Alfa Romeo’s Giulia and Stelvio will receive a mid-cycle refresh for the 2020 model year. As is the norm with Italian models, the changes are being referenced by Western media as a sexification providing erotic pleasure to the eyes. In truth, Fiat Chrysler is simply offering both models with optional appearance kits and freshened interiors.
Then again, perhaps the true measure of automotive sexiness is finding a model you want to spend all of your spare time inside — as that’s often the benchmark with human beings.
Under the hood, things appear unchanged. The 2.9-liter, twin-turbocharged V6 with 505 horsepower (thanks, Ferrari) persists in both the Giulia and Stelvio Quadrifoglios. Meanwhile, the 2.0-liter turbo will continue being fitted inside base-trimmed Alfas.
New exterior styling comes by way of various appearance packages. Stelvio models receive a new body-color kit (standard on Sport models and above) with painted wheel flares, lower rocker panels, and a rear fascia. A “Dark Miron” appearance kit is also available on Sport models, if you’re more into contrasted exteriors. A similar “Nero Edizione Package” was already introduced on the Giulia and Stelvio — incorporating additional items, like Dark Miron mirror caps, badges, brake calipers, headlamp bezels, exhaust tips, and more. Additionally, Alfa Romeo plans to offer new metallic paint colors, including Anodized Blue, and a carbon-fiber exterior pack for the Stelvio Quadrifoglio.
Meanwhile, more meaningful changes are taking place inside the cabin. For 2020, both models receive an all-new center console with an 8.8-inch screen (standard), leather-wrapped shifter, fancier-looking rotary control dial, freshened steering wheel designs, phone cubby with available wireless charging, and laminated front glass aimed at improving NHV.
The user interface for the center console is also said to be upgraded with a faster processor and improved graphics — though the old one was among the easier automotive interfaces to live with. FCA decided to beef it up to make it quicker, adding “driver-configurable interactive widgets” and an updated version of Performance Pages. SiriusXM Radio also comes standard for 12 months, at which point you’ll need to buy a subscription.
Everything else deals with largely optional advanced driver-assistance features. The brand claims both models will feature an ADAS package with “Level 2 autonomous driving” capabilities (so… not autonomous at all) with highway assist, traffic jam assist, lane keeping with assist, lane departure warnings, blind spot assist, traffic sign recognition, drowsy driver detection, and improved navigation. Forward collision warnings with emergency braking will be standard. Handy items, but we have to criticize Fiat Chrysler a bit for calling these features autonomous. If you don’t know why, here’s a link.
Both the 2020 Alfa Romeo Giulia and Stelvio are said to begin to arriving in North American showrooms before year’s end. Base Giulias start at $39,345 (plus $1,295 destination) while Stelvio begins at $41,345 (with identical delivery fees). Going with a Quadrifoglio places destination charges at $1,595, with the cheaper Giulia starting at $74,445 and the Stelvio coming in at $80,445.
[Images: FCA]
So FCA is actually spending money to refresh these two sales duds, while the Challenger, Charger and 300 trio soldier on with nothing meaningful in half a decade?
@Whatnext
Hellcat power is not “meaningful?”
2015-2020 = half decade
ZF8 too!
Indeed. I drove a ZF8 equipped Charger R/T last year…was VERY impressed with it.
People buy those cars because they are out of date.
I’m looking forward to my next daily driver. It will be an Alfa Romeo, but still undecided between Giulia and Stelvio.
I adore my Giulia and have had two years of problem-free driving, other than that one relatively minor, but very alarming, electrical glitch two weeks after I bought it, which was fixed when they replaced the battery.
That said, the Stelvio is easily the best-handling SUV I’ve ever driven, if you like that sort of thing. Not my cuppa, but if I were an SUV driver, it would be. The one knock I have against my car is that the back seat and trunk aren’t sized for American tastes, which the Stelvio fixes.
The Charger, Challenger and 300 look and feel pretty up-to-date, and there’s nothing else quite like them.
Whereas the Giulia and Stelvio are in fiercely competitive markets where their competitors build, frankly, better products, as far as the market is concerned.
Not necessarily better models at all.
There are a huge percentage of luxury buyers who buy the badge, not the quality of the car. If they bought the quality of the car, they might be behind the wheel of a Hyundai based upon their use cases.
