Alfa Romeo says the new Giulietta steps into one of the most challenging market sectors, the prestige small car market.
“There is no doubt that the new Alfa Romeo Giulietta has very large shoes to fill,” says Lawrie Malatios, Alfa Romeo New Zealand general manager. “It must pick up the reins of a line of cars that started with the 1970s AlfaSud. It also steps into one of the most challenging sectors of the market, the prestige small car sector.”
Malatios says the new Giulietta is equipped to succeed. It is powered by two award-winning engines, the 125kW 1.4 litre MultiAir (as used in the MiTo QV) and the 1750 TBi (recently introduced in the 159 sedan) and it sits on a new compact platform to ensure it has the handling, roadholding and natural balance demanded by Alfa Romeo drivers.
The new Compact platform employs a combination of advanced engineering and technical solutions to ensure the Giulietta can accommodate the needs of all customers in this category. Like the MiTo the Giulietta receives the Alfa Romeo DNA system which also includes the Electronic Q2 differential and the VDC (Vehicle Dynamic Control) system.
In the Giulietta the 1.4 Multiair engine provides a 0-100 kmh time of just 7.8 seconds, yet its official fuel consumption is 4.6l/100km on the open road cycle and with a combined fuel figure of 5.8 l/100km with a  CO2 figure of 134 gm per km.
The Alfa Romeo Giulietta QV (Quadrifoglio Verde or Cloverleaf) gains the 1750 TBi engine with its output lifted from 147 kW to 173 kW, while the torque peak is 340 Nm @ 1900 rpm in the DNA’s dynamic mode.
The Giulietta QV offers excellent straight line performance – the 0-100 kmh time is 6.8 seconds and it maxes at 242 kmh. Yet its combined fuel figure is just 7.6 l/100km.
Both Giuliettas have a healthily list of standard equipment. Electric windows all-round along with dual zone air conditioning and electrically heated and adjustable door mirrors are all standard as are automatic dipping interior mirror, fog lights, alloy wheels, rear parking sensors, leather steering wheel with audio controls, automatic wipers and lights, as well as the Blue&Me™ hands-free infotainment system.
The QV model gets sports suspension lowered by 10 mm, Sports Seats in mircofibre and leather with red stitching, Bose HiFi, dark tinted windows, sporty red brake callipers and 18” spoke design alloy wheels with a dark titanium finish.
The Giulietta was awarded a Euro NCAP five-star crash safety rating and an overall score of 87/100: an impressive result that makes it the safest compact car built to date in its class.
Six airbags are standard (two of which are Multistage), plus three-point seatbelts with double pretensioners and load limit limiters, and SAHR (Self Aligning Head Restraints), a new second-generation device built into the backrests of the front seats that moves the head restraints closer to the occupants’ heads in the event of an impact, to lessen the effects of whiplash. There is also a highly significant contribution to occupant and pedestrian protection provided by the body, the bonnet, the doors and the dashboard crossmember, in addition to the seats and steering column.
Finally the Giulietta uses headlights with Daytime Running Lights that are automatically switched on when the engine is started and LED tail lights, brighter than conventional bulbs, for extra safety.
The Giulietta has a full complement of airbags plus ABS anti-lock braking with electronic brake force distribution (EBD); vehicle dynamic control (VDC); cornering brake control (CBC), dynamic steering torque (DST), hydraulic brake assistance (HBA) and the new pre-fill function for the brakes.