plenty big enough for my family's needs.
There's a handy under-floor storage pocket for smaller items, like the puncture repair kit, because you don't get a spare tyre in this.
When it comes to ease of use, my six-year-old loved not needing my help to get into his seat and he still enjoyed a decent view out of the wide back window.
The amenities in each row are good but not class-defining. Still, creature comforts have be well-thought through.
Front occupants enjoy heated seats and fantastic lumbar and under thigh support. Dual-zone climate control sorts out the temp, and the cool circular air vents that make loud audible 'clicks' when manoeuvred give the interior a jet cockpit vibe.
While I've never had an issue opening or closing a sedan boot, the powered lid was a nice feature to have this week.
The tech throughout is great and intuitive to use. The massive 11.9-inch touchscreen multimedia system is cool and is easy to use once you become acclimatised to Mercedes system.
The customisable digital instrument panel makes the driving experiences feel individualised.
The interior is a chilled out space with gentle scrolling touchpads taking the place of most 'push' buttons and dials.
Think of each surface as being a bit like a touchscreen tablet in how you operate it. I was a little worried the touchpads would be laggy but they're very responsive.
There's only one USB port in the whole car, which limits charging for other passengers but I did enjoy the easy connectivity of the wireless Apple CarPlay.
The electric heated front seats are a nice touch but I was amused by the 'kinetic' function on both. It's what you might call a 'massage' function on another car but here they don't really work. It's best to think of them as a way to do some (very) gentle stretching on a long trip.
The 360-degree camera view is super clear and crisp but the dynamic guidelines (which tilt the camera angle) are a bit too dynamic for my liking and I relied mostly on the bird's eye view to park.
As I've mentioned, the ambient lighting system creates a stellar atmosphere inside. I've often wondered why other car manufacturers haven't jumped on that bandwagon because it's a relatively cheap way of creating wow factor. And it generates massive wow factor in here.
The Giulia is an old-school low-slung sports sedan. Many will prefer the SUV sensibilities of the Stelvio, with its bigger hatch-opening boot, and its higher ride height can better accommodate less mobile passengers, and makes it easier to fit child seats and the like.
For those willing to trade those things away for a superior drive experience, the Giulia is still solid to live with every day, but has a few drawbacks.
For example, those strangely basic door cards offer only a tiny map pocket with a nook I’d hardly describe as a bottle holder.
The centre console offers two larger bottle holders with variable edges, but there’s also not much else in the way of storage in the cabin aside from a smaller-than-average glove box and armrest console box.
The big win for me is the physical dial set and shortcut buttons for all the key climate functions, making it easy to operate while you’re concentrating on driving.
At least the seats are well bolstered, and front passengers are treated to plenty of adjustability. Visibility is okay, and it was easy for me to find a comfortable driving position at 182cm tall.
The rear seat is a similar story. It’s tighter, and you have to duck down below the roofline to get into it.
Once inside, I was pleasantly surprised to find enough room for my knees and somewhere for my feet to slide behind my own driving position, although the centre position is all but useless thanks to an enormous raise for the driveshaft.
Headroom is passable, but you wouldn’t want to be much taller than me.
There are, again, tiny bottle holders in the doors, and a further two in the drop-down armrest. Rear seat passengers get dual adjustable air vents on the back of the centre console, one USB 2.0 outlet, and elastic nets on the backs of the front seats.
The boot measures 480 litres which is up there with a lot of mid-size SUVs, but because it’s a sedan, access is more limited, and it won’t accommodate as many awkwardly-shaped objects.
Herein lies the rub. There are four models for the C-Class sedan and ours is at the bottom of the pack.
But don't let its position fool you in thinking it'll be cheap because this model starts at $78,900... and that's before you start adding the option packs.
Our model is fitted with the 'Vision Package' which adds a host of features – like a panoramic sunroof, head-up display and heated front seats, to name just a few. This adds about $3000 to the price tag.
This also has the optional 'Sport Package' which adds 19-inch AMG alloy wheels and rear privacy glass, among other things, for an extra $1300.
Unfortunately, even without all of those options, this is still one of the most expensive 'entry-level' sedans in the luxury class!
