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Alfa Romeo claimed the Giulia would start under $40,000, and the automaker has kept its promise.
It may be time to start getting cautiously optimistic about Alfa’s comeback, especially considering what the sedan offers for the money and where this price point places it in the market.
The base model Giulia comes with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder producing 280 horsepower and a juicy 306 lb-ft of torque, which makes its four-banger more powerful than those found in its German rivals. For an extra grand, Mercedes-Benz will sell you a C-Class with 241 hp, less torque, and less extravagant styling.
In fact, if you want similar numbers to the Alfa at a competitive price, you must abandon cars with a European pedigree and consider Cadillac’s ATS — or test drive a Nissan Maxima and stop worrying so much about your image. Otherwise, you’ll be required to start shelling out extra cash for the added horsepower or get comfortable living with your entry-level luxury car’s power deficit.
The Giulia’s $38,990 initial price tag may come in higher than the Audi A4 or Jaguar XE, but the performance jump makes it easy to rationalize. Alfa claims a 5.1-second 0-60 mph time for the base model.
Things become a little more even with the Giulia Quadrifoglio. At $73,595 (including destination), it’s only a shoulder-shrugging $130 dollars less than the AMG C63 S Sedan. The top-flight Alfa’s 2.9-liter biturbo V6 churns out 505 horsepower and 443 lb-ft of torque, with comparable performance figures. The Quadrifoglio also comes with specific exterior styling, 19-inch aluminum wheels, Brembo brakes, a carbon fiber hood, roof, custom spoiler, side sill inserts, carbon fiber active aero front, a selectable racing mode with adjustable suspension, and performance leather seats.
The base model and slightly more expensive Giulia Ti are both obtainable with all-wheel drive for an additional $2,000. For an extra $2,250, the Giulia Ti is available in Ti Lusso — Italian for luxury — and Ti Sport packages. Lusso brings plusher leather seats, 18-inch wheels and different wood trim. The Sport package essentially gives the vehicle the outward appearance of the Quadrifoglio, with an optional limited-slip differential and adaptive dampers.
Every version of the Giulia comes equipped with FCA’s eight-speed automatic transmission. There is no stick shift and no plans for one (for North America), so don’t ask.
On paper, Alfa Romeo seems to have avoided screwing this one up. Assuming the company has its distribution issues sorted out, the entire Giulia family should be on dealer lots in January 2017.
[Images: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles]
if reliable, the 4 banger would be very difficult for me to resist. even without a stick.
Every version of the Giulia comes equipped with FCA’s eight-speed automatic transmission. There is no stick shift and no plans for one (for North America), so don’t ask.
Darn that was going to be my first question. Aren’t Italian cars supposed to be about zinging your way to red-line and enjoying the aural circus?
I’m not going to call it a deal-breaker, but damn. I would buy one of these in a heartbeat if I could get it with a stick.
I’d say selling one of these without a stick IS ‘screwing it up.’
This future sucks. :/
Exactly my take and the reason I’ve “restocked” my garage before MT option is no longer available (for not a crazy money).
Well you should still be able to zing to red-line with the zf8. But an auto would be fun. Probably would sell 12.
Good looking car though, damn.
Why is anyone surprised that this car doesn’t come with a manual transmission? You can’t even get one with a Ferrari anymore. F1 and sports-prototype racers haven’t had them for years. Like it or not, the future is pulling into the station now.
surprising to me cause they will sell less of them. they are a business, after all.
They will sell precisely 3 units less of them by not having a manual option.
The manual soapbox preacher club tend to be strong in the mouth but weak in the wallet.
I still like a stick, I still drive a stick, but my wife isn’t comfortable with a stick, so for now at least one of our vehicles has to be an automatic. I expect when I replace my ’97 Ranger, I’ll go for an automatic myself… if I don’t get a fully self-driving truck instead.
Having gone from a 2010 Challenger R/T with the 6-speed manual to a 2015 of the same car with the 8-speed automatic, I honestly don’t care… the 8-speed is awesome and is better than a lot of manuals I’ve driven (including the TR6060 and obnoxious clutch that the 2010 had.)
no stick….ugh. My short list was this or a Tesla Model 3 for next car. Something exciting and different. No stick/4cyl severely hurts the Giulia’s case. I drove a Giulietta stick in Europe last year on vacation and loved it, despite most people saying it’s not that great a car. What a shame…Alfa is not a normal brand, I bet they’re losing a decent chunk of sales to people who only want one with a stick (that goes for the 4C, also).
