What is it?
You've already read about the V6-engined, twin-turbo Alfa Romeo Giulia with its storming 503bhp, but Alfa's new range of rear-drive saloons (the first since 1985's Alfa 75, conceived before Fiat's ownership of Alfa) will more often be seen on the roads in humbler four-cylinder guise.
The 2.2-litre turbodiesel is likely to be the biggest seller, but this 2.0-litre, petrol-fuelled Giulia comes closest to a modern interpretation of an archetypal Alfa Romeo saloon. It has an entirely new engine, as all the other Giulias do, and like them, it uses aluminium for both block and head. The inlet valves and throttle use the Multiair system already seen in smaller Fiat Group engines, with variable valve timing and lift over an extraordinarily wide range, and there are both direct injection and a two-outlet, or twin-scroll, turbocharger.
Peak outputs are 197bhp at 5000rpm and 243lb ft of torque starting at just 1750rpm, with CO2 at 138g/km for the eight-speed automatic version that will be standard issue in the UK. This gentler Giulia lacks the auto-extending front splitter, the front-wing vents and the recessed triangular cloverleaf badges featured on the Quadrifoglio, but it is still a muscular-looking machine if a shade generic in its styling once past the nose with its three diamond-meshed, obviously-Alfa grilles.
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And then you enter an Alfa dealership....
no manual, no sportwagon
At the time, probably about 20 years ago, I was in complete agreement.
But the world has moved on, high traffic density is the new norm, most of the time manuals are just a bind.
Giulia seems *exactly* like an Alfa saloon should be, fully competitive with others in its class. In the circumstances, it probably need to be conservatively styles to avoid the usual 'style over substance' criticisms of the past.
If you don't rate Alfa Romeo, for whatever reason, move on! Quit quibbling and don't use silly excuses like 'no manual', 'no wagon' or 'not enough power'.
No manual?
No manual?