2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Super new car review

Alfa Romeo has been attracting a lot of attention with its all-new Giulia Quadrifoglio. And with good reason, the new Italian sports sedan has given its German rivals - Mercedes-AMG C63 and BMW M3 - a run for their money.

But this is the new Giulia that really matters. Without the spectacular twin-turbo V6 to out-gun its rivals can the four-cylinder models really compete with the bread-and-butter models in the Mercedes C-Class, BMW 3-Series and Audi A4 line ups?

What do you get?

Alfa Romeo is offering a four-tier line-up of four-cylinder Giulia models. It starts at $59,895 (plus on-road costs) with the simply-named Giulia, before stepping up to the Super (from $64,195) and tops out, in petrol form, with the $71,895 Veloce which gets a more powerful version of the same engine. Then there's the Super Diesel which is priced from $65,895 and gets a 2.2-litre turbo diesel.

We're testing the Super with the petrol engine here, which comes equipped with 18-inch alloy wheels, leather upholstery, heated front seats, heated steering wheel, leather trimmed dashboard, keyless entry and ignition, navigation and an 8.8-inch colour infotainment display.

Safety is impressive with full airbag protection, front and rear parking sensors, reversing camera, autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning and blind spot monitoring with rear cross path detection.

Alfa Romeo Australia is offering a five-year capped price servicing program for the Giulia. Intervals are every year/15,000km and costs $1455 over the first three years. However, the 60,000km service is a major one and costs a whopping $1295, a figure that spoils the otherwise good value maintenance program.

What's inside?

Unlike the rest of the Fiat Chrysler Group of cars that share common parts between themselves (such as Maserati using the same UConnect infotainment system as Chrysler/Jeep for example), Alfa Romeo was given free reign to do its own thing in terms of design and parts.

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It shows as soon as you slide into the cabin as there's nothing obviously borrowed from any other Fiat Chrysler product. Some of the plastics on the switchgear could be slightly higher quality (Audi's finish in the A4 is better) but it certainly has a suitably bespoke and premium feel to it that matches what you'd find in 3-Series.

The design is nice, suitably sporty in keeping with the Alfa Romeo ethos, with the dashboard shaped to focus on the driver. The instrument cluster is easy to read and the infotainment system is nicely integrated into a space within the sloping dash with a user interface that is mostly intuitive.

Space is adequate in the front and the seats are both supportive and comfortable.

Rear room is tight, as is the case in this compact executive sedan class, particularly getting in and out. Once you squeeze through the small and awkward rear doors there is just enough knee room for adults while our test car had a double sunroof that compromised rear headroom for adults.

Under the bonnet

The Super is powered by the same 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine as the entry-level model. In both variants it's tuned to produce 147kW of power and 330Nm of torque and paired exclusively with an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Once again it fits the brief Alfa Romeo was going for with the Giulia, delivering a sporty small sedan which offers plenty of punch right off the mark and strong pulling power across the rev range.

However, it lacks the character you expect from this type of car. The soundtrack is quite muted and doesn't have any of the theatrics of the QV - or Alfas in the past - to ensure the Giulia's sporty nature shines through. Instead it does its job with a minimum of fuss or excitement.

The automatic gearbox (sourced from German specialists ZF and shared with several luxury rivals) does a good job most of the time but doesn't always feel as well calibrated with the engine as it could be as it occasionally struggles to find the right gear at the right moment and doesn't shift as smooth as it does in some rivals.

Like all modern Alfas, the Giulia gets selectable drive modes via the 'DNA' switch. It stands for the three modes you can choose from - Dynamic, Natural and Advanced Efficiency.

Switching between them changes the characteristics of the powertrain and the response of the steering. There is a noticeable difference between each mode and in Dynamic mode it certainly suits the sporty character of the car.

On the road

The DNA switch also alters the steering weighting and response too. In Sport mode there is more weight to the wheel and it reacts quicker.

Not that the steering is slow in Natural mode as the response to inputs is among the quickest of any car on the market, an obvious attempt by the engineers to give the Giulia a sporty nature.

It takes a little bit of getting used to, because it is much faster than you'll find on a 3-Series or C-Class, but once you get accustomed to it it's no bad thing. It certainly helps the Super feels agile and responsive when you throw it at some corners during spirited driving.

The suspension is the highlight of the package though. The team behind the car has managed to give it both responsive handling and good compliance over bumps.

Unlike the 3-Series that is equally sporty but tends to jar over big bumps and fuss over smaller ones or the C-Class that is softer but less urgent in its handling, the Giulia blends the best of both worlds.

Verdict

Has Alfa Romeo built a car capable of beating the big German trio? In a word, no.

The Giulia doesn't leapfrog its Teutonic rivals, but it is almost a match. It presents well inside and out, offers up good performance and excellent on road manners at a competitive price.

What it does do is it brings a genuine alternative to the big name Germans, in the same frame as the Lexus IS and Jaguar XE. For those looking for something different or with a sportier bent than what the Germans offer then the Giulia fits the bill.

It's a positive sign for the Italian brand's resurgence that should at least see Audi, BMW and Mercedes looking in the rear-view mirrors.

2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Super pricing and specifications

Price: From $64,195 plus on-road costs

Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol

Power: 147kW at 5000rpm

Torque: 330Nm at 1750rpm

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive

Fuel use: 6.0L/100km

The Competitors

BMW 320i

Price: From $62,500 plus on-road costs

Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol

Power: 185kW

Torque: 350Nm

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic, RWD

Fuel use: 6.8L/100km

Our score: 6.5/10

Audi A4 2.0 TFSI quattro Sport

Price: From $69,900 plus on-road costs

Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol

Power: 155kW

Torque: 350Nm

Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, AWD

Fuel use: 7.0L/100km

Our score: 6.5/10

Mercedes-Benz C250

Price: From $69,400 plus on-road costs

Engine: 3.5-litre V6 petrol

Power: 233kW

Torque: 378Nm

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic, RWD

Fuel use: 9.4L/100km

Our score: 7/10

• For more information, visit our Alfa Romeo showroom.