That’s what I thought. This is not the Camry audience they’re going for with this car. Why put up with the many practicality shortcomings this car will undoubtably have when it’s a boring automatic?
A pricey, finicky, high-maintenance sporty car that you’re buying entirely for the fun of driving it, absolutely no other reason, and there’s no stick? Seems counterintuitive to me.
It babies and my wife can drive it without stalling.
I want one. A stick would be great on lower trims, but I don’t think it’s worth the bother for the low-volume QF.
I love it already.
I’d have preferred a stick but 95% of buyers of luxury cars don’t buy them so..
The argument for sticks in Alfas is that the people who’ve been waiting for Alfa Romeo’s return are not normal luxury car buyers. They’re more likely to belong to the 5% “stickshift or die” crowd.
There are not enough people who are actually willing to spend money to buy a stick. It costs money to federalize the stick shift version. They don’t have the money to do that. The eight speed is the best transmission FCA has.
If I had the money,I would buy this over the base BMW.
Yeah, I have one in my Jeep and it has been two years of headaches because it doesn’t work right and FCA can’t fix it.
The German Made ZF 8HP70 8 speed is the best transmission Chrysler has. The 845RE 8 speed is the Jeep. It is made by Chrysler. I would stay away from that one. It has problems.
Depends on the engine in the Jeep. The V8 and diesel get a different 8-speed than the V6.
the 845RE is still the ZF design; it’s a license-built 8HP45.
Can you expand on the problems your 8 speed has had? Slow response while accelerating? Bucking? Forced neutral? What has Chrysler done do mitigate?
I believe the v6 Bi-Turbo Giulia set a lap record (Nurburgring) for a sedan. The automatic tested was quicker around the track than the manual. I would opt for the manual as well, just saying…
Anyway, this car is gorgeous, on looks alone I would choose it over its competition.
Sometimes slips from 6-7 and from 7-8.
Sometimes downshifts hard from 8-7. Bangs hard from 1st to 2nd under coast conditions about 50% of the time.
It’s been doing the above since the first week I had it. The dealership has done several flash updates. I’m tired of dealing with the dealership, so I’m living with it until it breaks, which I’m pretty sure will happen eventually.
@White Shadow:
You have one what in your Jeep, an 8-speed or a 9-speed? Honestly, I don’t understand your “headaches”. I have a 9-speed in my Renegade and don’t have a single complaint.
A mid-level engine would be nice…
Exactly what I said over on autoblog. $40k for a 2.0T 280 hp isn’t that amazing. They need to have a $45-47k version with 375-400 hp. What does the QF version add, besides the engine? $35K for just an engine upgrade??
What does the QF version add, besides the engine?
“The Quadrifoglio also comes with specific exterior styling, 19-inch aluminum wheels, Brembo brakes, a carbon fiber hood, roof, custom spoiler, side sill inserts, carbon fiber active aero front, a selectable racing mode with adjustable suspension, and performance leather seats.”
As to a mid-level engine, there’s been rumours about one with about 350 hp, possibly featuring an electric turbo. Take this with a grain of salt, of course.
with fiat’s terrible record for reliability, parts availability, service ability, resale value, etc, why would anyone with even a half brain consider any Italian car? just amazes me that so much is promoted on this web site. Not only are the products inferior but the president of this corrupt organization is a con man with no equals.
“Not only are the products inferior but the president of this corrupt organization is a con man with no equals.”
Donald? Is that you?
“…why would anyone with even a half brain consider any Italian car?”
For the same reasons men are attracted to crazy, unreliable women – we’re easily seduced by beauty and the *ahem* driving experience.
That’s what leases are for.
Because not everybody wants to drive a Camry.
With my best Italian accent:
My friend, the Toyota dealer has many many Corollas and Camrys for your kind consideration.
You get it or you don’t I guess. This car is the closest thing to beautiful in it’s segment.
Why would someone consider it? To drop panties.
