Alfa Romeo Giulietta – Racing’s in its DNA

The Alfa Romeo Giulietta – Beautiful from all angles

There is really no excuse for Giulietta drivers filling up with the wrong fuel – not only does it tell you on the refueling cap, it also tells you on the instrument panel inside the car.

The 5-door Giulietta is a beautiful looking small family car that has the heart of a racer.

Integral to the Giulietta is its D-N-A transmission – Dynamic, for the racer in you, Normal, for sedate driving, and All Weather, for when the going gets tough.

The six-speed manual diesel model I was testing was a beautiful drive. You could really feel the difference between the driving modes. Rocket propelled in Dynamic, normal in Normal, and extra grippy in All Weather.

Needless to say, Dynamic was my favourite – you could really feel the car move in this mode. The model I was driving was also fitted with Stop and Start technology.

While the Giulietta was quite spacious and I found a really nice driving position, I wasn’t a fan of the centre armrest. I had it raised all the time as it got in my way changing gears and accessing the handbrake.

I also didn’t like the loud locking and unlocking beeps, which told the whole neighbourhood of your comings and goings.

On the plus side, as well as being a great drive and a really stylish interior, the Giulietta had a really good sound system but I found the positioning of the USB/Aux a bit odd – it was way back in the glove compartment – definitely not meant to be accessed while driving.

Overall though, I found the Giulietta to be a really distinctive looking, sleek and stylish family car which offered a nice smooth drive, and is great fun to drive in Dynamic.

Air conditioning, hill holder and start and stop come as standard in the Irish spec for the entry level Turismo. Go one step up to the Lusso I was driving for cruise control. Blue and Me, the Bluetooth hands free system, and steering wheel controls as standard.

The Alfa Romeo Giulietta is available from €24,495.

Tech Spec.
Engine: 1.6 JTDM-2 Lusso 105hp
Acceleration: 0-100km/h in 11.3seconds
Top speed: 185km/h
Combined Fuel Consumption: 4.4l/100km
CO2 Emissions: 114g/km
Annual road tax: €160 (Band A)
Transmission: 6-speed manual

For more information please visit www.alfaromeo.ie or Alpha Romeo Ireland on Facebook

A version of this article first appeared in Metro Herald