Giulia Super Test Drive

Chrisbakker said:

Went to test drive a Giulia 2.0 Super today and I was mightily impressed. I don’t think pictures do the car justice, it looks great in the flesh. So much more interesting than the usual C, 3 and A4. Space upfront and in the back is good and luggage space is adequate. The interior is a nice place to be although I agree with those who said there are things from a quality perspective that can be improved. But it is by no means awful and probably the best Alfa’s had to date.

The engine is OK, compared to the C200, 320i and 2.0 A4. Although, as a Giulietta QV owner I definitely want more power, I hope FASA will bring the Veloce here. What really bugged me is the low rev limit, shaded red from 5500 in an Alfa just looks wrong. Driven sedately it is very impressive, quiet, responsive and refined. I liked the torque delivery, the midrange felt strong enough, it’s just when I floored it that I longed for a bit more poke.

The gearbox is a mixed bag, during normal driving in N and D it’s fine but in D, using the paddles, gearshifts were jerky and unrefined. As good as the paddles look and feel if it was my car I’d leave it in D, automatic mode. Must say having 8 gears was a bit irritating, not sure why it is better than 6 but I guess one will get used to it.

What impressed me most was the steering and handling, it is just freaking awesome. The car feels light on its feet, like it just wants to play! It felt like I was driving a small, proper sports car, not a 5-seater, 4-door sedan. The suspension is excellent, easily dealing with any sort of road surface. The quick steering will take a bit of getting used to but there can be no argument that it is really good. Dynamically I honestly believe the Giulia is best in class. In all other aspects I thought it was at least the equal of the German 3. If Alfa could, during the first facelift, apply the final 5% of polish the interior it will be even more of a winner it already is.

Man, I’m proud of our brand, first proper try in this market segment and it is a stonker! My dealer’s QV is on its way and they promised me a go in that, can’t wait.

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alfaitalia said:

Modern turbo engines just dont rev as high as the old NA engined did. They needed too as the power was made by the revs...so you needed to rev them. A modern turbo uses the turbo to create it's torqued....this means its much more responsive low down.....but runs out of breath earlier....so there is no point revving it higher. My friend has just bought an E63 5.5 twin turbo to replace his old E63 with the NA 6.2 V8.....the TT is much lower revving....but proper quick in the mid range. The old 6.2 needed quite a bit of revving to make power....surprising for such a big motor.
The days of high revving peaky motors in mainstrean cars are over....unless you ride a bike!

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paul19787530 said:

You're absolutely right Chris, modern petrol turbo's don't need high rev's, my Giulia Super produces 150lb/ft torque at 1000rpm and 243lb/ft at 2000rpm but you will only feel the benefit of this high torque if you use manual as in auto it will kick down if you boot it up a steep hill, my Giulia will pull like a steam Train up a 1 in 3 hill in 4th gear, if you are cruising at 30mph in Auto then shift over to manual and knock it up another gear to decrease the revs slightly to improve its mpg that's only if you are concerned about getting better fuel economy, I'm off to Enfield car pageant this weekend and that'll give me a real chance to see how the consumption is and its power as well..

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Muz said:

The quick steering and brake by wire brakes on the Giulia and Stelvio are dangerous. I know this because I’ve seen it mentioned by (gormless) reviewers on youtube a few times

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Muz said:

The quick steering and brake by wire brakes on the Giulia and Stelvio are dangerous. I know this because I’ve seen it mentioned by (gormless) reviewers on youtube a few times

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