conaero
Forum Owner
- Messages
- 34,651
There have been plenty of fresh starts at Alfa Romeo. The most recent, heralded by the arrival of the 4C sports car this year, finally brought hope that the Italian manufacturer could return to the form that forged the Alfa Romeo legend.
The 4C was certainly not perfect but as an opening salvo it was both impressive and promising for the future. Is this latest Giulietta QV, a revised version of Alfa's hot hatch, enough to keep the good momentum going?
This evolutionary step may prove trickier. In car terms the Giulietta Quadrifoglio Verde (the UK “Cloverleaf†translation is dropped) is an old car, first appearing in 2010. It was rather underwhelming at launch, presented more as an Italianate Golf GTI alternative (slick, swift, reserved) than a hot hatch in the rabid Renaultsport Megane mould. Post 4C, however, it will take something special to turn this car into a suitable follow-up act.
This Alfa is pleasingly sculpted. Its hot hatch body additions, such as side skirts and rear spoiler, are not too showy but for a brand with sporting ambitions it does lack the overt aggression and dynamism of certain rivals.
The biggest changes to the new QV are under the bonnet, where Alfa has borrowed the engine and gearbox from the 4C. That is not as radical as it sounds, given that the 4C uses a modified version of the same 1.75-litre turbocharged engine as the original Giulietta QV. Nevertheless, the new lightweight aluminium engine means there's a useful weight saving.
What Alfa is not so keen to publicise, though, is that dropping the old manual gearbox and adopting the heavier twin-clutch semi-automatic, also from the 4C, means the overall weight figure is identical to before. There is also no longer a manual gearbox alternative; a shame for a car that wears an Alfa badge.
Even so, for a relatively small engine the QV packs a formidable punch. Power is up slightly to 240bhp which, when combined with launch-control, dispatches the 0 to 60mph sprint in just 6.0 seconds. With a 150mph top speed, it is also cleaner with emissions dropping from 177g/km to 162g/km and with an average fuel economy figure of 40.4, it is not overly thirsty.
Unfortunately, there have been no changes to the suspension on the QV so what was once an underwhelming car is, maybe predictably, still an underwhelming car. This has always been a busy marketplace but there are currently some formidable rivals. The Megane RS remains the enthusiast's choice but is only available as a three-door with a manual gearbox, further distancing it from the Giulietta.
Competition ranges from the Ford Focus ST at the good value end of the market, to the Seat Leon Cupra, Golf GTI and even the Golf R and BMW 135i.
The QV does feel suitably fast if you use the new launch control procedure but it is the sort of hooligan gimmick most owners use once out of curiosity and then forget.
There is nothing to suggest that the QV won't be every bit as reliable as its German rivals
At other times it can feel hesitant and slothful, principally because the engine needs working hard to deliver its performance and without the turbo it is as if the car is mired in treacle.
When the turbo does kick in it does so with such enthusiasm that it really makes the front tyres struggle to keep traction. This is with the DNA switch (the car's electronic “character†switch) set to Dynamic. In Normal, the car is so laid back it isn't really a hot hatch at all.
While the steering requires little effort in Normal mode it's also unresponsive and in Dynamic mode it is excessively heavy. Contrasts continue with a sound enhancement system that pipes loud engine noise straight into the cabin, but the suspension is surprisingly comfortable by hot hatch standards.
Then again, the car doesn't feel as poised when driven fast. The brakes are fine but the gearbox is not as crisp or decisive as the similar system in a Golf or Leon.
Inside, the new steering wheel is rather large and still feels at a slightly odd angle; the standard seats look nice but lack support and rear seat space is compromised for taller passengers, but the cabin is easy on the eye. There is nothing to suggest that the QV won't be every bit as reliable as its German rivals, though.
It feels solid, the paint is lustrous and the leather genuine. Equipment levels are generous but at £28,120 they need to be. The limited run Launch Edition with added extras is £30,280. A Golf GTI five-door to a similar specification is £29,395; even the 300hp, 4WD Golf R starts at £30,555.
Ironically, it was the engine and gearbox that were the weakest link in the 4C: they are the carry over elements here, not the 4C's spirit.
Given the romance of the brand and its glorious catalogue of sporting cars, just about every car enthusiast wills Alfa Romeo to build great cars once again, but image should never overcome substance and there will need to be a lot more of the latter within the forthcoming new generation of Alfa Romeos if this new era of the company is to not fizzle out.
