Today, at the Alfa Romeo Museum near Milan, was the first day for a completely new design language from the fabled Italian automaker. The Alfa Romeo Giulia will also mark the return of the brand to North America for those of us needing a bit more practically than what’s offered by the 4C.
Best of all, the Quadrifoglio will be available right out of the gate with 510 horsepower from its Maserati-derived six-cylinder engine.
The new Giulia, which borrows its name from the original model built between 1961 and 1978, is Alfa Romeo’s first foray in mainstream segments in North America since leaving the continent at the end of 1995. From the release, it looks like the Italian brand will make quite a noisy and stylish return.
Alfa says Giulia’s metal skin is shaped around the “technical architecture” of the car. Short overhangs are down to the engine and other mechanical parts being mounted between the front and rear axles. Simplicity of the form, they say, is paramount, including details such as the renewed Alfa Romeo emblem and trefoil nose.
Under the hood, the all-aluminum six-cylinder will rocket Giulia to 62 mph in 3.9 seconds while still returning acceptable fuel economy thanks to cylinder deactivation. Also, due to its light weight, Giulia Quadrifoglio will sport 50/50 weight distribution, though other engines are yet to be specified. Displacement for the 510 hp mill was also unspecified, though the company says it will “make that genuinely Alfa Romeo sound.”
Keeping everything grippy is a double-wishbone suspension setup for the front. The rear will rely on a multilink solution to get power to the ground. That’s not to say this is a rear-wheel drive only affair, as Alfa Romeo states there will also be an all-wheel drive option, though with what engines and transmissions remains uncertain.
Like many other newer performance vehicles, Torque Vectoring will help Giulia navigate corners with ease while a unique active splitter up front gives the first two donuts some additional grip. A new version of Alfa DNA with multiple driving modes – Dynamic, Natural, Advanced Efficient, and Racing – will also be available.
There is no official on sale date.
This is a textbook *butterface* example. How could they make such a svelte, well-proportioned design, and then grace it with a squashed-in, blunt-looking front fascia, composed of two oversized headlamps and three ill-proportioned grilles?
OH GOD IT’S AWFUL.
Why dat BMW so mad? Mebbe it’s cuz he put on Kia jeans by accident.
I see your point – it flows so well and feels mature/organic in a way but the front is too busy in comparison, it’s trying to be aggressive looking but also appears blunt…we may never see pop up headlights and 928 shark like front ends again, we are now left with over styled headlights and pedestrian safety standards ruling the day.
The problem with the front isn’t that it is blunt, it is that they tried to fit an organic flowing style to it so the transition from the headlights to be bumper just looks awful. If they had just followed the 159 direction it would be fine.
Yep – those “organic” styled headlights (a bit reminiscent of the ones on the previous Sonata) do not match the rest of the design.
Otherwise, not bad.
I think it has to do with European pedestrian safety requirements.
I think, as others have mentioned, part of the problem is that the high nose has to be “pedestrian friendly”. I don’t mind the squinty headlights and the triangular grille, but they would look much better on a pointier, lower front that doesn’t have those two big lower grilles.
the last Alfa with a nice face was the GTv6
Brera. But the GTV6 was indeed very nice.
I like it. The tail lights do remind of a hyundai design but other than that, price it around $60k and this might just be my next car!
You WANT to pay 60K for something 3-Series sized?
Remember this model is tied with M3 power wise – whose msrp starts at $62k..
That’s a fair point.
Wonder which will have higher resale value.
If it follows most German cars, M3 until it ages out of the factory warranty.
We don’t even have to wonder. The M3 will definitely have the higher resale value. A newcomer from a brand that is just reentering the US market after 20 years that still has a shakey reputation for reliability is not going to change that overnight.
The more interesting question will be how does this do versus the Jaguar XE.
I don’t like the XE at all! Jag’s current styling language has grown quite stale for me, and in a “old Blackberry Pearl” way, not an “Olde English cabinet” way, which would be a good thing.
