These Alfa Romeos are so pretty! As time goes by, their beauty seems ever more timeless. They got a few upgrades last Spring to get them through the end of their career with brightness. This gave us the opportunity to test both the saloon and the SUV fitted with the same engine. Obviously, both were a little too thirsty for the era…
Style and driving pleasure are two of the Italian brand’s charming assets. There was a time when such things were highly rated by a well-known Bavarian brand. However, these have become increasingly more elusive over the years : an ever-increasing number of new models seem to be ugly and devoid of any driving pleasure. The Italians are not talking about electrification for these two models. The Giulia appeared back in 2016 and the Stelvio a year later. Most of the changes are cosmetic details and rather discreet. The redesigned headlamps put both of them more in line with the Tonale.
The Stelvio’s dashobard lost its good old instruments, there is now a 12″3 TFT display with three selectable settings: Evolved, Relax and Heritage. The first offers maximum information, the second gives you the bare minimum while the last one was inspired by old-fashioned instruments with the famous reverse digits. The central 8″8 screen now looks very small compared to the competition’s indecent proposals. Far from being a problem in our view but we suspect that it will definitely put off many punters more attracted by a dashboard screens’ big size than anything else. Strange times…
Real fun behind the wheel
It’s the same story in the Giulia even though the central screen seemed much less smaller. However it is exactly the same as the Stelvio’s. Once behind the wheel, you get a broad smile straight away . The steering wheel paddles are perfect : they are made of metal and perfectly sized, inviting you to play without restraint with the 8 gear automatic gearbox to get all the 4-cylinder engine’s power. Here, you get the feeling that the claimed 280bhp are actually there. The 400Nm of torque make for effortless acceleration on the motorway, when you need to overtake a few middle-lane cloggers playing on their mobile phones.
When the roads gets more interesting and bends arrive, the Giulia retains all its superb qualities, perfectly helped by its four-wheel drive chassis. What a joy to drive it serenly with a lot of pleasure ! The driving position is perfect, even if the indicator and wiper controls are difficult to reach between the steering wheel and the paddles. Mind you, there is a catch : the 4-cylinder engine’s sound is disappointing. In the Stelvio, it’s the same feeling : it retains all the dynamic qualities that we expect from it. In our opinion, it remains the most dynamic SUV in its category, thanks to its « reduced » weight : 1,660 kg.
Expensive to buy and to run
Unfortunately, most punters are paying more attention now to connected services and the digital equipment available on their future car than its technical specifications, let alone its dynamic capabilities… these two Alfa Romeos won’t make miracles before their demise. Both are now at a serious tax disadvantage as there isn’t any hybrid available and they command fairly hefty prices (€57,050 for the Stelvio and €2,000 less for the Giulia). Their tanks will need to be filled regularly with unleaded petrol, especially if, like us, you want to make the most of the generous powertrain : we averaged 29,7 MPG during our 517 miles in the Giulia, whereas the Stelvio guzzled even more and averaged just 26,9 MPG. You’ve been warned!
In the end, we fell over for the Giulia saloon : it is a beautiful designe as ever, but we already know that you’ll prefer the Stelvio, as its raised driving position gives an undeniable feeling of safety. It also offers more interior space, while its 525-litre boot offers more space. On-board comfort is guaranteed, despite the 21-inch wheels that were fitted to our test car. (Translation: Dimitri Urbain)
