Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1.6 Turismo

I had this car for 3 days while our Kia Picanto’s cam belt was being change and minor service done.

I have always wanted to drive an Alfa Romeo but I was very disappointed when I stepped into this brand new guilietta. The interior plastics were so fiddly I could not believe I was inside an Alfa ! I expected the interior of the Guilietta to match that of an Audi A4 or BMW 3 Series. Infact, the interior of the Kia Ceed feels more superior.

Performace : The diesel engine is quick and efficient. The fuel management display on the dash board is good as it prompts the driver to change gear thus helping with better driving.The handling was very good and cornering at speed was no problem at all. A very good grip driving through B-roads.Very responsive steering

Practicality: Central locking is good and auto headlamp when remote is activated to ‘open’ is also good. The car is spacious enough for 5 adults and the boot size is above average.

Reliability : Not owned long enough to judge. Like I mentioned below, I had always wanted to drive an Alfa and I almost bought the 159 Sportswagon until I read some disappointing electrical fault reviews. A neighbour who now drives a Peugeot 307 but once drove an Alfa confirmed that the electrics were really weird and cost her lots of money. Hopefully, these new Alfas will do better on reliability.

Value for money: I will simply write poor. Alfa needs an urgent update of this car’s interior to justify the prices.