@whynot
That’s a good point about being a “newcomer”. Jaguars traditionally take a big dive although I think the newer ones hold better values than the older ones did (older as in early 2000s).
Wow — an Italian Edsel!
Beat me to it!
Yes, the trademark inverted delta works when it’s smaller and lower, but this one is so large and rides so high that it’s approaching a horse collar. Also, too protrusive.
I find it the wrong shape. It should be closer to an isoceles triangle, not an equilateral one.
Yes, that would approximate the one on my personal gold standard, the ’64 Giulietta. Even though nearly as tall as this one, the ’64’s was narrow enough to not be so dominating.
Meh Leyland beauty. About as reliable.
I could see buying one of these if I knew the answer to this question:
What’s the bigger maintenance nightmare, this at two years old or my e39 at age 13?
Who has a longer product history?
Who has better warranty and dealer support?
Who has not pulled out of the US before?
Who hasn’t had nine owners since 1900?
:) You know the answer!
I hear you (aside from warranty and dealer support, when it comes to a car this old it doesn’t matter). Then again, who knows if the aftermarket will even produce parts for these things.
If I were an aftermarket company, I wouldn’t bother. I can make lots of GM3800 parts instead and have tons of customers for the next 30 years.
“What’s the bigger maintenance nightmare, this at two years old or my e39 at age 13?”
The answer to this question is “not the Lexus IS-F”
My ’13 Fiat Abarth had zero, zip, nada, none, not a single issue in the two years I owned it. And I am a fussy bahstahd. I very much doubt that the M235i that is replacing it will be able to have the same said of it in two years.
Do you like the car and can afford it? Then buy one.
Gotta drive it first. I only care if its a stick.
I really want to be an Alfa fanboy, but this leaves me a bit cold. The design is ok, but it looks like an Infiniti Q/G or whatever they’re calling the 3 series competitor. I’m sure the interior will be great, but the exterior is a letdown considering Alfa’s design chops of the past.
Mrs. Swan says: “Okay…okay…I tell you…It look a like-a 2012 BMW 1 Series Coupe Sedan-a with an deformed nose…”
http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/f152/bmw-1m-96942/
I tell you… how… he look-a.
He look-a, like-a… man!
Are you not going to quote some three year old article claiming its FWD? Its really just a Dart, right?
You have a nack for sticking your head so far up your arse, that nothing but $#¡Г comes out when you speak/type. At least your screen name fits, your comments are always nothing but dead weight. No substance, just there to let everyone know what an @$$ you are.
JohnTaurus_3.0_AX4N said “Waaah! Waaaaah! Waaaaaaah! America, FuQ Yeah! We’re Number 1, including fix it again tony products with a first year 70% depreciation rate! Waaaah! Waaaaaaah!”
(Gets into his ATS, Malibu, or 1.0 liter Fiesta and waits for AAA.)
I was really hoping Alfa would’ve added two more doors to the Brera and called it a day.
So basically just make a 159 hatch instead of (or in addition to) the sedan and wagon versions?
The front end of the Brera was just ever so slightly better looking and more aggressive.
I love the looks of the Brera – too bad it’s gone.
Too bad it really didn’t have the performance or dynamics to back up its looks as well.
It is basically the “hot” hatch version of the Plymouth Prowler.
True – it was “just a pretty face”, but one hot-looking hatch.
The same could be said for the Mitsu Eclipse.
and I was really hoping Alfa would find a way to make the 159 sheetmetal fit into the new powertrain.
Allow me to clarify my comments above:
This car is far from unattractive. It’s SHARP, in fact.
But at its assumed price point, let me say a few things about how sharp exterior appearance + HP war contender may not be enough:
1) Many 25k to 35k vehicles are sharp, and some of those carry HP, too.
2) To be fair, though this is sharp, it IS also heavily cribbing BMW on the side profile, and many others in the a$$ (though the nose stays faithful).
3) Let he who dareth claim this will be anything but, at best, fairly UNreliable speak now and put your bet on the table now.
