Road test review: Alfa Romeo Giulia Veloce Carbon

Wednesday, 2 June 2021

The Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA is the ultimate four-door from the Italian brand.

ALFA ROMEO GIULIA VELOCE CARBON
Base price: $89,990
Powertrain and economy: 2.0-litre turbo-petrol inline four, 206kW/400Nm, 8-speed automatic, RWD, combined economy 6.1L/100km, CO2 140g/km (source: RightCar).

The Alfa Romeo Giulia Veloce Carbon and the best-looking factory wheels on the market.

Vital statistics: 4643mm long, 1860mm wide, 1436mm high, 2820mm wheelbase, luggage capacity 480 litres, 19-inch alloy wheels.
We like: Brilliant chassis, gorgeous looks, engine packs plenty of power.

An updated interior includes extra carbon trim. It’s not quite as nice as some of the German offerings but it’s still a nice place to be.

We don't like: Still a bit Italian in some ways, Alfa already ditching the platform…

The Alfa Romeo Giulia debuted a few years ago now but is still one of the prettiest four-door sedans on the market. Everyone loves the rip-snorting Quadrifoglio but the entry-level Veloce is nothing to sniff at either.

Under the bonnet is the same 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder as before, along with an eight-speed automatic. But fear not – this is still a fast car.

Are there any major changes for 2021?

A few. Every Giulia now has the larger 8.8-inch touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and driver assists like active cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, lane-keep assist and active blind spot assist are all standard now.

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A carbon lip spoiler and black exhaust tips add yet more visual flair to the Veloce.

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* Alfa's fast hatchback is an oldie but still quite a goodie

Veloce means fast, which this Alfa certainly is, despite it being the base model of the range.

* Alfa rises again with Giulia Quadrifoglio - or would you rather have an SUV?

So, the quarter-million dollar question – this badge or something from Germany?

The cabin has been given an update too, with the Veloce Carbon getting – surprise – carbon fibre accents in the dash, steering wheel, doorpanels and centre console.

Other changes to the standard kit include sports seats up front, heated seats front and rear, dark exhaust tips, a reversing camera, a Harmon/Kardon sound system, aluminium pedals and wireless charging.

Price has also increased, from $79,990 for the standard Veloce a year or two ago to $89,990 for the Carbon, which is the only one available now.

What about power upgrades?

Nope, the 2.0-litre engine still produces 206kW/400Nm, sent through an eight-speed automatic to the rear wheels, with the help of a limited slip differential and Alfa Romeo’s DNA drive mode system. Expect to hit motorway speeds in 5.7 seconds.

Remember, this isn’t really a facelift or mid-cycle update, more just a tweak to make the package more enticing.

And, to be honest, that’s enough power. Sure it might lose the paper wars at the pub, but that’s okay because the Veloce is a superb car to drive. And plus, do your friends drive a car this good-looking?

How can a turbo-four be good to drive though?

Okay, the soundtrack isn’t quite as epic as the Ferrari-derived V6 in the Quadrifoglio, or anything with more cylinders. But there’s a bit of harmony there, particularly as the revs climb. It sounds more gutteral than something like a BMW 330i or Mercedes C 300, and it’s more powerful. And cheaper.

Peak torque hits at between 2000rpm and 4800rpm, while power drops off after 5200rpm before a 6000rpm redline. It’s easy to break the 100kmh barrier, and the tractability of the engine means you have thrust at most points in the rev range, especially in Dynamic mode.

Thanks to the rear-drive layout and a quick-changing automatic, you can get on the power hard and early. There are paddles behind the wheel with a remarkably satisfying action to them, should you want to take over shifting duties yourself.

But the real fun comes in the chassis. The Giulia rides on the Giorgio platform, which is an absolute dream to drive hard. You can push the nose faster than you think into corners, and with smooth, fast steering, understeer is barely a thing.

The double wishbone suspension up front allows plenty of feedback comes through the wheel and lets you know exactly what the front end is doing, while Alfa’s unique ‘Link’ rear end and that limited slip diff keeps the power flowing.

About the only minor complaint I have with the performance side of the Giulia (and this really is minor) is that you can’t switch the traction control off at all. Not that I would suggest you do that on public roads, but it would be cool to see how much mechanical grip there is at a track day with no electronic interference. Everything else about the drive is sublime, so I’d want the option at least available.

So is this the go-to sub-100k performance four-door sedan?

A lot of hyphens there, but it’s hard to deny the Giulia Veloce that title. I struggle to think of another sedan that can do what the Veloce does to the same level, and look this good while doing it.

Though, I can’t say it’s not without flaws. There are some slightly Italian things the Veloce does, like not turning off if you’re parked with your foot on the brake (yes, on) but only sometimes, and the expanded drive settings menu shows an all-wheel drive option, despite the car lacking an all-wheel drive system.

Otherwise, it's well-equipped and spacious, even though the interior may not be quite up to the same standard as its German rivals.

One final remark – Alfa Romeo’s parent company, Stellantis, recently announced it is discontinuing the Giorgio platform, despite it costing well into the billions of euros to develop, in favour of a new architecture. Apparently the reason is that Giorgio wasn’t designed to accomodate electrified powertrains.

Either way, it means the sweet-handling Giulia won’t be around forever.

Any other cars I should consider?

As mentioned, the BMW 330i is an option, as is the Mercedes-Benz C 300. Both cost $92,900 but the Alfa beats them on price and performance. There’s also the Audi A4 45 TFSI quattro S-Line, which is more expensive again at $94,900 and still doesn’t quite match the Alfa’s power.