” … with fiat’s terrible record for reliability, parts availability, service ability, resale value, etc, why would anyone with even a half brain consider any Italian car?”
If you don’t already understand, you never will.
“with fiat’s terrible record for reliability, parts availability, service ability, resale value, etc, why would anyone with even a half brain consider any Italian car?”
Maybe because that reputation is undeserved? 99% of people complaining about Fiat’s reliability have never owned or driven a Fiat product.
but we all know someone who owned one.
wintermutt,
Do you mean back in the 1960s and 1970s? All cars were junk back then, especially the Big 3.
Fiat’s better cars were actually pretty good, especially the 124 and Spider with their bullet-proof twin cams. They did rust, but not as quickly as Honda, Toyota and Datsun.
Rday… you’re not a car and driving enthusiast, are you?
This would have been an interesting car if it came with a manual transmission.
How the hell do you even pronounce Giulia? FOr that matter, how do you pronounce Quadrifoglia? Reminds me of FoMoCo’s “Merkur” disaster in the US…nobody knew how to say the brand’s name.
Just say “Julia”
I’m pretty sure it’s the same. Google “Giulia” image search and look at the pretty Italian girl that pops up.
Makes me think of Julia Gulia from the Wedding Singer.
“Julia”
Take the G and the I turn into a J. Julia. Like the woman’s name.
While I like the idea of naming a car after a woman, there could be some awkward situations arise…
Hey, I’m taking Julia for a ride. Anybody else want to come?
Merkur was a phenomenally bad choice of a name for a car. The original Mercury Capri was sold here with little or no mention of it’s German roots, and folks seemed to like it well enough. I somehow get the feeling if they would have just named the damned things Mercury XR4Ti and the following sedan Mercury Scorpio, they probably would have sold OK.
Back then, not too many people were aware that Ford had a German unit. Trying to slather on the “German-ness” on to a couple of unknown cars on this side of the Atlantic didn’t make sense. You can’t “out-Kraut” the original Kraut Kars with bad marketing and an un-pronounceable name…
Oh the things I would do to Julia if you let me get her all to myself.
I hear Julia can take two up front and three in the rear.
I think Merkur had bigger problems than the name.
For sure. I’d already written a Wikipedia article in my response to Cincy David; I didn’t want to put the rest of the Internet to sleep.
I really, really, really wanted to love the XR4Ti. But the West German DM to US Dollar ratio was horrible back then. Plus the other issues that came along with the car. In the end, I bought my third Mercury Capri RS 5.0L for much less than the SVO or XR4Ti.
I still think it was the right choice.
I suspect that XR4Ti was more of a problem than Merkur in the name department.
XR4Tis main problem was Ford would not let it be faster than the Mustang and they went cheap on the transmissions. Manuals were limited to 175 hp when the same engine in a T-bird was 200 (205 in SVO). T9 tranmission was junk (the T5 from the t-Bird fit). he auto was limited to 145 hp when a better box would have allowed 200. Then of course the dollar tanked and the prices went sky high.
Still I liked mine (after I installed a T5 transmission)
> I suspect that XR4Ti was more of a problem than Merkur in the name department.
It would fit right in with modern BMWs though
> I think Merkur had bigger problems than the name.
Maybe, but the name was certainly one of them.
So GM had Buick sell Opels and Ford retaliated by having Lincoln/Mercury sell Merkurs. Worked out equally well for each. Should have turned these into Mercurys and slathered on the trim to make the white shoe sales force more comfortable. Merkur-o-chromes.
Way better than “Ghibli”. There is no way for an English speaker to say that eloquently.
But even Ghibli is better than something alphanumeric.
Skip to 0:48 for the pronunciation
The Italian Alphabet doesn’t have the letter J (or k, w, x, or y). This is how they spell “Julia” so yeah, you would pronounce it as such.
The ‘gli’ in Quadrifoglia ends up sounding kind of like the double L in “million.” It’s like a hard “li” in which you mash your tongue against the roof of your mouth and keep it there for a moment. No “g” sound.
This is priced at 3 series, Audi A4 territory. It’ll be interesting what the lease rates will be on these Alfas. I can see a few of my co-workers leasing one of these if the rate is attractive; it’s far more emotionally desirable car than the cold German equivalents. And with leasing, you don’t need to worry about reliability, you just return the car after 3 years.
