Alfa Romeo updates Giulia with more safety kit

LITERALLY the same day that BMW announces pricing for its new M3/M4 duo – and just a week after its initial reveal – Alfa Romeo has unveiled and detailed its refreshed 3 Series-baiting Giulia mid-sized sedan, including the ballistic Quadrifoglio.

Trimming the range from four variants to three, the line-up is now kicked off by the Sport ($63,950 plus on-roads) with the new nameplate replacing the previous ‘Giulia’ entry-level offering, while the mid-range Veloce ($71,450) and Quadrifoglio ($138,950) variants have both being retained.

In terms of pricing, the Sport checks in $3050 upstream of the outgoing Giulia while the Veloce and Quadrifoglio have actually dropped in price by $1450 and $6950 respectively.

Despite the Sport’s increase in price, Alfa Romeo says it “delivers over 10 per cent customer value compared to the Giulia base version it replaces” with the crux of the update revolving around a significant boost to the standard safety gear.

According to Alfa Romeo product strategy director Guillaume Drelon, the new safety kit comes in response to customer feedback.

“We’ve listened to the consumer and we are excited to deliver the upgraded technology and safety features they have wanted,” he said.

Automatic high beam assist, lane keep assist, driver attention alert, highway assist, traffic jam assist, active cruise control, infrared reflective windscreen, active blind spot assist and traffic sign recognition have all been added to the Giulia’s safety suite while the existing autonomous emergency brake system remains as is.

Not content with leaving the upgrades there, engineers and designers also set about improving the base model’s standard equipment list and styling with the addition of new 19-inch alloy wheels, red brake callipers, side rear and rear privacy glass, sports leather seats, heated leather sport steering wheel, power bolster, heated front seats, leather gear knob, aluminium pedals, aluminium dashboard insert, wireless phone charging and a new bigger 8.8-inch infotainment touchscreen.

Under the skin, the new Sport is identical to the outgoing base Giulia, meaning it is powered by the same 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine good for 147kW of power and 330Nm of torque.

Drive as ever for a Giulia is sent to the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Also powered by a 2.0-litre turbo engine is the mid-range Veloce which continues to pump out a much more potent 206kW/400Nm, resulting in a 5.8-second dash from 0-100km/h.

More than just a power bump, the Veloce comes with all of the same standard equipment and safety gear as the Sport but adds on a few extra features including Alfa Active Suspension, Q2 limited slip rear differential, Veloce body kit with dual exhaust tips, adaptive 35W bi-xenon headlamps, leather stitched dashboard and door trims, ambient interior lighting, heated rear seats and eight-way power adjustment for the front row as well as memory function for the driver.

Once again sitting at the top of the Giulia tree is the M3-poaching Quadrifoglio which is armed with a twin-turbocharged 2.9-litre V6 petrol engine good for an unchanged 375kW/600Nm.

All that firepower results in a 0-100km/h time of 3.9 seconds and a top speed of 307km/h.

Given its price reduction and the inclusion of all the new kit outlined above, Alfa Romeo is claiming an eight per cent value improvement on the Quadrifoglio which not only sits at the top of the performance tree but the equipment tree as well.

On top of the gear fitted to the Veloce, the Quadrifoglio adds the Alfa DNA Pro drive mode system, Monza exhaust with quad tips, Monster braking system, Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres, 19-inch forged alloy wheels, carbon-fibre bonnet, roof, rear spoiler, side skirts, carbon-fibre interior trim, leather, Alcantara and carbon-fibre QV steering wheel, leather and Alcantara seat upholstery and a Harman Kardon premium audio system.

“The MY20 Alfa Romeo Giulia range sets a new standard for design and represents a superb value proposition in the segment, with outstanding performance, iconic Italian design and craftsmanship, paired with the technology and safety features Australians have come to expect,” Mr Drelon said.

Alfa Romeo has sold exactly 100 Giulias so far this year ending August, accounting for 1.3 per cent of the $60,000-plus medium car segment.

For reference, BMW sold 2130 examples of the 3 Series (27%), Mercedes-Benz sold 1921 C-Classes (24.4%) and Audi sold 527 A4s (6.7%) over the same period.

2020 Alfa Romeo Giulia pricing*

*Excludes on-road costs