CarBrandLogos archive · Alfa Romeo · 2015

Alfa RomeoGiulia

Rear-wheel drive, a Ferrari-derived V6, and a serious go at the Germans.

The story

A defining chapter in Alfa Romeo history.

Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Alfa Romeo Giulia, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.

Origins

Alfa Romeo had not built a rear-wheel-drive saloon since the 75 went out of production in 1992. The Giulia, revealed in 2015, was the company's attempt to re-enter the segment on the terms its rivals had set, developed at speed by a small dedicated team using a new platform called Giorgio.

Alfa Romeo Giulia · Pava, Milano · CC BY-SA 3.0 it

Design and engineering

The layout is conventional in the best sense: engine set well back, rear or all-wheel drive, near-equal weight distribution, double wishbones at the front and a multi-link rear, with a carbon-fibre propshaft and aluminium used liberally to hold weight down. Marco Tencone's body is restrained, the proportions doing the work. Engines run from turbocharged 2.0-litre fours and a 2.2 diesel to the Quadrifoglio's 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6, developed with Ferrari involvement and closely related to that company's V8 architecture.

Alfa Romeo Giulia · Pava, Milano ( from IT WIKI ) · CC BY-SA 4.0

2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia V6 Biturbo Quadrifoglio 2.9

In production

The Quadrifoglio was the statement. On launch it set a Nurburgring time no production saloon had matched, and reviewers consistently rated its steering and body control above the equivalent BMW M3 while being far less complimentary about the infotainment and the interior plastics. That verdict has followed the car ever since: the driving is exceptional, the details are not.

2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia V6 Biturbo Quadrifoglio 2.9 · Vauxford · CC BY-SA 4.0

Legacy

Sales never approached the German cars, and Alfa Romeo's dealer network and residual values did not help. But the Giorgio platform went on to underpin the Stelvio and several Maserati and Jeep models, and the Giulia gave the brand something defensible on engineering grounds rather than heritage. It arrived six years after the 159 it replaced.

At a glance

The facts that define it.

Produced

2015–present

Engine

Petrol:

Body

4-door saloon

Technical specification

The Giulia, in detail.

Production: 2015–present
Class: Compact executive car (D)
Body style: 4-door saloon
Layout: Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive/all-wheel-drive
Engine: Petrol:; 2.0 L Fiat Chrysler Automobiles; FCA FCA Global Medium Engine; GME T4 Multiair Turbocharger; turbo Straight-four engine; I4 ; 2.9 L Alfa Romeo 690T engine; 690T twin-turbo V6 engine; V6 ; Diesel: ; 2.2
Transmission: 6-speed Manual transmission; manual (Getrag G217) ; 6-speed manual (ZF S6-53, Quadrifoglio) ; 8-speed automatic transmission; automatic (ZF 8HP transmission; ZF 8HP50) ; 8-speed automatic (ZF 8HP transmission; ZF 8HP75,
Designer: Marco Tencone at Centro Stile Alfa Romeo
Assembly: Italy: Piedimonte San Germano, Lazio (Cassino Plant)
Manufacturer: Alfa Romeo