Alfa Romeo Giulietta update brings back Super and Veloce

Remember the names Super and Veloce, which were mainstay model badges of Alfa Romeo cars of years ago?  Now these are back, in the updated Giulietta.

The Alfa Romeo brand continues to revitalise itself with the planned introduction of a number of new models.  The eagerly-anticipated Giulia sedan will make its South African debut shortly, aiming to re-ignite the Alfisti passion in the country once again.

Apart from this, there are a couple of other stylish Italian introductions that South Africans can look forward to.

Honeycomb and trefoil

Following the international launch of the Giulia, the Alfa Romeo Giulietta, in revised form, is now available in South Africa.  

The bold and sporty design is enhanced by several exterior style elements such as the honeycomb grille (which replaces the distinctive chrome stacked lines) across the triangular grille, and a new front bumper which recalls the shape of the legendary front trefoil.

The new model sports the refreshed Alfa Romeo logo which has been modernised, though preserving the distinctive style elements which have made it an emblem known and cherished worldwide.

Burnished headlights, new bumper inserts, new-look alloy rims and new oblique tailpipes complete the new look.

To tell apart the updated Giulietta from the pre-updated one from the rear:  the Giulietta lettering changed from a cursive to a bold print type font, and it moved from below the Alfa Romeo roundel on the tailgate to under the right-side taillight housing.

Giulietta, Super, Veloce

The line-up has been shuffled to offer 3 trim levels: Giulietta (base), Giulietta Super and Giulietta Veloce.

The Giulietta base has grey and black fabric seats (black leather is optional), a matte black dashboard, leather steering wheel and new black inserts on the tunnel and door pulls.  Its standard equipment covers items like TPMS (Tyre Pressure Monitoring System), Alfa DNA (driving mode switch), electronic Q2 differential, and Uconnect 5-inch touchscreen audio.  As entry-level model, the Giulietta base offers a value price point.  Strangely, it has steel wheels rather than alloy wheels.

The Super trim level has new Alfa Romeo trademark grey and black fabric “cannelloni” seats, dual-zone automatic climate control and a rear air vent, refrigerated storage compartment, cruise control, 17-inch alloy wheels, fog lamps in front, and a chrome exterior window surround.  Premium leather seats are available as option, in black or typical-Italian Red or Tobacco (tan).

The Super model can be ordered with the Veloce pack – a sports package which makes the Super look more like the Veloce, and includes an aesthetic aerodynamic kit and the dark headlights and trim as per the Veloce.  It can be added for R 16 000.  See the red car pictured here.

The Giulietta Veloce trim level – the sportiest of the line-up – is bolder and sported up by new carbon-look headlights, glossy anthracite accents on the mirrors, door handles and on the grille and fog light surrounds, and featuring new sports bumpers with Alfa Red profiles (where other hot hatches like Golf GTI have red lines inside its headlights and the A250 Sport has the red lower grille line).  Brembo brakes with red calipers are present, and spec like front and rear parking sensors are added.  The Veloce is the grey car pictured here.

The exclusive sporty outfit is mirrored by an exclusive interior design ambience packed with premium quality accents.  The Giulietta Veloce trim level has new leather and Alcantara suede-cloth sports seats with integrated head restraints embellished with contrasting red stitching and “Alfa Romeo” lettering on the head restraints.  Also standard, the contoured leather steering wheel with contrasting red stitching and the carbon look finish dashboard surround and door panels, all complemented by specific matte grey inserts.

The Quadrifoglio Verde model is replaced by the new Veloce, and the QV’s green cloverleaf on the front fender is omitted, replaced by Veloce letters in chrome.

Veloce is Italian for fast.  Therefore the performance figures show the Veloce to be the fastest among its peers:  0-100km/h is claimed at 6.0 sec, compared to 7.1 for the Mégane GT or 6.5 for the Focus ST (manual only) and Golf GTI DSG.  In fact, the Veloce goes up against the GTI Clubsport’s 5.9 seconds.

3 TBi engines

The engine line-up of Giulietta now features a revised line-up of 3 Turbo Benzina (Petrol) injection engines:  the 1.4 in 88kW with 6-speed manual has been re-introduced for the Giulietta base model and Super manual, while the 1.4 MultiAir is linked to the TCT 6-speed automated transmission, available in Super spec, quoted at 125 kW and 250 Nm.  The 1750 also gets the TCT gearing for the Veloce, and power here is 177kW to compete as hot hatch, with torque measured at 340 Nm.

Alfa Performance on smartphone

Also debuting on Giulietta is Alfa Performance – the exclusive service specifically created to enhance the driving experience.  Using an array of digital gauges and instruments, drivers can control the main parameters of the car, measure their performance using special timers, and see driving statistics on their smartphone.

Staying true to Alfa Romeo spirit, the Giulietta is light and efficient courtesy of lightweight materials and the perfect weight-to-power ratio.  Furthermore, it offers a balanced weight distribution, an evolved suspension system, and responsive steering.  

The new model also features a slew of features developed by Magneti Marelli,  ranging from exhaust systems, suspension, and powertrains, to lighting devices. Another confirmation of how the right collaborations create the best designs.

Models and prices

Priced down to make up for the now-departed Alfa Romeo MiTo – whereas the previous Alfa Romeo Giulietta range started at R 377 900 – the new Giulietta starts at a much lower R 319 900.

Alfa Romeo Giulietta	88kW	R 319 900
Alfa Romeo Giulietta Super	88kW	R 362 900
Alfa Romeo Giulietta Super auto	125kW	R 412 900
Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce [auto]	177kW	R 479 900