An Alfa 4C-Engined Giulietta Should Be Epic, But It Fails To Live Up To Its Potential

In the pre-drive press conference at the Fiat proving grounds in Balocco (just outside Milan) the Alfa Romeo team waxed lyrical about the brand new Giulietta Quadrifoglio Verde (the Cloverleaf name has been dropped in favour of the proper Italian word).

You see, Alfa has every right to be confident following its launch of the sublime 4C, a brutish sportscar that immediately captured our hearts. What Alfa has done now, is take that car’s brilliant 237bhp 1750cc turbocharged engine and shove it in the Giulietta.

That’s a highly enticing combination, and first impressions outside are good; there’s no denying the Giulietta is a pretty thing to look at, managing to inject classic Alfa styling and elegance into a compact hatchback package. Plus, for a £2000 premium, there are 999 ‘launch edition’ versions available, which give you neat touches like carbon spoilers, front and rear diffusers and lovely 18-inch 4C-style alloy wheels.

Climbing inside to escape the baking Italian sun, the leather and Alcantara bucket seats are nicely supportive, but it is here that the first hints of its penchant towards GT cruisability, rather than sportscar-baiting performance make themselves known. The new flat-bottomed steering wheel, for example, is huge, which instantly dampens my excitement about tearing through the winding hillside roads that surround Fiat’s Balocco proving ground.

Starting the Giulietta QV up, it’s clear that Alfa has worked on the car’s intake sound, resulting in a sonorous gargle when you put your foot flat to the floor for a few blips. It’s only now that I’m starting to believe Alfa’s bold claims that the QV will hit 62mph (with the assistance of launch control) in six seconds flat, before hitting its 149mph top speed.

Alfa’s DNA (Dynamic, Natural, All-Weather) system is ever-present, so faced with some nice corners and with Dynamic mode engaged (this sharpens up throttle response, holds revs until the red line in auto and puts the traction control on high alert) the noise that fills the cabin is pleasing. What’s not so good, is the car’s cornering ability, the vague steering feel being the biggest gripe.

The electronic limited-slip differential does a fairly good job of limiting understeer, however, but it’s the QV’s crashy suspension (especially around these awful local roads) that detracts from the driving fun.

After a couple of hours on the road, it’s onto the track, where I’m hoping the smooth tarmac will mask some of the QV’s pitfalls and highlight that sweet four-pot.

Like the 4C, the hot Giulietta uses a six-speed twin dry clutch gearbox, which allows you to cruise in relative comfort when in full auto mode. Take control via the steering wheel-mounted paddles and shifts aren’t quite as rapid as you’d hope. There is a deliberate thump in the back on upshifts, which is all very theatrical, but I’m left yearning for something snappier.

In the corners you can certainly feel the Giulietta’s weight shifting about; the engine might be 22kg lighter than its predecessor - it also used a 1750cc turbocharged unit - but the Giulietta’s hefty mass quickly cancels that weight saving out. The 4C weighs as much as a shoe, which gives the engine a chance to shine. In the heavier Giulietta (its vast swathes of leather, sat nav, air conditioning and ‘special mats’ make it 400kg heavier than the 4C) it just feels like it can’t live up to its potential - imagine Lionel Messi playing football in clogs; you know the potential is there but he’s always held back.

Frustratingly, this is a difficult car to recommend, especially considering its £28,120 pricing. For the money, you can grab a similarly-specced Volkswagen Golf GTI for a jot more, and that car is a superior drive. Then, there are the other alternatives, such as the rowdy Focus ST, which is less expensive, yet offers more driver satisfaction.

The Giulietta has looks on its side, and consumers who so desperately want an excuse to buy an Alfa Romeo, but the Giulietta is too expensive, dynamically flawed and nowhere near as fun as its rivals. Shame, because that engine sounds epic.