3/A4/C-class leasing is a mature market. Aggressive residual values with a well-known depreciation model.
Alfa will be unable to match that for a while, until their cars achieve mass appeal.
Everyone wants a Bimmer (“I want a Beamer”). Nobody who has entered the US workforce in the past 20 years has ever heard of Alfa Romeo.
Exactly. Buying another A4 would be the safer choice, but the Giulia looks so much more unique. Unfortunately, there isn’t an Alfa Romeo dealer located conveniently close to my home for the frequent visits required for driving one.
Unless FCA is willing to lose a lot of money, the lease rates will be higher than the A4 and especially 3 series.
Just as a comparison, Jaguar is leasing base XEs at $299/month for 39 months with $1000 bonus credit and $4,495 cash ($3,401 down payment, $795 acquisition fee, first months payment) due at signing. BMW is offering base 3 series at $249/month for 36 months, $1500 bonus credit, and $3,924 ($2750 down payment, $925 acquisition fee, first months payment) due at signing.
The Alfa will be closer to the Jaguar than the BMW.
the more important point is that the Alfa Romeo Giulia doesn’t start anywhere if you need a manual. Sucks. As a 500 Abarth owner, I could have one day seen myself upgrading to an Alfa. But without a manual, no way no how.
Look….they already make a stick version…why not certify it for the USA??
http://o.aolcdn.com/dims-global/dims3/GLOB/legacy_thumbnail/750×422/quality/95/http://www.blogcdn.com/slideshows/images/slides/362/470/7/S3624707/slug/l/12-2017-alfa-romeo-giulia-frankfurt-1.jpg
I can’t say I blame them for not Federalizing a manual. I’m sure they don’t expect to sell Camry or Fusion levels of inventory here. They’ve got to sell the model that makes the most sense.
Besides, with 505 HP I wouldn’t care if it had a CVT!
A stick would only degrade performance anywho, I’m just glad AWDs an option.
Coming up on the six o’clock news:
40 vehicle pile up on Michigan freeway kills 3.
A neew luxury vehicle will not be sold with a manual transmission and TTAC’s B&B are upset with this development.
This one simple trick will save you money this holiday season.
And is snow coming this weekend? Jerry Bailey will let you know with his FirstForecast.
See you at six.
Six PM? Good Lord they start the news late in Detroit. We have continuous news from 4:30 to 7:00 PM these days on the Western side of the state… /s
Ha.
It depends on the station. Channel 4 now has FIRST AT 4!!!!! for some reason.
I think 2, 4, and 7 all have 5 and 6 o’clock news. I don’t typically get home until 6ish. The 10 PM Fox2 news tends to be the news program I watch. Plus, Huel Perkins is a boss.
Typically I’m not home until 6 myself. I still have an weird crush on the Channel 8 (GR) weather-girl. Well, she’s not a girl, she’s actually not too much younger than me! I have no idea what she’s talking about, but she is fun to watch!
(With apologize to comedic twins The Sklar Brothers)
“CHOPPER 4! When Chopper 4 crashed into the river, who was first on the scene? CHOPPER 4!”
Growing up, my next door neighbor had a beautiful Alfa Romeo GTV6 (stick of course) and I remember him always honking his horn to let his wife know he was home as he drove up the driveway. That was such a beautiful car and it was unlike anything else on the road. It’s amazing how something like that can leave an impression on you more than 30 years later. I wonder if my neighbor will be buying a Giulia now?
How well do these turbo cars work when you can’t get anything more than 91 octane California fuel? Does mileage and/or power suffer much?
Most small turbo engines only require 91 octane. It’s not like they need 93 or anything…
The ECUs will account for that, unless FCA screws that one up too…
Usually US-market cars run a different tune from Euro cars.
You realize that octane ratings in the US and most of Europe are calculated differently (RON vs AKI), and that 91 octane in the US is roughly equivalent to the higher octane ratings you see there correct?
Insert token stick-shift comment here pretending like I’d actually buy it.
I wish TTAC had a “like” feature.
You just can’t put a price on Italian reliability!
