THE Giulia, the top-of-the-range model sporting the legendary Quadrifoglio badge, was introduced to the international press at the Alfa Romeo Museum last week.
It was a special event and a celebration of Alfa Romeo’s over one century of history. In fact, today the brand celebrates its 105th year of auto making, a goal which it shares with a very select club of manufacturers, which is even smaller when considering the brand’s worldwide sales successes and its racing victories.
The Alfa Romeo Giulia perfectly embodies the brand’s new paradigm remaining loyal to its century-long tradition which is not by chance, only who has a great past can face the challenges of the future. The respect for the brand’s proud history is demonstrated also by the original badge that the new model will show to the world for the first time.
The emblem has been renewed and modernised on the outside, while the distinctive shape and style elements which have made it an admired symbol the world over remain untouched.
Just sitting in the new Alfa Romeo is like entering a new dimension which centers around the driver, firing emotions and the promise of exhilarating driving experiences. Merit goes to the sensitive steering, the responsive acceleration and the prompt shifting and braking.
Additionally, rear or four-wheel drive is more than just a tribute to the most authentic roots of the Alfa Romeo legend, it is also a technical solution which offers high performance and astounding enjoyment.
An Alfa Romeo springs from the perfect balance of heritage, speed and beauty which makes it the highest expression of Italian style in the automotive world. The new Giulia is no exception because it encapsulates three particularities of Italian design: sense of proportions, simplicity and care for surface quality. This is the ‘skin’ that Alfa Romeo stylists have modelled with painstaking care on the mechanical parts.
The Italian style is characterised by a high quality surface finish which means creating rich, harmonious reflections across the volumes. The end result is the new Giulia, a sculptured shape reminiscent of a big cat just about to pounce.
The same inspiration is found inside the car. Everything is clean, essential and centres around the driver, such as the controls grouped on the small steering wheel designed to adapt to all driving styles.
The driver’s position was ‘cut’ as a fabric with a diagonal tunnel, a slightly undulated dashboard and cleverly oriented instruments which convey the impression of a tailor-made suit with hand-crafted care and premium materials. Carbon fibre, wood and fabrics are chosen for their visual and tactile pleasantness and are assembled in such a way to make the human touch visible.
State-of-the-art, innovative engines are another characterising element of a genuine Alfa Romeo. For this reason, a unique engine in terms of technology and performance, destined to become the new benchmark of the brand, has been created for the Quadrifoglio version.
The six-cylinder turbo petrol tuned by engineers with a Ferrari background delivers 380kW and exhilarating performance. It accelerates from 0 to 100km/h in only 3.9 seconds. Incidentally, despite the sensational power and torque output, the new engine is surprisingly fuel efficient and implements an electronically controlled cylinder deactivation system. Obviously, as all next-generation petrol and diesel engines, this six-cylinder is made entirely of aluminium to reduce weight, particularly on the front axle of the car and make that genuine Alfa Romeo sound.
The driving is safe and fun without ever having to run up against an invasive stability control system. The Integrated Brake System, an innovative electromechanical system which combines stability control and a traditional servo brake for instantaneous brake response and consequent record-breaking stopping distances in addition to the all-important weight optimisation, is being introduced on the new Alfa Romeo.
The new Alfa Romeo Giulia also features a renewed Alfa DNA which modifies the car’s dynamic behaviour according to the driver’s selection namely Dynamic, Natural, Advanced Efficient (energy efficiency mode implemented for the first time on an Alfa Romeo) and Racing (on the high performance versions).
All the main controls are incorporated in the steering wheel as on a Formula One car, while the human-machine interface consists of two simple, user-friendly knobs for adjusting the Alfa DNA selector and the infotainment system.
To obtain an excellent weight-to-power ratio, the Romeo Giulia combines extraordinary engine performance and the ample use of ultralight materials throughout.
For example, carbon fibre was chosen for the propeller shaft, the bonnet and the roof and aluminium was picked for the engine, brakes, suspension (including front domes and front and rear frames), in addition to many other body components, such as the doors and the wings. Furthermore, the rear crossmember is made of aluminium composite and plastic.