I hope I c,eared that up a bit.
^^ this. especially #2 and your thoughts about the HP war contender.
This is the 510 HP version. I’m pretty sure that the $379 per month with $4000 cap cost reduction version will look a lot different.
I’m not too crazy about the grille. It’s a little too vajazzled for my preferences.
That’s what I want to see: the entry level version in more sedate color, smaller rims, and presumably a simpler front end. I like it overall but there is a bulldog quality that will take some getting used to. I also hope its smaller than the current 3 series or competitors.
Thanks for the vocabulary extender, Rod!
Somebody at Mopar slap that engine in a Caravan and I’m all over it.
I must be drinking some kind of Kool-Aid as I like the looks of this from every angle
We share the same first name, first letter of our last names (perhaps more?), and our opinion of this car.
I absolutely love it. Its not for everyone? Perfectly fine by me!
+1 I would rock one of these in a heartbeat.
I dig it as well, it’s different….and in a good way. But I guess we all can’t drive bland Infinitis or bitch & whine about Cadillacs all day.
Please don’t get them started!
I like it too. They will also probably have the worst resale value out of any car in it’s class making them a bargain once they become a few years old.
Were I in the market, I would loooove one of these.
This could be one of two things:
1) A generic “Sports Sedan” in an advertisement which is a mishmash of things that tell you it is one without risking and intellectual property suit.
2) What the Chinese would make if you told them to make a 3-series.
That said, there’s a gap in the market for a sport sedan that feels of high quality and drives well. BMW doesn’t make those anymore.
I’m still “meh” on this one, for $60k you’re getting a luxury sedan whos only distinctive cue is a front end thats been plastered on countless cheap economy cars.
May as well get a Chinese Volvo while you’re at it.
Agreed, nothing wrong with it, but its Meh. For 60k or so you can get an M3, or two Mustang GT’s. Side by side it looks very similar to the M3, other than the grill. Your choice, kidneys or a triangle?
I’d take Triangle, even if the buff books don’t like modern Bimmers.
I’m sure the buff mags will love the new Alfa, praising it for “capturing the essence of the original E42 sedan lost with modern BMWs”, just look at what they’re saying about the Chevy SS!
I cannot get over the similarity b/w the taillights of the giulia and the sonata
http://images.thecarconnection.com/lrg/2011-hyundai-sonata-4-door-sedan-i4-auto-limited-tail-light_100312094_l.jpg
I think it’s more Kia Optima
http://srv2.betterparts.org/images/kia-optima-08.jpg
Introducing… the 2016 Pontiac GTO!
Yeah, I sure miss that small little Pontiac GTO sedan.
Alfa had been using that signature grille quite a while before Pontiac’s unsimilar version started being used in the 80s.
It was a bit of a stretch, I know.
But, the prospective owner may be getting it serviced at a GM dealer, if rumors come true.
When can I go down to my local Dodge Chrysler Jeep Fiat Alfa Romeo dealership and test drive it?
I’d take it over the M3 because everybody has a BMW and this looks good. You realize that for most buyers this is just a fashion/status statement?
It’s not going to sell at 3 series volume, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it sells on par with the Lexus IS.
BUT PLEASE GIVE ME A WAGON VARIANT!
Totally agree, I don’t want an M3 because everyone’s got one, they aren’t the drivers’ car they used to be and frankly too many ass hats drive them. Mercedes isn’t too my taste even though I want to covet a C63S so if this was a wagon I’d love to look at it but probably buy an RS4 anyway
I like it well enough.
If they can keep the price under $40k, then I will consider it as a used car purchase in a few years, when it gets down around $15k for a mildly used example.
Unfortunately, I fear that their pricing strategy and mine are fundamentally at odds.
Yeah, as their goal is to make a profit, and your goal is to get it cheap several years after they sell it. Id say thats quite a difference.
Perhaps Alfa and I are not so far apart. All we need is a middleman who will step up and pay what they are asking, then tire of it quickly and sell it to me cheap. Win-win-win. Do you know anyone?