The Giulia we’re looking at for this review is the mid-spec Veloce, which costs $74,950 before on-road costs, sitting above the base Ti ($68,450) and below the top-spec Quadrifoglio ($153,700).
Natural rivals from Germany include the Audi A4 45 TFSI ($77,869), BMW 320i M Sport ($80,200) and Mercedes-Benz C200 ($89,900) all of which suddenly make the attractive Alfa look like a not-half-bad deal.
But then there’s always the Genesis G70 (from $63,000 in equivalent turbo 2.0L form) to bring the value equation back to reality.
Standard stuff at this grade includes 19-inch alloys, an 8.8-inch multimedia touchscreen and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster (new for the 2024 model year), dark contrast exterior highlights, leather seat trim with heated front seats and steering wheel, aluminium interior detailing and shift paddles with extended leather trim on the dash, updated LED headlights and DRLs, dual-zone climate, push-start ignition and keyless entry, tinted rear windows, and a 14-speaker Harman Kardon audio system.
Performance-wise, the Veloce also scores a limited-slip rear differential to match its punchy engine.
The tech feels a bit old, and the interior has a dated ambiance to it compared to the more open and digitised spaces of its rivals, but there’s something to be said for how organic the Alfa feels. More on this later.
The C200 has a 1.5-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-petrol engine with an integrated starter-generator.
What's that, you ask? So, glad you did. It's basically an electric battery that also acts as your starter... or alternator.
It smooths out vibrations from the engine and generates some power from braking. Making this a very mild hybrid. Note the 'mild'.
Is it powerful? Surprisingly, yeah. It has a maximum output of 165kW and 300Nm of torque. Combine that with the starter-generator and we have a powerful little engine that can push the C200 from 0-100km in 7.3 seconds, while still feeling like there's power in reserve.
The nine-speed auto transmission is damn smooth and there's no clunky gear changing at any speed. It's got great pick-up, too, for when you need to overtake or zip across traffic.
The Veloce might not pack a Ferrari-derived six-cylinder engine like the Quadrofoglio, but its smaller 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine hardly wants for power.
Packing 206kW/400Nm it outpunches six cylinders of old easily, and is still capable of sprinting to 100km/h in a hot-hatch baiting 5.7 seconds to a Vmax of 240km/h.
It even sounds fantastic, as it flies up the rev-range living up to every bit of the Alfa promise. Peak power arrives at 5250rpm, but peak torque hits at 2250rpm.
Smooth shifts are provided courtesy of an eight-speed traditional torque converter automatic transmission.
The official combined cycle fuel figure is 6.9L/100km. Real world testing saw my figure at 7.2L, which was awesome for the heavy driving I did this week on a combo of urban and open-roads.
The light regen braking probably helps this coast comfortably into being a very efficient sedan for its size.
Minimum fuel requirement is 95 RON premium unleaded and you'll need 66 litres of it to fill the tank.
Driving range using the official consumption figure is around 950km, and 915km using our real-world number.
The 2.0L turbocharged engine has an official combined cycle fuel consumption figure of just 6.1L/100km, although I saw 9.0L/100km in my time with it.
I’ll admit it was being enthusiastically driven, and treated to lots of urban commuting.
The Giulia has a 58-litre fuel tank and requires mid-shelf 95 RON premium unleaded fuel. Its approximate range on a full tank at the official consumption is 951km.
The steering feels solid and concise. The tyres seem like they're glued to the road, making winding roads downright fun to tackle. Oh, and the sharp 11 metre turning circle is wonderful.
The handling makes this your best friend in a car park. The lower ground clearance did elicit some unladylike grunts when I parked on a hill, but otherwise the wide door apertures makes it easy to get in and out of.
The only thing I would note is the low-profile ground clearance. Just be aware of your speed and angle when you handle car park ramps or road bumps in this. They are not your friends.
Put simply: The Giulia is a celebration of Alfa Romeo. Yes. Even with a humble 2.0-litre turbocharged engine and an automatic transmission, this is a deeply emotional car. A riveting experience from behind the wheel.
