Overview

The Alfa Romeo Giulietta previously named Alfa Romeo 149 or Alfa Romeo Milano is a compact car manufactured by the Italian carmaker Alfa Romeo, a division of the auto giant FIAT Group. Alfa Romeo introduced the Giulietta on March 2010 at the Geneva Motor Show. The Giulietta replaced the 10 year old Alfa Romeo 147.

The design of the Giulietta was done in house by the Alfa Romeo Centro Stile division. The Car is built on the Fiat Group C platform modified as "C-Evo", called also as "Compact"; FIAT used almost 100 million euros to re-engineer the C platform, previously used for the Fiat Stilo, Fiat Bravo and Lancia Delta. The re-engineered platform has a longer wheelbase, shorter overhangs and an advanced new type of McPherson strut front suspension and multilink rear suspension.

Variants

Alfa Romeo offers the Giulietta only in a five door hatchback body style and with five engines, three petrol - a 1.4 liter Turbo, a 1.4 liter Turbo Multiair and a 1.75 liter Turbo -, and two diesel - a 1.6 liter and a 2.0 liter -. All engines used have a straight four configuration.

The entry level engine, the 1.4 liter Turbo, develops 120 hp @ 5000 rpm and a maximum torque of 152 lb/ft @ 1750 rpm. The engine comes with a standard six speed manual transmission that delivers the power to the front wheels. In terms of performance, the Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1.4 TB can go from zero to 60 mph in 9.0 seconds. Cover a quarter of a mile in 17.3 seconds and get to a top speed of 121 mph. As for the fuel consumption the car returns 29.8 miles to the gallon on average.

The 1.4 liter TB Multiair engine produces an impressive 170 hp @ 5500 rpm and a maximum of 185 lb/ft @ 2500 rpm. The engine is mated to a six speed manual transmission. The Alfa Romeo 1.4 TB Multiair ca sprint to 60 mph in 7.5 seconds, cover a quarter of a mile in 15.7 seconds and get to a top speed of 135 mph. The fuel consumption is similar to the non-Multiair versions, returning 29 miles per gallon in combined cycle.

The most powerful petrol engine, the 1.75 liter Turbo, is available only on the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Quadrifoglio Verde (meaning Green Cloverleaf). The engine makes no less than 235 hp @ 5500 rpm and a maximum torque of 251 lb/ft @ 1900 rpm. The engine comes with a standard six speed manual transmission, which is the only option. The Alfa Romeo Giulietta Quadrifoglio is able to do a zero to 60 mph time of 6.5 seconds, a quarter mile time of 14.4 seconds and a top speed of 150 mph. As for the fuel consumption the Quadrofoglio returns an average of 27.1 miles per gallon.

The entry level engine in the diesel range, the 1.6 liter, produces 105 hp @ 4000 rpm and a maximum of 236 lb/ft of torque @ 1750 rpm. The engine is connected to a six speed manual transmission that shifts the power to the rear wheels. In terms of performance the car can get to 60 mph from zero in 10.8 seconds, cover a standing quarter mile in 17.4 seconds and get to a top speed of 115 mph. The fuel consumption is very good with an average of 42.2 miles per gallon on average.

Top of the line in the diesel range, the 2.0 liter, makes some 170 hp @ 4000 rpm and a maximum torque of 258 lb/ft @ 1750 rpm. The same six sped manual transmission is offered as standard. With this engine the Alfa Romeo Giulietta can sprint to 60 mph in 7.7 seconds, cover a quarter of a mile in 15.7 seconds and do a top speed of 135 mph. On average the Alfa Romeo Giulietta 2.0 JTDm returns 37 mpg.

The Alfa Romeo Giulietta was crash tested by the Euro NCAP and received their top score of five stars overall. The car results were: 97% Adult Occupant, 85% Child Occupant, 63% Pedestrian Protection and 86% Safety Assist. The Giulietta was named as best performing Small Family category car in 2010 by Euro NCAP. The safety featured on the Giulietta are: Vehicle Dynamic Control electronic stability control, DST (Dynamic Steering Torque), Q2 electronic differential and Alfa Romeo DNA selector which allows driver to choose between three different driving settings; Dynamic, Normal and All-Weather, this setting controls the behaviour of engine, brakes, steering, suspension and gearbox.

Additional Information

The Alfa Romeo Giulietta came second in European Car of the Year 2011, won Greek Car of the Year 2011 and Die besten autos 2010 - Import compact cars category - Auto, Motor und Sport.