It’s a 510 hp Alfa. There will never be a lightly used example.
See, that’s kind of the problem – it’s a 510 hp Alfa.
While 500+ hp is neat, it doesn’t really have mass appeal.
Cadillac sort of did this with the CTS-V. Over 10 model years, they sold about 30,700. So an average of 3,000 people actually bought one per year. And that came in 3 body styles – sedan, coupe, and wagon. And it was built here. And used a pre-existing engine that was also built here.
From what I can tell, BMW sells about 5,000 M3s/M4s per year, on average. And that also includes 3 body styles – sedan, coupe, convertible.
So if Alfa wants to chase that market of <10,000 cars, then ok. I can chalk it up to "la passione". But it's hard to reconcile that with Signore Marchionne's recent statements about "Il Consolidazione".
To me, it would make more sense to chase the market of the other 30,000 CTSs and 100,000+ 3-series.
For that market, 510 hp is a liability. A 350 hp naturally aspirated V6 would be far better. Maybe even a 350 hp turbo 4.
I hope they release a mainstream version that I’m closer to being able to afford. They’ll have to if they’re chasing volume.
I feel it’s missing the unique profile that the 156 had. The slab sides are ordinary. The rest works for me.
I can see some resemblance to the G37 sedan, but I think it looks more similar to the Suzuki Kizashi.
I find the look to be…not offensive.
I haven’t read much on this, but for some reason, I think it will be more expensive than the German equivalents. If so, I think it will sink like a rock. If it’s priced 15-20% less they have a chance – not much chance, but some. Most in the U.S. that remember Alfas, don’t have fond memories (Biturbo).
As a used car, it will likely be just as rare as the Kizashi. I just looked on Autotrader, there is one Kizashi listed within 75 miles of Dallas.
Yeah. Biturbo = Maserati. Not Alfa.
“Most in the U.S. that remember Alfas, don’t have fond memories (Biturbo).”
If they have accurate memories, they’ll remember that the Biturbo was a Maserati.
There ya go. I have fond “memories” of Alfa in the US, meaning I never had the “pleasure” of owning and therefor constantly repairing one, but as I see them crop up on the used market, my heart sings and I long for a decent condition manual trans model. Not so much the little roadster, Im not much for that type of car. Nothing wrong per say, just not something I get excited over.
No, they werent the most reliable car, but “reliable” and “boring” tend to go hand-in-hand. They offer something more than appliance-like reliability. That something is lacking in most other cars similar in size and spec.
Its what the French call a certain…I dont know what. Lol
You don’t have to convince me – I grew up in the back of a duetto spider…
je ne sais quoi
I’ve had the pleasure of owning two. They don’t need constant fixing when maintained correctly. My ’86 Spider was as reliable as sunrise. The rust reputation is 100% well earned though. I assume that is long in the past at this point.
If they have something I like when I am bored with my M235i, they will certainly have a very good shot at my business. I don’t generally do sedans so THIS car is not all that likely, but hopefully they will have a coupe or something with a hatch in the lineup by then. Maybe even the roadster they keep talking about.
Biturbo, Schmiturbo… he was on a roll…
I really like it. I can easily see this being a car I will shop if I ever move back to a sedan. That is a beautiful car.
That puffy front end…butterface alright! For some reason, it reminds me of the 1997 Mercury Cougar.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/16/94-97_Mercury_Cougar.jpg
So, my late two cents.
It looks both ugly and too much like a clumsily photoshopped 3-series. I can’t believe that after 5 years that’s the best they could do.
Also, I just can’t see the point. FCA have the GM problem of too many brands, with confused messaging and over-lapping target markets.
Why the hell bother with Alfa Romeo when it can’t go up-market because that’s Maserati’s space, or down market because that’s FIAT-land?
I love what Alfa Romeo was. I cannot see a case for it now.
Sergio’s busy making the case for a merger because there’s a capacity glut, but launched Alfa Romeo again anyway, even if he’s barely made progress relaunching Maserati.
