may 2019 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 693-series vs the worldB-road. Alfa does diesel Giulias if you’re after precise powertrain and
financial parity with a 320d, but the bad press currently depressing diesel
sales might prompt you to consider the petrol-powered Veloce. At £38,260
it’s comparable to 320d pricing, but swaps the derv for a 2.0-litre blown
petrol four like you’d find in a hot hatch. You get 295lb ft like the diesels,
but a much stronger 276bhp, plus standard eight-speed auto and rear-wheel
drive. There’s even a claim of 46.3mpg with your 5.7-second 0-62mph.
It’s a cut-price alternative to the 500bhp Alfa Quadrifoglio we rate so
highly, and you can spec Veloce Ti trim and other visual treats to further
the illusion. Nice, but unnecessary, as our car proves with its wolf-whistle
body and still attractive 18s. If you can stretch to it, the £1950 Performance
Pack is nigh-on essential. Adaptive dampers, limited-slip diff, paddles... it
all contributes to our Giulia being so phenomenally good to drive.
Alfa gets it right from the off with gorgeous ribbed leather seats posi-
tioned down on the deck, bolsters hugging you like a Vespa pillion, and
Ferrari references impossible to overlook: starter button on the wheel, a
dash that drops low to wrap around circular air vents, and our car’s (op-
tional) blade-like shift paddles fixed to the column, not the steering wheel.
After the 3’s locked-down suspension, the Alfa’s tuning philosophy is
very different, with generous compliance and travel. The steering, too,
has an almost shocking speed and lightness but also accuracy; it’s quite
different from the BMW. It’s that echo of Ferrari again. At first I mistake
the suspension travel for sloppiness and think the steering feels almost too
rapid and pointy for the leisurely body movements, but within a few miles
the Alfa feels deliciously light, nimble and unfazed by rough surfaces.
Its limits are high, but the Giulia trades the kind of brute-force feel of
the 3-series for a more delicate nuance, so you’re reading and working with
the surface more, feeling the body move, the tyres smearing a little over the
surface and the rear arcing slightly under power. It’s driving as surfing, and
when it all gels and you key into that rhythm it’s sublime. More’s the pity
that the traction control cannot be disengaged, because there’s enough
power to exploit that delicious balance. The four-cylinder turbo runs
into its soft cut-out at surprisingly low revs, but it punches hard in the
low- and mid-range, shifts gears in a finger-click and – considering the
hardware – does a decent job of aural encouragement. Always quick, there
are moments when the Veloce feels astonishingly rapid, particularly when
firing from first to third coincides with corners you can almost take flat.
It’s an Alfa, so we’d be suspicious if there wasn’t ‘character’ here, and
there is, particularly the calibration of Dynamic mode – tighter body
control and weightier steering can be welcome on a mission, but an unnec-
essary pulse accompanies gearshifts, and backing off quickly at higher revs
elicits a rude shunt. The brake pedal is also strangely long, although the
four-piston set-up is excellent. Occasionally it just feels like the last 10 per
cent of calibration magic is lacking.
There are other compromises, too: I struggled to actually sit behind
myself, interior quality is patchy, the infotainment only average, there’s a
whistle from the wing mirrors, hazard warning lights flash embarrassingly
under hard braking and there are rogue ‘you’re-about-to-crash’ beeps in
town. Character. But if dynamics are your priority, the Alfa Giulia Veloce is
the ultimate driving machine in this test.
Our Mercedes is a more direct 320d rival. Now five years old, the C-Class
was recently updated with more efficient engines and capacitive switches
on the steering wheel. Ours arrives dressed as a C220d AMG Line, which
means AMG bumpers and skirts, and a 1950cc turbodiesel that promises
191bhp with 61.4mpg. A base £39,160 is tickled to £45,515, mostly thanks to
Premium and Driving Assistance packs.
The C-Class looks a bit meek on 18-inch alloys, and less flashy inside
with its sports seats upholstered in a mix of artico (convincing fake leather)
bolsters and suede-like dinamica inserts, but they’re set suitably low and
hold you well. There’s good room in the back too, but it’s strange that the
rear bench is so much firmer than the front seats. It’s like being in church.
Other de-merits include a bulky, less focused look to the dash than the
lean 3-series, and a far less neatly integrated infotainment screen. But ⊲After the 3’s locked-downsuspension, the Alfa’s tuningphilosophy is very differentReverse-sweep
tacho and M Sport
calipers keep the
faith