I have always been a big fan of Alfa Romeo’s, and in their Hey Days of the 60s and 70s, I was privileged to work for the Durban Alfa dealer and had several test cars including Alfa’s such as the Alfa GT Veloce, the Guilia 1.6, the Duetto, and the Berlina 2000 and these cars were well ahead of the opposition in terms of sport saloons. But after a quiet period, Alfa has now returned to South Africa with a very desirable range. Aside from the special Alfa 4C and the Alfa Romeo Stelvio - their first ever SUV - they have now introduced three models of the all new Alfa Romeo Giulia range comprising the Alfa 2.0T, the Alfa Romeo Giulia 2.0T Super, the model featured in today’s road test, and the top of the range Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio Verde with the powerful 3-litre V6 engine.

The first time I set eyes on the new Alfa Romeo Giulia 2.0T Super was when the press vehicle was delivered to my driveway, and quite honestly, it made an immediate impression on me. On the outside, the Giulia looks like nothing else on the road thanks to its taut styling and classic Alfa Romeo heart shaped front grille. The Giulia has an undeniably pretty shape, while the perfect combination of smooth lines and powerful curves, colour coded bumpers and mirrors, gives it an additional shot of elegance. Viewed from the sides, the sleek lines are enhanced by the rear roof mounted shark fin antenna, yellow specific brake calipers and sporty fifteen spoke alloy wheels which on the press vehicle were shod with 225/50R17 Pirelli Sport radials. The rear end is eye-catching too for a sedan. It comes standard with LED Rear lights, but surprisingly there is only a single exhaust pipe.

Moving inside, the interior is designed with the driver being a priority and all soft-touch surfaces have a premium tactile feel. The driver-centered cockpit is spacious and well laid out, giving the driver ease of access. The dashboard is virtually a carbon copy of the one in the new Stelvio except for the 7” Colour TFT Display for the infotainment screen, Connect 6.5” in the Giulia and all gauges are easy to read, and switches, and buttons well positioned. The instruments are housed in a cluster with two hooded binnacles. The rev counter red-lined at 5 500 RPM in the left binnacle and matching speedo marked up to 260 km/h on the right with digital read outs in between, all nicely grouped ahead of the driver where they are clearly visible. The well-shaped leather covered front bucket seats are nicely bolstered, highly comfortable, fully adjustable manually, and give the cabin a classy look. The rear seat is comfortable enough for three adults and only very tall folk may just find their heads brushing the roof lining. Oddments can be stored in the small cubby hole, the lidded box on the floor console, and the front and rear door pockets, a 252 litre boot and if more space is required, the rear backrest can be folded down in a 60/40 split.

The Giulia gives the driver complete control thanks to the new Alfa DNA elector as well as the high driving position. It also ensures a high level of on-board comfort with the dual zone climate control system, leather covered steering wheel that is adjustable for rake and reach, and which also houses the audio controls and the sophisticated Connect 6.5 in radio, MP3, Aux-in, Bluetooth, TFT colour instrument cluster infotainment system and a fine audio system.

Standard equipment includes; automatic air conditioning, stop/start/ remote central locking keyless entry, rain sensor windscreen wipers, puncture-proof tyres, tyre pressure monitoring system, tyre repair kit, 35 w b zenon head lights with AFS, electric exterior rear view mirrors, rear USB port + second front USB port, forward collision warning, auto emergency brake and inter-grated brake system, and aluminum Alfa Romeo kick-plates.

Safety is a major issue and the Giulia comes standard with six airbags, front seat belts with dual pretensioners and anti-whiplash, hill holdassist, ABS brakes plus, forward collision warning, autonomous emergency brake with pedestrian detection, lane departure warning, hill-start assist, and Active Cruise Control.

The beauty is more than skin-deep too. The new Alfa Giulia is powered by a 1995 cc 4-cylinder 16 valve turbo-petrol engine pushing out a healthy 147 kW at 5 000 RPM and 330 NM of torque from 1 750 RPM and is mated to a 8-speed automatic transmission, driving the rear wheels. In addition, the driver can customize the car's personality using the Alfa DNA driving selector to enhance its features of comfort, performance, safety and efficiency.

This new Giulia 2.0T is far more potent than I had imagined. In acceleration tests, slotting the 8-speed autobox into manual mode “D” position to do its own gear-changing, stand hard on the brake pedal, increase the revs, flatten the accelerator, release the brake pedal and the Giulia blasts off the line, and passes the 100 km/h mark in 6.6 seconds after three gear changes, and powers on to a claimed maximum speed of 235 km/h. To scrub off the speed, the Giulia has powerful disc brakes all round, and stomping hard on the brake pedal at 100 km/h will bring the Alfa Giulia to a complete stop in an excellent 2.9 seconds. Claimed average petrol consumption is 7.1 litres per 100 km which was somewhat optimistic, as according to the trip computer I averaged 9.5 litres per 100km over the week I had the car, but that did include all the testing. At a steady 120 km/h on the freeways the engine spins at just 2 000 RPM in 8th gear and at 160 km/h if you’re brave enough, it spins at 2 600 RPM.

The new Alfa Giulia has a distinctive character and drives as lovely as it looks and vice versa. Climb into the driver’s seat, find a decent driving position and the high driving position, provides the driver with good all-round vision. Press the starter button on the steering wheel and the motor starts up quickly and quietly. Slot it into drive mode and the car pulls off smoothly while the 8–speed automatic changes gears so imperceptible that you hardly feel the changes. The are no gear paddles behind the steering wheel, but to change gears in manual mode “row” the gear-lever forward or backwards and enjoy the sporty side of driving,

Despite its size, the Giulia is quite nimble driving around town, and I found it best to shift the DNA to Comfort mode to make the steering lighter and much easier for parking in confined areas. Also, its compact turning circle is especially appreciated when parallel parking or for maneuvering in a confined area. Most drivers will leave the Alfa DNA in Normal mode for day to day travelling where it is nicest to drive but change to Dynamic and the car sharpens up to the extent it almost takes off. Everything happens a whole lot faster but happily, due to Alfa’s very effective suspension, ensures that the car stays flat and stable at quite significant speeds.

The new Giulia offers a good compromise between ride quality and handling, making it comfortable enough, and benefits from a supple setup that it always feels extremely stable. Responsive and precise while carrying speed into corners, the car is easily balanced mid-turn, and accelerates briskly on exit. The handling in the twist and turns of some of our KZN back-roads was quite incredible, and with its excellent suspension, it delivers typical Alfa Romeo performance, and is so smooth you don’t even feel the speed on freeways. For overtaking, just press the accelerator to the floor and the automatic gearbox will immediately respond by dropping down a few gears to the correct gear, and power you safely by.

The Alfa Romeo Giulia brings a breath of fresh air into its segment with a powerful new engine, great ride comfort, and excellent handling as befits the performance of a sports saloon. The Alfa Romeo Giulia 2.0T Super is priced at R686 900 which includes a Premium Maintenance Plan, offering peace of mind for up to six years or 100 000 km.