Alfa Romeo Giulia review

The interior of a Giulia is a sight to behold. Opulent and elegant, there’s a real sumptuousness to the huge steering wheel, large stylish dials and digitalised instruments.

This is especially true of later Giulias. Earlier models do give off a vague impression of having copied their German competitors just a tad. That said, they’re still of a very high quality.

Driving position

Comfortable seating arrangements offer an excellent view of the road in the front and there’s more than enough space throughout to make this Alfa Romeo a very relaxing and roomy place to be.

The long wheelbase means that passengers in the back could wear flippers and still have room to jiggle their feet about.

Tech and features

The infotainment system is intuitive and well laid-out, if not quite a class leader. Older models do tend to have quite blocky graphics compared to similarly aged rivals.

One thing we really love about the infotainment systems in Giulias is that they can be controlled via a special rotary dial between the front seats. This means no clumsy touchscreen prodding while driving - a neat and unusual little safety feature.

Expect Bluetooth, USB connectivity, a DAB radio and sat-nav as standard. Music fans can opt for a Harman/Kardon stereo upgrade in newer Giulias.

There's also a rather snazzy smartphone app that helps you find your car in a crowded car park and remotely operate features like the central locking. Not entirely necessary, but a nice option.

The Giulia isn’t just a pretty face, there’s a seriously well-made engine dwelling beneath its chassis.

Handling and ride comfort

There’s a perfect balance of smoothness and performance here. Quick steering, top-notch handling and an eight-speed automatic gearbox team up to offer drivers a truly effortless drive.

That doesn’t mean performance is sacrificed though, oh no. Motoring purists may lament the lack of clutch. That’s soon forgotten after a few miles. The Giulia can handle city strazzas just as easily as motorways or long countryside treks.

While you’ll enjoy the car’s capability on an autostrade or on long rural roads, you may miss the adoring glances from awestruck city slicker pedestrians.

Boot space

Boot space is more than adequate in the Giulia, if not class-leadingly amazing. It has exactly the same room in the boot as both the Mercedes C-Class and BMW 3 Series, if that helps you picture it.

No? Okay, well, you can fit six carry-on mini-suitcases or three large suitcases in there. There’s a relatively annoying little lip that cuts down on space, but that’s hardly unusual, so we’re not grumbling too much.

Storage solutions

As for more miscellaneous storage space, the Giulia isn’t found wanting. The storage area under the centre armrest upfront is pleasingly big and there are various other little useful cubbyholes throughout.

More pernickety storage space lovers may be a little underwhelmed by the dimensions of the door bins and glovebox.

Reliability

Alfa Romeos are known for their sleek good looks - of that there’s little doubt. They also, unfortunately, have something of a reputation as unreliable.

Luckily for Giulia owners, the manufacturer has addressed its historic mechanical issues and now ranks a whole lot higher in owner satisfaction surveys.

Fuel economy

As for running costs, a sexy executive saloon like this could disappoint. The Giulia, however, does not. The fuel economy from these beauties is surprisingly good.

The slightly lower powered diesels offer a shade over 50mpg. Opt for the meatier and more powerful diesel or petrol engine, however, and it drops quite significantly to a fairly low 41mpg – and likely lower in real-world conditions.