Alfa tweaks Giulietta range for Aus

ALFA Romeo has trimmed down its Australian Giulietta range as part of a late-life update that introduces subtle styling changes and new variant names for its small hatchback .

As GoAuto reported last week, Alfa Romeo has reintroduced its historic Veloce nameplate for performance-focused Alfa variants that are not quite as sporty as anything with a Quadrifoglio badge.

In the Giulietta range, the Veloce – Italian for fast – will replace the QV hot hatch, while the base Progression and the mid-range Distinctive have merged to form the new Super variant. The total variant count has dropped from five to three with the facelift.

The base Super kicks the range off at $29,900 plus on-road costs and it is powered by a 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine delivering 110kW/250Nm and matched with a six-speed manual gearbox.

Alfa says the base Super manual has a 0-100km/h sprint time of 8.2 seconds, a top speed of 210km/h and an official fuel consumption figure of 5.5 litres per 100km on the combined cycle.

This replaces the $29,000 Progression that pumped out 88kW from its 1.4-litre unit.

Buyers wanting an auto can opt for the Super TCT that ups the power and torque from the 1.4-litre engine to 125kW/250Nm that uses a six-speed TCT automatic transmission for a 0-100km/h time of 7.7s, a top speed of 218km/h and fuel use of 4.9L/100km..

It is priced from $34,900, which is $100 cheaper than the Distinctive that it effectively replaces.

At the top of the range, the Veloce uses a 177kW/340Nm 1.75-litre turbo-petrol engine with a six-speed TCT transmission – the manual is no longer available – for a 0-100km/h time of 6.0s, a 244km/h-top speed and a 6.8L/100km fuel figure.

The Veloce’s price of $41,900 also represents a $100 drop when compared with the QV.

The pricing pits it against other warmed over hatches including Peugeot’s 308 GT ($41,990), Ford’s Focus ST ($38,990), Volkswagen’s Golf GTI ($41,340) and Renault’s forthcoming new-generation Megane GT ($38,490).

All powertrains are carried over from the superseded Giulietta.

Changes to the exterior – previewed at this year’s Geneva motor show – are subtle and include a revised front end with a new honeycomb grille, restyled headlight and foglight surrounds and piano black inserts in the bumper that also add a flash of red to sportier variants.

Alfa Romeo says the updated look was designed to give it more of a family resemblance with its larger Giulia stablemate that will arrive in Australia early next year.

The cabin gains updated seat upholsteries, dash and door panel finishes as well as new Alfa badging on the steering wheel and upholstery.

Standard gear in the Super manual includes 16-inch alloys wheels, dual-zone climate control, Alfa DNA drive mode selector, rear parking sensors, leather wrapped steering wheel and silver ball shift knob, Halogen headlights, LED daytime running lights, body-coloured mirrors, chrome flourishes and a Uconnect 5.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system.

The Super TCT adds front parking sensors and a leather-wrapped shift knob and ups the size of the alloy wheels to 17-inch hoops and the size of the screen to 6.5-inch.

In flagship Veloce guise, the Giulietta also gets leather and Alcantara seats with integrated headrests, launch control, red Brembo front brake callipers, sports suspension, bi-Xenon headlights, twin exhaust pipes, a rear diffuser, flat-bottomed steering wheel, sports pedals and 18-inch alloy wheels.

Sales of the Giulietta have dipped in the past two years following its best sales result – 2268 units – in 2014 as a result of a big price drop when Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) Australia took control of distribution Down Under.

So far this year the Giulietta has sold 453 units, representing a 49.4 per cent dip over the first eight months of 2015 as newer rivals eat into the Italian hatchback’s sales tally.

2016 Alfa Romeo Giulietta pricing*

Super	$29,900
Super (a)	$34,900
Veloce (a)	$41,900

*Excludes on-road costs