Alfa Giulietta vs rivals
Revamped hatch takes on SEAT Leon and Kia Cee’d
IN the six years since its launch, the Alfa Romeo Giulietta has only had one round of minor changes, in 2014. In that time we’ve seen all-new versions of the SEAT Leon and Kia Cee’d appear, with the latter even receiving a mid-life facelift.
So a thorough going over for the Alfa is long overdue, prompted by the arrival of the new Giulia saloon. Along with the forthcoming Stelvio SUV, that model will be key to relaunching the brand in the US.
But Europe and the UK in particular still love their hatchbacks, so the facelifted Giulietta is an important car in Alfa’s quest to reach 400,000 sales per year by 2018.
As a result, the Giulietta looks more like its new saloon cousin, but don’t expect a complete overhaul – instead, the styling tweaks are minor, while the main highlight is that the 1.6-litre diesel engine is now available with Alfa’s TCT twin-clutch transmission.
It’s that model we’ve lined up here, but the Giulietta faces a tough challenge as it meets the Leon, plus the Cee’d diesel with a twin-clutch auto. Has the refresh given the ageing Alfa a new lease of life?
“Highlight is that 1.6 diesel is now offered with TCT box”
MODEL TESTED: Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1.6 JTDM-2 TCT Super PRICE: £22,550 ENGINE: 1.6-litre 4cyl turbodiesel, 118bhp ALFA Romeo is launching a big product offensive. Its new BMW 3 Series rival, the Giulia saloon, will hit the UK towards the end of the year, while there’s an all-new SUV in the pipeline for 2017.
But the brand hasn’t forgotten the car that grew sales over recent years, so it’s also treated its Giulietta hatch to a round of updates. One of the big changes is that Alfa’s TCT dual-clutch gearbox is now available with the more efficient 1.6-litre turbodiesel, so it’s the £22,550 Giulietta Super 1.6 TCT that we sample here.
Styling 3.8/5
IN a fiercely competitive sector the Giulietta has always stood out for its style, and while Alfa has subtly updated the looks, it’s not gone so far as to risk what made the modern hatchback a success.
The alterations have been made to “highlight the close genetic ties to the Giulia saloon”, but the key changes are only minor, and include a new honeycomb grille, gloss black bumper inserts and revised surrounds for the headlights and foglamps.
As the Giulietta has been around since 2010, this round of minor updates to the styling might prove a risk where rival brands with more modern competitors continually refresh their cars’ looks. Yet the Alfa still boasts some sleek, attractive details.
The brand’s shield-shaped grille and low-down vents in the bumper provide a sporty appearance, but you have to get up close to spot the new honeycomb mesh. However, the creases that flow back along the bonnet and down the doors are clearly influenced by halo models of the past, such as the 8C supercar.
The tapering hatchback and boot spoiler add to the appeal, while the shallow, wide tail-lamps that run from the rear wings on to the boot give it a clear light signature at night. Hidden rear door handles mean you might not spot it’s a five-door straight away.
Open the front door, climb inside and, as with the exterior, the changes don’t leap out at you. There’s new seat upholstery, a revised dashboard and different door panels, while Alfa has also updated the Uconnect infotainment system.
This was one of the old car’s big flaws, and although the package now includes smartphonebased services for features like music streaming, the touchscreen’s graphics still aren’t the sharpest, and it can also be a little laggy to respond.
A five-inch system featuring the new smartphonepowered LIVE services is standard, while you can pay £1,050 to upgrade to our test model’s larger 6.5-inch screen, which adds those Uconnect Live services and sat-nav, as this isn’t standard.
Material quality is acceptable on the new dash, but lower down inside it’s easy to see where Alfa’s accountants have saved some money. Features like the grafted-on USB socket look cheap, for example.
As well as revising the looks and updating the interior, Alfa has simplified the Giulietta range. There are five trim levels, with sportier versions getting red accents outside. However, £22,550 for this second-tier Super model seems expensive.
Driving 3.5/5
FOR the first time you can now get Alfa’s 118bhp 1.6-litre JTDM-2 turbodiesel in conjunction with its six-speed TCT twin-clutch transmission in the Giulietta. As this engine has more power than the Leon, it performed well on test, although this is more down to its strong 320Nm torque output. This gave the Giulietta plenty of performance lower down in the rev range; it covered 50-70mph in sixth in 7.9 seconds. As it had one gear fewer than the Kia, the Alfa had a harder time over the 0-60mph sprint, but it was still only one-tenth slower, with a time of 9.4 seconds.
The engine is relatively refined, too. Start it up and there’s a bit of diesel clatter, but it settles down as it warms up. On the move it feels fairly smooth, with the grumble under the bonnet well suppressed. Yet this is about the extent of the Alfa’s talents and the Giulietta can’t hide the age of its underpinnings.
There are three driving modes: All weather, Natural and Dynamic. All weather softens off the power delivery and Dynamic ramps it up, increasing steering weight, too. But it doesn’t add a sporty feel, as the steering is lifeless and heavy.
Intervention from the Q2 electronic differential is obvious, too; it upsets the car’s composure through corners, denting the driver’s confidence. And even this extra technology can’t rein in understeer.
The ride feels inconsistent on the move, as the car really thumps over bumps when it’s loaded up in bends. However, over softer ridges the Alfa’s dampers do a better job of soaking up the road.
Ownership 3.0/5
ALFA Romeo placed 23rd out of 32 brands in our Driver Power 2016 survey. Customers rated its cars’ performance, but criticised their reliability, ride and practicality. Still, Alfa garages ranked fifth in our dealer poll, behind perennial high achievers Lexus and Toyota.
Six airbags are standard, but despite these updates the Giulietta is still based on the same design first launched in 2010. That means sophisticated safety features like autonomous braking aren’t available.
Running costs 3.9/5
THE Giulietta’s high price here is made more accessible if you buy on PCP finance. Put down a £2, 250 deposit, and Alfa will match it, so the car can be yours for £303 a month over 36 months. There is then an optional £8,680 payment at the end of the term.
This compares with monthly payments of £373 over three years with the same deposit on the Cee’d. However, Kia will also add an extra £1,500 up front, while the optional final payment of £6,949 is lower than on the Alfa. Interest is charged at 4.9 per cent APR – the same as SEAT offers on its 36-month finance deal. With an identical deposit (plus a £2,000 contribution from SEAT), the Leon will cost you less at £261 per month. Go for the DSG version and this rises to £286 per month – still much more affordable.
Interior
DASH is updated, and has decent finish. But the Alfa trails on rear seat and boot space
Practicality 3.6/5
THE Giulietta shows its age with its versatility. The 350-litre boot is 30 litres down on the other cars’, and while the hidden handles on the rear doors are a neat styling feature, when you pull on them and climb in the back, there’s not as much room as in its rivals.
While the tapering roofline gives the Alfa a coupélike look, it eats into headroom, plus the deep front seats mean tall adults will feel cramped in the back.
There’s no underfloor storage in the boot, either, and the sporty bumper presents a bit of a loading lip to lift bags over. More of an issue than this, though, is the limited storage inside. For example, the cup-holders sit underneath the armrest, and are impossible to use when it’s folded down. Testers’ notes “A few new textures and materials can’t shake the feeling that the Giulietta is an old car. The Alfa is at a disadvantage compared with its newer rivals; cabin ergonomics aren’t as good and its equipment isn’t as well integrated.”