From what I’ve heard from FCA folks, there won’t be a manual gasoline base model offered in Europe either. I believe they only get the manual on the diesel and the Quadrifoglio.
I was pretty interested in the prospect of the manual Jag XE when that was on the table, likewise with the manual Giulia. Despite owning 4 classic Alfas, I’ll probably end up replacing my Fiesta ST with a new Audi A4 manual with a proper shade of mustard yellow from the press photos.
Even for Europe the base models are auto only, unless you get the diesel (which most people probably will).
The 505 hp version can be had with a stick but it’s in M3 territory price-wise, so it will not sell big numbers.
I saw a Millano on the road just the other day and longed for another Alfa (I had a 75 in Europe). It incidentally was the only car I have ever owned that caught on fire. Having said all that, when I start commuting again and want to relegate the truck to towing only this car will be on my list on looks alone.
Clearly you understand the allure.
Like my Italian espresso machine. Gorgeous on the counter and makes great coffee, but needs a new heating element at least annually.
Seems to me that the designers of the Edsel were merely 50 years ahead of their time. The push button transmission and ‘evocative’ grill that were so derided in the Edsel are now accepted in the automotive world.
And still designed without much thought as to where a front license plate might go
When I look at the front of a ’58 Edsel, I immediately think “toilet seat”. I don’t see that in the Giulia.
Pushbutton automatic transmissions were already in use before the Edsel – several Chryslers had them, as did ’56 Packards, and probably others I’m forgetting. But these all had the buttons on the dashboard – the Edsel was first with the buttons on the steering wheel itself.
Why this over an equally powerful (on the dyno) 330i, which is also available in stickshift and will be worth something once you drive off the lot with it?
This will be an interesting experiment as within my purview we already had enough automatic only sport sedans. Someone suggested the idea that this thing’s chassis will underpin the next Charger and now I can’t shake that thought. A Charger R/T built on this platform, even with stamped steel bits and a Rubbermaid™ interior, sounds like a much juicier proposition.
Devil’s Advocate: The Alfa looks unique, reportedly steers better, you won’t see your car coming and going on every block, and the tradein value on a creampuff off-lease 3yo 328i is 43% of MSRP so it you are going to suffer catastrophic depreciation either way.
The “smart” money will lease and hope Alfa didn’t screw up so badly that reliability becomes an issue even within the 36 month window.
I agree – many Giulia sales will be to people who don’t want to be like everyone else in a BMW. And yes, leasing drives today’s entry- and mid-luxury market.
you’re assuming there will be “many” Giulia sales in the first place. The whole Alfa Romeo “revival” has been an utter s*itshow, and the vast majority of people who pretend to care about Alfa can’t buy one anyway because they can’t get a co-signer for the loan.
I suspect there are some people who have both the disposable income and lack of foresight that would make them candidates for the Giulia, but I reckon many of them learned their lessons on the cheap recently by jumping into Fiat 500 Abarth ownership.
Smart money will lease a Lexus IS350.
I don’t think too many people care about not seeing their car everywhere- if anything the popularity of something like the Camry suggests the opposite. I drive a Honda Civic and enjoy it…. plus with coilovers and headlights I don’t see too many that look like mine.
But I think my point still stands… all the Giulia really brings to the table is looks and better steering; the latter of which is canceled out by the absence of a manual option. It’s the answer to a question nobody really asked.
smart money always buys a lexus. from consumer reports //This famed Italian marque, discontinued in the U.S. in the early 1990s, is now in the midst of a comeback. Its first product was the sporty 4C, sold through Maserati dealers. The new Giulia sports sedan competes with the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class. Alfa Romeo is part of the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles conglomerate, which also owns all the Chrysler brands. We expect the Alfa models to initially have high owner-satisfaction scores, but Fiat Chrysler Automobiles have had low reliability scores in our surveys.//http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/car-brands/alfa-romeo/index.htm
As for CR… I wouldn’t trust them to give me a fair report on a toaster, much less a car. Their automotive reports over the last two decades have trended far away from my experiences with many of the cars they claim are great (or poor.)