Fly round corners, your eyes wide, exclaiming ‘magnifico!’ as the Giulia gracefully leans in, the rear LSD, sporty tyres, and wonderfully tight steering working together in harmony as you eke out just a smidge of tyre roar.
Laugh out loud to yourself, as you plant the accelerator, hear the muted rumble of the surprisingly angry little engine, and feel the turbocharger kick in half a second later as you power out.
‘Eccezionale!’ You’ll think, as you feel the click of the immensely satisfying metal paddle-shifters, and the transmission responds in-kind, the engine roaring up the revolutions with enthusiasm.
Sure, the Veloce grade is not as raw, or as wild, or near as fast as the top-grade Quadrofoglio, but all of the exciting spirit of that car is still here, and at a little over half the price, too. The Veloce is an absolute delight to drive.
It has such poise, makes such a fine sound, and does it all so gracefully. This is how you make a car feel as one with the driver.
Even the ride is deeply impressive. It’s not too harsh or noisy, while gifting the chassis just the right amount of lean in the corners and allowing enough play for it to remain controlled over bumps.
Not only does it work well when you’re driving as it's clearly intended to be driven, but around town it’s quiet and refined inside, living up to the promise of a luxury sedan.
The seats and bolstering are great, the visibility isn’t too bad, and while I’ll complain about the slightly laggy software on the multimedia screen, the digital dash is responsive and the physical climate controls are welcome.
It’s not all perfect. If it were, I think it might cease to be an Alfa Romeo and start sprouting BMW badges.
For example, our test car, with less than 2000km on the odometer, had various inconsistent rattles emanating from the plastic garnish around the digital dash, and somewhere behind the back seat.
Regardless, driving this car has made me a little sad Alfa will be putting this wonderful platform behind it in pursuit of more electrified goals.
I can only hope wherever the Giulia nameplate goes next, it retains the spirit of this version.
The safety sheet is well-stocked and has the usual suspects you want in a family car, like: AEB with car, pedestrian, cyclist and junction turning assist (effective speed 7.0-90km/h); forward and back-over collision warning, lane keeping assist, lane departure warning and emergency lane keeping assist, as well as, blind-spot monitoring.
I quite like the 'Active Distance Assist' which helps to automatically slow your vehicle speed to keep a set distance to the car in front in stop-start traffic.
Perfect for those busy city commutes. And if you're not confident on parking, this also has a 'Park Assist' feature.
It's nice to see that this has nine airbags, which include a driver's knee airbag and the newer front centre airbag.
This has a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating which is nice and new from testing done in 2022.
There are ISOFIX child seat mounts on the outboard rear seats and three top tether anchor points but because of the narrower rear seat, you'll only comfortably fit two side-by-side.
It was super easy to fit my seats and there's a good amount of room for front passengers when a 0-4 rearward facing child seat is installed.
The same safety equipment suite is standard on every Giulia variant.
Advanced active gear includes auto emergency braking, lane keep tech, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, driver attention alert, and adaptive cruise control.
It also scores front and rear parking sensors, and a reversing camera with guidelines.
The Giulia’s maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating expired at the end of last year, as it was originally rated back in 2016. The facelifted model is ‘unrated’ relative to ANCAP’s current standards.
The C200 comes with a five-year/unlimited km warranty, which is standard for the market.
There are multiple servicing options and on the five-year plan, the services average $1090 annually, which is quite expensive.
Servicing intervals are pretty good at every 12 months or a longer than usual 25,000km, whichever comes first.
Alfa finally updated its warranty to a more industry-standard five-years and unlimited kilometres in 2022.
Service intervals occur at 12 monthly or 15,000km intervals for the 2.0-litre turbocharged variants. Pricing was not available for the model year 2024 version yet in the brand’s online calculator, but to give you an idea for the pre-facelift version, pricing came in between $345 and $1065 per visit, averaging $573 per year for the first five years of ownership. Not cheap, but not as expensive to run as you might expect.
One thing you might want to keep in mind is depreciation. Boring, I know, but even late model examples of the Giulia and Stelvio have been hit particularly hard by the depreciation stick according to residual values we searched up on Autotrader.
For reference, the Genesis G70 and BMW 3 Series have both fared much better in equivalent 2.0-litre turbo forms.