Giulietta charms with Alfa Romeo's Italian flair

ALFA Romeo were never going to let their 100th anniversary go by without having a serious shot at making a genuinely class-leading car.

What they produced was this, the MiTO’s big sister, the Giulietta.

It’s typically graceful Italian styling sets it apart from the classy, but often fairly dull, German offerings that dominate the sector.

And in the sporty Cloverleaf guise tested here, it has enough firepower to take on the Golf GTi, Audi S3 and SEAT Leon Cupra.

At £22,495, it comfortably undercuts the GTi, being around £1,000 more than the Cupra, but offers a refreshingly different take.

Restrained interior offers attractive finer detailing

A reasonably restrained interior by Alfa Romeo standards maintains the cowled speed and rev counters and neatly integrates the radio into a machined aluminium fascia.

Natty rocker switches operate door locks and fog lights and the Cloverleaf adds embroidered leather sports seats, a round aluminium gear knob and aluminium pedals.

My test car also came fitted with the optional (£1,200) Radio Nav system which integrated sat-nav, stereo and bluetooth telephone functions into a pop-up screen on top of the dash.

The Giulietta’s interior feels of high (if not Germanic) quality, and although the driving position would ideally suit those shorter than myself, it is low and sporty.

At the heart of the Giulietta Cloverleaf's performance credentials is Alfa’s 1750 TBi engine.

Small engine packs big power

The 1.7-litre turbocharged, direct injection petrol unit offers 235bhp and 251lb.ft. of torque - the most power-per-litre in its class - and advanced variable valve timing helps return a claimed 37mpg and CO2 emissions of 177g/km.

As well as distinctive Cloverleaf badging on its flanks, the sportiest Giulietta gets a 10mm drop in suspension, which means firm but tightly damped suspension.

Red brake callipers, tinted windows, 18-inch alloys and wide-set twin exhausts complete the visual cues.

With its long bonnet and swollen haunches, it looks effortlessly sexy.

Alfa Romeo’s DNA system, which offers three driving modes, is one of the Giulietta’s standard features.

Disappointingly, my experience suggested that each mode gives compromised throttle response and power delivery.

Initially lethargic, the Cloverleaf has to be awakened...

Alfa claim that NORMAL mode is set-up for relaxed driving, but in a car like the Cloverleaf  I expected to jump in and immediately feel I was driving something special.

Instead it initially felt distinctly lethargic and lacking in fireworks.

The ALL WEATHER setting was even more numb.

It took a prod of the rocker-type selector to assume the Cloverleaf’s DYNAMIC mode and really get things going.

Immediately, the car gave access to an extra 30lb.ft. of torque and felt good for its claimed 6.8-second sprint to 62mph and 150mph top speed.

But despite hair-trigger responses from the throttle, a flat exhaust note and a propensity to spin its front wheels at junctions made stop-start driving in DYNAMIC mode tiresome.

The Cloverleaf cornered with assurance, but the front end never quite keyed into a corner with the vigour I had hoped for.

Without doubt, the Cloverleaf is an extremely rapid hatchback rather than a truly rewarding drivers car.

Alfa Romeo has kept its emotional appeal

There is no doubting that the Giulietta looks the business, though, and it is a top quality proposition.

Its stunning blend of lines and creases will deservedly win it fans.

If the Italians wanted to challenge the market with a car that adds a sizeable injection of style with no appreciable shortfalls in quality, comfort or practicality, they have succeeded.

In short, the Giulietta has enough charisma to win over customers hearts in a way that most of its rivals can’t at first sight.

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