The 4C was certainly not perfect but as an opening salvo it was both impressive and promising for the future. Is this latest Giulietta QV, a revised version of Alfa's hot hatch, enough to keep the good momentum going?
This evolutionary step may prove trickier. In car terms the Giulietta Quadrifoglio Verde (the UK “Cloverleaf†translation is dropped) is an old car, first appearing in 2010. It was rather underwhelming at launch, presented more as an Italianate Golf GTI alternative (slick, swift, reserved) than a hot hatch in the rabid Renaultsport Megane mould. Post 4C, however, it will take something special to turn this car into a suitable follow-up act.
This Alfa is pleasingly sculpted. Its hot hatch body additions, such as side skirts and rear spoiler, are not too showy but for a brand with sporting ambitions it does lack the overt aggression and dynamism of certain rivals.
The biggest changes to the new QV are under the bonnet, where Alfa has borrowed the engine and gearbox from the 4C. That is not as radical as it sounds, given that the 4C uses a modified version of the same 1.75-litre turbocharged engine as the original Giulietta QV. Nevertheless, the new lightweight aluminium engine means there's a useful weight saving.
What Alfa is not so keen to publicise, though, is that dropping the old manual gearbox and adopting the heavier twin-clutch semi-automatic, also from the 4C, means the overall weight figure is identical to before. There is also no longer a manual gearbox alternative; a shame for a car that wears an Alfa badge.
Even so, for a relatively small engine the QV packs a formidable punch. Power is up slightly to 240bhp which, when combined with launch-control, dispatches the 0 to 60mph sprint in just 6.0 seconds. With a 150mph top speed, it is also cleaner with emissions dropping from 177g/km to 162g/km and with an average fuel economy figure of 40.4, it is not overly thirsty.
Unfortunately, there have been no changes to the suspension on the QV so what was once an underwhelming car is, maybe predictably, still an underwhelming car. This has always been a busy marketplace but there are currently some formidable rivals. The Megane RS remains the enthusiast's choice but is only available as a three-door with a manual gearbox, further distancing it from the Giulietta.
Competition ranges from the Ford Focus ST at the good value end of the market, to the Seat Leon Cupra, Golf GTI and even the Golf R and BMW 135i.
The QV does feel suitably fast if you use the new launch control procedure but it is the sort of hooligan gimmick most owners use once out of curiosity and then forget.
There is nothing to suggest that the QV won't be every bit as reliable as its German rivals
At other times it can feel hesitant and slothful, principally because the engine needs working hard to deliver its performance and without the turbo it is as if the car is mired in treacle.
When the turbo does kick in it does so with such enthusiasm that it really makes the front tyres struggle to keep traction. This is with the DNA switch (the car's electronic “character†switch) set to Dynamic. In Normal, the car is so laid back it isn't really a hot hatch at all.
While the steering requires little effort in Normal mode it's also unresponsive and in Dynamic mode it is excessively heavy. Contrasts continue with a sound enhancement system that pipes loud engine noise straight into the cabin, but the suspension is surprisingly comfortable by hot hatch standards.
Then again, the car doesn't feel as poised when driven fast. The brakes are fine but the gearbox is not as crisp or decisive as the similar system in a Golf or Leon.
Inside, the new steering wheel is rather large and still feels at a slightly odd angle; the standard seats look nice but lack support and rear seat space is compromised for taller passengers, but the cabin is easy on the eye. There is nothing to suggest that the QV won't be every bit as reliable as its German rivals, though.
It feels solid, the paint is lustrous and the leather genuine. Equipment levels are generous but at £28,120 they need to be. The limited run Launch Edition with added extras is £30,280. A Golf GTI five-door to a similar specification is £29,395; even the 300hp, 4WD Golf R starts at £30,555.
Ironically, it was the engine and gearbox that were the weakest link in the 4C: they are the carry over elements here, not the 4C's spirit.
Given the romance of the brand and its glorious catalogue of sporting cars, just about every car enthusiast wills Alfa Romeo to build great cars once again, but image should never overcome substance and there will need to be a lot more of the latter within the forthcoming new generation of Alfa Romeos if this new era of the company is to not fizzle out.