The whole spec, look and even sound are far too imitation-German and I cannot figure on the USP beyond the name alone. They attempt to associate a vague collection of meaningless adjectives with the name to try and “create” an identity for a brand that carried a pre-existing one they jetisonned because it doesn’t work in the modern market.
Maybe it’ll work, but I really can’t see it. This revival has as much substance as as the next raising of AC Parma from the dead.
I think the case for Alfa Romeo is this: FCA wants to compete in the entry level luxury segment – there is a lot of volume and profit in the 35k-70k range.
Certainly FCA has plenty of other brands that could occupy this range of products. They could have made this and the 4C Maseratis, but diluting a brand that much upsets the original owners (some Are not even happy about the Ghibli).
It would have been a pretty big stretch to bring this car to market as a Dodge or Chrysler to compete against BMW.
FCA had a TON of excess capacity in Italy – it’s much costlier to close that than elsewhere. Also, due to high labor costs and cost of suit business in Italy, its not very profitable to manufacture cheap Fiats there anymore.
Enter the case for Alfa Romeo. The brand has cache in the U.S. – people will always line up for exotic Italian cars. European brands also do well in China.
As FCA works to establish itself globally in every market (some brands like Chrysler, Ram, and possibly Dodge will become regional a la Opel) establishing Alfa in every market, along with Jeep fill the biggest product gaps.
Keep in mind that FCA isn’t actually aiming to outsell BMW. It views Maderati and Alfa Romeo together covering the same territory as BM w or Mercedes.
Similarly, Fiat, Chrysler, and Jeep together cover the same segments that Honda and Ford do.
Keep in mind that Alfa still has two crossovers on the way, probably multiple variations of this sedan (coupe, convertible, wagon – fingers crossed), a Giuletta replacement, and another compact replacement.
I’m impressed that it has a greenhouse as good or better than a Honda Accord!
So we’re looking at the new midsized Dodge platform I presume?
So the Quadrifoglio will arrive in “early 2016”, and in the US “a few months later”. So make it a year from now.
The more pedestrian models will follow “later in 2016”. So I have to assume it’ll be very late in 2016 before there is any substantial Alfa Romeo sales volume in the US (say, more than the Maserati volume).
So far, basically all we know is RWD, manual gearbox and 510 hp. Most companies would have provided at least some additional info when launching a new model, but FCA didn’t want to do that.
A beautiful car. To those naysayers, those GM/Ford/Honda/Toyota driving clods who say otherwise, I say your taste is in your ass.
I like it,but Ilike the4C better. 237hp, 0-100kph in 4.3 seconds,not that much slower than the Giuila but still $55.000 .Unfortunately I think it only comes with auto transmission.
I see that flying vagina is alive again!
This Giulia has a very Germanic rear that doesn’t seem to fit well with the rest of the car. It’s not ugly but definitely a disappointment considering Alfa’s history of stunning design.
I think Alfais positioning themselves really well with this launch. I have never been an Alfisti, but being an enthusiast, this car really inerests me. The fact that they launched their halo model first is a good indication as for what kind of brand positioning Marchionne is aiming; sporty, desirable, sexy, different automobiles.
Whomever is comparing this to a Dodge or Mustang should think again as the engineering on this car well exceeds them. They have dramatically reduced weight for a best in class weight-to-power ratio with the use of super expensive materials such as carbon-fibre. I would also expect the driving dynamics to challenge the class best.
All in all the car should sell well to customers who value uniqueness, driving passion and image. What is vital for its success, among other things, is:
1- quality, reliability & craftsmanship
2- price: this top model should undercut the M3 by at least 10% eventhough the Alfa may be the better car, since Alfa needs to prove that their brand is worth comparing with the Germans
http://sniffpetrol.com/2015/06/25/new-alfa-promises-unmatched-disappointment/#.VYy0Hvl2DNk
No DLO fail. That should count for something with the TTAC crankapotimus crew.