Fancy Giulietta needs extra flavour

It's comfortable and well made... but it seems to be a little short on the magic of old.

For no Italian meal is complete without those two crucial components, which means some of overall pleasure and magic of a fine dining experience is lost. It's just not the same without the bite of grappa and the kick of strong black coffee.

Alfa Romeo Giuliettas come with a long history and a reputation earned on the race tracks of the world. There was always a kind of magic about the Alfa Romeo badge and the Giulietta name... the kind of magic that alfisti and grey-haired drivers with long memories recall with fond affection. It had the kind of motoring magic that enthusiastic drivers and Alfa salesmen loved.

Looking for the magic

Sadly, much of that special magic has waned over the years so I was hoping to find it again when the latest Alfa Romeo Giulietta Quadrifoglio Verde arrived in my drive-way.

Furnishings and fancy kit have an upmarket look and feel.

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Good looks, fair top notch cling and sporty performance have always been signature Alfa characteristics and they are still very much part of the new Giulietta's make-up. It's also still a good-looking car for the most, with its sexy black alloys wearing 17-inch, 225/40 running shoes, signature Alfa grille, gaping air vents, menacing lights and stubby sloping bonnet, although it is a bit let down by its rather bland rear end which looks like it was designed by an accountant.

The cabin is comfortable although a little tight for the back-seaters but everything else is well-placed and fairly logical with the signature gauges and dials indicating aqua, benzina and giri, a screen that flares up in red and a magic button which can be flicked to provide more dynamic driving mode. The steering wheel is a bit large and olde-worlde (even though it has red-stitched leather trim and radio and mobile phone controls) given the shiny chrome trim, aluminium sports pedals and stubby gear lever.

An enthusiastic runner

Furnishings and fancy kit have an upmarket look and feel and include a classy sound system, dual zone climate control, cruise control, rear seats that split 60:40 (with a gap for your skis!), Bluetooth and My-Port for sat-nav.

Alfa says it will do the 0-100km/h blitz in 7.8 seconds and will gallop on to 242km/h.

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Out on the road the Alfa is quite an enthusiastic runner. Alfa says it will do the 0-100km/h blitz in 7.8 seconds and will gallop on to 242km/h which puts it close to its main rival, the VW GTi's performance of 6.6 seconds for the sprint and top speed of 246km/h

The Giulietta's manual transmission is short and quick and pleasantly geared but the turbo lag from up front is very prominent. Floor the go-fast pedal and the engine takes a while to wake up and when it does it does so with a wallop which can easily lead to show-off tyre squeal. It also takes a bit of time to get even less enthusiastic take-offs right and to avoid stalls.

Yaw cornering is a bit vague

The car corners well at moderate speeds but it does tend to lean and yaw a bit in tight corners when pushed hard. The steering is quite direct but the combination of suspension and steering does make the car feel a bit vague around the bends.

Standard kit includes a brace of airbags, VDC, ABS And ASR brake assist and anti-whiplash front headrests.

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Drive it gently and it is a handsome, very comfortable and quiet commuter car that will carry four adults in luxury and well-protected safety. Standard kit includes a brace of airbags, VDC, ABS And ASR brake assist and anti-whiplash front headrests.

The Giulietta is a perky, well put together automobile with lots of bells and whistles, but it somehow lacks a bit of special Italian flavour and charm... A bit like being served bottled tomato ketchup with pasta instead of Mama's garlic and tomato alla pizzaiola sauce. At R358,690 it is also expensive, although not as painful as the two sporty Germans with their R385,900 and R400,900 price tags.

Oh well, we will just have to keep our fingers crossed that the strikingly beautiful Alfa 4C is going to make it to our shores one day soon...

The Alfa's price includes a three-year/100,000km maintenance plan.

Alfa Romeo Giulietta customer review

Alfa Romeo Giulietta : Car Review