Fast Love

What we like:

Aggressively beautiful

All the right noises

Superb handling

What we dislike:

Rear legroom is limited

Infotainment could be better

Spiritually, the Giulia does carry some of the older 75 DNA in it, with a similarly-formatted longitudinally-mounted engine in the front, sited on and behind the front axle (making this car a little more mid-engined), and a prop shaft spinning at crank speed, connecting the engine to the rear-mounted transmission for better balance.

So obsessed with balance were the engineers, that they even deployed carbon-fibre drive shafts, and with a generous use of lightweight aluminium, to the effect of 80% of suspension componentry to the front and 45% at the rear, all this to ensure that the Giulia’s balancing is at a perfect 50:50.

The Veloce’s 2.0 turbocharged engine is good for 280hp, and delivers 400Nm of torque to an 8-speed ZF hydraulic transmission. Rev this sweet four-cylinder past 3,500rpms and you can hear the melodious burble from the rear. Strangely enough, the engine redlines at a very low 5,500rpm, but even before its delivery of maximum torque at 2,250rpm, the engine still feels rather willing and not flat at all.

From standstill, the Giulia hits 100km/h in a quick 5.7 seconds… pretty quick, but where it shines is how poised it is when you flick it into a bend, there is plenty of communication coming from the rear wheels, and lift in the nose is minimal under hard acceleration. Part of this magic is also thanks to its active suspension, which is able to work out how much damping to give at each wheel.

Steering feel is excellent, with enough feedback from the road, and with those large paddle shifters, it is easy to get carried away swopping cogs manually, to set yourself up for a turn after another.

Drive modes are switchable with what Alfa Romeo calls its DNA. In essence, Sport, Normal and Economy type drives modes, which also affect how its active suspension behaves.

Cabin noise harshness is minimal, and even with 19” rims, the Giulia is able to take on harsher bits of road, without too much of a jarring ride.

Perhaps the Giulia is a little too much of a drivers car? So much that it may compromise on passenger comfort in favour of driver-centric packaging. But this is what an Alfa Romeo is intended for… That you will have a smile on your face each time you pitch the car into a turn, or when you take the rev-counter higher for that addictive engine and exhaust note.

The Giulia has a tough battle, since Alfa Romeo did set the bar high with this one, by pushing the brand more upmarket, and for this car, against the likes of BMW’s 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C Class and the Audi A4. But while quality of trim is quite a mixed bag, it certainly is a big jump over previous models.

I may say this with some emotion, as we may well be the last generation who will get to appreciate the magic of a well-engineered internal combustion engine, since the world has decided to start the ball rolling on things electrified and autonomous, and believe me, that ball is set to roll very quickly.

Alfa Romeo may be back a little late, but do take my word for it; In this case, this is one of the best better-late-than-never arguments a car this satisfying can bring to you.

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