Strangely, I’ve never liked Toyota. I’ve never liked Lexus, or Infinity either. They’ve simply never appealed to me. I’ll grant that back in the 80s, Nissan had a few rigs I liked, their Hardbody pickups, the 200SX, the Z series… Even the Mitsubishis were decent looking cars back in the day and they at least tried to carry some of that forward with the Eclipse. But in all honesty, today’s “popular” cars from Japan are all boring as sin with only a very, VERY few exceptions.
Europe isn’t much better, though they do offer better style in general. The BMWs offer a sleek, sexy look overall while Alfa says, “I’m a performer!” Even if it isn’t. Then again, my recent experience with Fiat’s brands give the lie to unreliable and weak. Honestly, I’d trust an FCA product over any VW product and with the Alfa I’d say at least on par with a BMW 3- or 5-series, if not as popular. Strangely, I find it amazing that people are willing to pay $30k-$35K for something like a Cooper Mini by BMW and put up with the relatively frequent and expensive repairs (of which I’ve witnessed for myself) while blowing off a brand they know nothing about, relying on an ancient reputation that even then wasn’t as deserved as people made out.
Folks, stop relying on obsolete data and determine the truth for yourself. Fiat is NOT as bad as you think it is.
Big Serge predicted 150,000 Alfa sales in NA in 2018.
I’m predicting somewhere below 10% of that.
Maybe more if they throw in a free Chrysler 200 or Dodge Dart with each Alfa purchase.
In non-Quadrifoglio trim this is a bland, stubby looking little car from any angle that doesn’t include the front fascia. I find that fascia blunt, blobby, and insectoid, but at least it is distinctive. Supposedly it drives with the tactility that BMW gave up for marketshare, so if I were the type to lease entry level luxury sport sedans I’d be tempted to throw in with this before rolling into another BMW 3 series.
Is that black latticework grille stuff plastic like the rest of the front is plastic?
Kinda shoots any attempt to evoke the aesthetic glory of ’50s/’60s Giulias and Giuliettas.
This thing is cool. I’d rather have a V6 than a turbo 4, but if the first year cars prove reliable, this is definitely on my short list as a potential next car in 2018.
I really want to like this car but Alfa’s reputation for quality (or lack thereof) is holding me back. I think it will be a couple more years before I’ll consider pulling the trigger on one of their products.
That said, I love the look of this car and the reviews give me hope that Alfa is back for real. The Stelvio looks rather promising as well.
Are they still crap though? I always thought (hoped?) that they were a bit like Lamborghini post-Audi in that they kept the soul, but all the niggling and stupid problems got corrected by having the backing of a huge parent and their massive engineering team. The 4C seems to have been decently reliable (though I have yet to ever see one on the street).
I remember they were pretty bad though… My mom still had her Spider when I was a little kid and I remember sitting in the Safeway parking lot with a no-start and the convertible top leaking rain all over us… Can’t see any car manufacturer being this bad in 2016 at least…
“I really want to like this car but Alfa’s reputation for quality (or lack thereof) is holding me back”
let’s be honest. there are over a hundred comments to this post. the number of *actual* prospective buyers of the Giulia here is zero.
none of you were ever going to buy this car, so saying one particular aspect is “holding you back” is basically a lie.
Actually, I could be a prospective buyer. I currently own a fairly new Porsche Cayenne and could quite easily buy either version. However I would be more interested in buying a Stelvio.
Just to show I’m not BS’ing about my Cayenne, here’s some proof: http://www.dfwmustangs.net/forums/showpost.php?p=1589560&postcount=10856
“the number of *actual* prospective buyers of the Giulia here is zero”
I think we all may justifiably feel complimented by this statement.
Purely as an actuarial prediction, saying no one among 100 random people (yes, I know this is not really a random population) couldn’t afford a sub $40K car is unlikely to be true… There is almost no doubt that at least one of these commentators could purchase one of these if so desired.
Weren’t the audience metrics for this site posted here once, with visitors having a median income of something like $70k/pa?
I look at it this way: If it has four or more doors, then an automatic is the more logical choice. If it has two doors, then it’s designed for fun over practicality and a stick should at least be an option.
The reason it’s called the Giulia, is because if I’m not mistaken, the Giulietta was one Alfa Romeo model (Romeo and Juliet) and the Giulia was its bigger counterpart.
How many of these are actually going to be sold? 10000? Less? What a huge waste of FCA money.
Been to Europe?