Alfa Romeo Giulia Super Review
Alfa Romeo Giulia Super Review
We decided to test the Alfa Romeo down in Cornwall with a visit to the Pendennis shipyard in Falmouth where they refurbish and restore some of the largest and most extravagant luxury yachts in the world. It was a round trip of ten hours and gave us time with some great roads to really get a feel for what the Alfa Romeo Giulia is all about.
Okay, the Alfa Romeo Giulia Super is a saloon, albeit a stylish one, though it does look impressive for a mid range car with the iconic Alfa Romeo curved triangular front grill. So how does it compare to others in this highly competitive market segment and does it do enough to stand out?
For a start the bonnet is big and beefy with satisfying curves that may not catch the eye at first glance but convey discreet style and luxury on more leisurely examination. It’s a five door, so easy to use, with an enormous boot space (you can actually fit three children, though do remove before starting the car), it’s perfect for long drives with tons of luggage, ideal for popping down to the south of France for a quick break.
The Alfa Romeo Giulia is like pirate treasure, the jewels are hidden below the surface. The interior is luxurious and impressive, with comfortable leather seats front and back. I recommend spending a little extra on the Lusso pack, which in this case included the beige leather interior with gorgeous walnut veneer on the dash and doors.
The dashboard boasts hand stitched grey leather that’s swoops above the instrument dials and along over the glove box, possibly influenced by the old Bentley Continental. The matching steering wheel feels steady and has the start stop button ideally placed in the bottom left hand corner with the option of shift paddles, which I would also recommend. It has a nifty screen display that is invisible when off and very much hidden as part of the dash. The design ethos and style matches cars with a much higher price point and it is here that Alfa Romeo excel.
The automatic gear shift is ergonomic with intuitive dial controls for dynamic, normal or eco mode along with the sat nag (nav) and sound system. The interior is pure luxury, providing comfort and pampering to make you smile, cosseted in perfect Italian comfort.
The brakes are a little soft, but this is not a racing car, despite the fact you can easily treat it like one. The steering is exceptional, point where you want it to go and that’s exactly where it goes. Which leads me to the truly gorgeous feature of the Giulia Super, the handling. Allow me to rave a little, it is sublime, tuned to perfection, a glorious fusion of suspension and road holding, balanced to take any corner with zero fuss or lean. Like the Alfa Romeo 4C it makes you smile on every journey.
It’s just supposed to be a saloon for goodness sake, with a starting price of £30k, or £40k with the extras I had, yet the Alfa Romeo Giulia Super is a car punching way above its weight, delivering unbelievable performance for the price. It has 200 bhp and can do 0-60 in 6.6 secs, but that obscures the true character of this car. It’s not about the power, it’s the luxury features, the extraordinary road handling, build quality and the Alfa Romeo interior styling.
Alfa Romeo has come a long way in the last few years reclaiming their spot as a manufacturer of inspired quality cars, which explains why a brand once famous for unreliability now comes 5th in What Car’s 2017 survey for reliability in the first three years, above Honda, Ford, Audi, Porsche, Mercedes, Jaguar and BMW.
As automation and the free movement of technology has made building cars easier, the style and design ethos have become essential to creating cars we can appreciate and connect with, and most importantly enjoy driving. The Alfa Romeo Giulia Super performs like a luxury car at twice the price and means we can all be spoilt by superb interior comfort and super glue road holding.
In short if you aren’t super keen to wrap yourself around a tree with 500 bhp or tear in front of every Porsche at traffic lights, but fancy Alfa Romeo styling, magical, magnetic road handling, confident performance and luxurious interior styling with that Alfa badge, then this is the car for you.
It was a pleasure driving it to Falmouth and back, making very short work of both the A and country roads, and we arrived at our hotel overlooking the bay in great time, feeling relaxed, cool and ready for super yacht heaven the next day.
Alfa Romeo Giulia 2.0 Turbo petrol 200hp Super
Beige Leather with Walnut dash (Lusso Pack) in Lipari Grey
18″ Dual multi-spoke Luxury design alloy wheels
2.0 Turbo petrol 200hp Super
Engine Capacity (cc): 1995
Fuel Type: Petrol
Transmission: 8 + 1R
Mpg: 33.6, 61.4, 47.9
Acceleration, 0-62 mph: 6.6 secs
Top Speed: 146 mph
OPTIONS/ACCESSORIES
• 17″ alloy wheels
• 7″ TFT colour cluster display
• AlfaTM D.N.A. driving mode selector
• Automatic headlights
• Automous Emergency Braking (AEB)
• Electric parking brake
• Fog lamps
• Forward Collision Warning (FCW)
• Integrated Brake System (IBS)
• Leather and cloth upholstery
• LED tail & brake lights
• Rotary Pad
• Two Tone dashboard and door panel availability
• 6-way manual front seats • 8 speaker audio system • Aluminium brake calipers • Aluminium door sills
• Automatic windscreen wipers
• Cruise control
• Dual-zone climate control
• Engine start button on steering wheel
• Halogen headlamps & DRL
• Lane Departure Warning (LDW) • Leather steering wheel
• Rear Parking Sensors
• Start&Stop
• Tyre inflation kit
• Uconnect 8.8″ Navigation (USB, MP3, Bluetooth®, TMC Pro, DAB Radio, Aux-in)
• Metallic Paint – £695
• 18″ Dual Multi-spoke Alloys – £795
• Lusso Pack (Walnut) – £2,750
• Climate Pack – £250
• Convenience Pack – £450
• Lighting Pack w/ Ambient Lighting – £975 • Driver Assistance Pack Plus – £950
• Aluminium Shift-Paddles – £275
• 40/20/40 Split-folding Rear Seats – £275 • Run-flat Tyres – £205
Starting Price: £ 31,575.00
Options: £ 7,620.00
OTR Price including options: £ 39,195.00
Short video: https://youtu.be/afCyfTnpZXA
https://www.alfaromeo.co.uk/models/alfa-romeo-giulia/super