So why buy a Chicom-compliant automatic car of questionable quality? There are plenty available that don’t break repeatedly in the hands of car magazines even after careful fettling.
“finding a model you want to spend all of your spare time inside — as that’s often the benchmark with human beings.”
Wow!
I thought I had clicked on an article from the Bertel Schmitt era for a minute.
As we used to say in the Navy, it’s not a girl in every port, it’s a port in every girl.
Classy!
They may be sales duds here, but we are not the only market. North America gets the general refresh whether sales here are good, bad or indifferent.
I have to imagine that intended Giulia shoppers would be much more interested in a manual transmission than a standard suite of safety nannies to buzz, beep, and screech at you as you roll down the road.
I was interested in the Giulia, but took it off my shopping list because I wanted something more sporting (i.e., manual). And the GTI was a lot less, too. Thanks for saving me thousands of dollars, Alfa!
Same here – this is about the only car on the market where I would forego a hatch for a sedan, IF I could have one with a proper transmission. So I too have a GTI.
BMW is also saving me lots of money these days, I probably should be thankful.
I think Alfa majorly shafted themselves by not offering manuals. It is true that not many people buy manuals, but the ones that do really want manuals. Who else would take a chance on this socialist-quality car?
count me in also, as someone who would be driving a Giulia if it were a manual
Just played with their “build your own”.
Man some of the exterior/interior color combos you can play around with on the Giulia are sweet… Oh and you can get your brake calipers in yellow instead of red if you want.
Now if I thought you could drive one for 80,000 miles with no major unscheduled repairs, we’d have something.
Go for it, Dan! All the boys at the station are pulling for you.
Pathetic automatic trash.
I see a fair number of Giulias but far more Stelvios in the NYC metro area. I think the buyers probably want something a bit different and stylish than a X3, GLC or Macan and figure in the potential of reliability issues.
I see quite a bit of Stelvios in New York city. All of them have had women drivers, but in my neck of the woods the women wear the pants in the family.
I want so badly to be cosmopolitan enough to like the Stelvio, but it just doesn’t stand out to me all that much from the rest of bubble SUVs.
The Giulia, now that’s a sexy meatball…….
Since the Fiat 500 is being pulled from the US market, you have to wonder the likelihood of these 2 getting pulled as well.
Alfa’s eating a lot of dirt sales wise. FCA has to be considering leaving.
I see a few of them around here. There’s something special about the Quadrifoglios which might persuade the right buyer to ignore the likelihood that the purchase price will buy you half of your seat time in the car you purchased and the other half in a four-cylinder Cherokee loaner. But I just can’t imagine any reason whatsoever to buy the cooking version rather than a Genesis G70 (for the Giulia) or a BMW X3 (for the Stelvio).
If you own an Alfa Quadrifoglio chances are you have a second car (or several).
The G70 wasn’t out when I bought my last car, but the decision to buy a Giulia over a 3-series, A4 or XE was made between the time I shifted the car into gear and the time I turned right at the end of the street the dealership was on.
Is there a Giulia on the US market that has a gear shift?
Will the package of upgrades include a piece of black electrical tape to cover the check engine light?
No, that’s extra.
Is it sexier than Mazda? It is not that I like Japanese girls more than Italians (and I do) but they are more reliable.
10/10 comment, would recommend.
You 3-pedal guys should at least test drive the G70 6MT.
Yup put your money where your mouth is.
If I never had to carry more than my golf bag or my carry on luggage I’d have had the G70 6-speed at the top of my test drive list.
I’ve seen plenty of those in Korea, and they’re good looking cars. But you can’t buy what Genesis can’t get around to selling in the US. I’ve seen one of them in the States so far, and I’m pretty sure it was wearing Canadian plates.
There are 11 G70 6MTs within 200 miles of me (in central Florida), including 2 within 30 miles. That’s not an abundance of lot space but IMO that isn’t “doesn’t exist” inventory either.
For the amount I read people kvetching about a lack of manuals in this class the G70 deserves at least a fair consideration.
The looks have grown on me and having driven Italian cars in the past they are real drivers, but like some of the comments above state the reliability leaves a lot to be desired.