Test Alfa Romeo Giulia Super 2.0 Turbo 200 HP Auto 8v.

Almost two years ago we used to put the controls of a very special car, especially for the Italian firm of biscione. It is not a sports car to use, but a saloon with dynamic DNA . You already know that I am referring to the Alfa Romeo Giulia, a product with which the company belonging to FCA has tried to resurface its original spirit , with passion cars that awaken the senses of those who drive them.

This is a special and risky bet in these times that are running, but very grateful by the most passionate drivers. Today, at Actualidad Motor, we tell you about our experience after living for a week with a Alfa Romeo Giulia in Super finish and with the 2.0 Turbo 200 HP engine, linked to the automatic 8-speed gearbox. Go ahead!

An artistic exterior

It is easy to qualify the exterior design of Alfa Giulia. At least for me it's all a success talking about beauty ; being one of the most attractive current vehicles of relatively reasonable price. The low frontal with the shield presiding, the fine bi-xenon headlights, the lower air intakes and the characteristic small registration on the left side create a very personal nose. To this we must add the marked ribs of the bonnet that are born in the lower center of the bumper and die, after making contour of the scudetto , in the A pillars.

The lateral clearly pursues a sports aesthetic without giving up to the three volumes of any saloon of segment D, trying to give visual fluidity. Because of the low height of the body, it looks like a car much longer than it really is. I like the optional 18-inch wheels that fit our unit, with brake calipers in red. It also highlights the fine front pillar and how well the designers have resolved the fusion of the interior with the trunk lid in this side view.

The exterior dimensions of the Alfa Romeo Giulia are 4,643 mm long, 2,024 wide -with mirrors- and 1,436 mm high. The battle is 2,820 mm, while the declared weight is 1,429 kilos.

The backside is not as emotional as the front, but it is still very elaborate. The pilots are thin and very elongated, extending along a good part of the side. The loading mouth of the trunk, even more because it has a lid and not a tailgate, is not the most practical. Finally, in this case we find a single exhaust outlet , although of large dimensions, on the left side of the black trim. Personally, I liked more how are the versions with an exit on each side, as in the Giulia diesel that we tested long ago.

Elegant interior, but with many details to improve

In the interior we also continue to appreciate an Italian style very worked and of good quality in many sections. The materials are well chosen in the high parts, both the dashboard and the doors, with soft and pleasant finishes.The steering wheel, with the integrated start button, draws much attention, with a very Ferrari style. Also Ferrari style, for its size and be made of aluminum, are cams for automatic change. The selector lever of the change, however, does not transmit a good quality to the touch neither visual, could be more attractive materials.

The instrument cluster uses two dials wrapped in two great visors, very Alfa Romeo style since many years ago. In the central part there is a TFT screen for travel information. The visibility of the dashboard is good, although it is true that its technology is far from the digital pictures of Audi or Mercedes.

The interior is very well resolved aesthetically, with a very nice style, sporty and, to some extent, luxurious . However, there are details that the Italian brand should resolve as soon as they launch a restyling on the market.

I liked the some adjustments of the box on the dashboard and air vents. lateral When you touch or press, especially in the top of the picture, you hear unpleasant crunches that should not be present in a car of this category and price.

Neither does the infotainment system seem right Beyond that can only be operated from the rotary knob of the central console, which does not seem too bad, the structure of the menus I think it is something improvable, as well as the projection of the maps when we open the browser. On the other hand, the reversing camera is bad , showing in a very small format -media screen- and without a great image quality.

Although there are several storage slots , the truth is that none can be considered wide, being all of small size so it is hard for us to leave a mobile phone, a wallet, keys, a bottle of water and some other object that we always carry. The one under the central armrest is not very bulky. We also do not find a wireless charging socket for a smartphone, but we do have a couple of USB sockets.

Space for four, if those behind are not very sturdy

And since we are talking about space, let's see the space for the occupants in this Alfa Romeo Giulia. The front seats are wide enough , although not the most generous of the category, for adults of virtually any size. What has not convinced me is that, in this case, the seats are too wide and, being leather, do not hold all those who are thinner. This partially obscures the driving pleasure when we fan the rhythm along a road of curves. For the rest, they are quite comfortable.

The access to the rear seats is somewhat complicated by the low height of the roof -possibility of hitting the head on the upper edge of the bodywork- and by the abrupt shape of the wheel arch, which Annoying when entering and leaving the car. In the rear seats we have a good space for legs and knees , but can not be qualified as good later seats.

We do not have a space left over for the head, but its worst height is the width .On the positive side, note that we have a USB socket and two air vents in the central part, and that the rear seats hold better than usual behind the occupants by their marked forms. At least in this unit, there is no central armrest in these rear seats.

Boot not very usable, and without being able to fold the seats of series

Another of Alfa Romeo Giulia's negative points is your trunk. Cubes a capacity of 480 liters which, without being a huge space, is correct and sufficient for most families. However, the forms are not very usable , with many elbows that do not help organize the load. The loading mouth, because of the exterior design, is not very practical. The above can be understood, but what is not understandable is that the folding rear seats are an optional and not standard . In our unit, for example, we could not shoot them down. Fault of the fat ones.

Mechanical range

The Alfa Romeo Giulia was commissioned to release the Giorgio platform

strong>, which is also the basis of Stelvio (try here) and some future models that are still to come. It is a platform designed to use longitudinal engines and rear or integral propulsion systems. In addition, it looks for an excellent dynamic behavior, with a rather rigid chassis and a multitude of weight saving solutions.

In the case of Giulia, in our market and with the changes introduced only a few weeks ago, we can choose a diesel engine block 2.2 liters available in versions of 160, 190 HP and 210 HP ; as well as a gasoline thruster with 2 liters of displacement that can yield 200 or 280 HP . As we said above, our unit corresponds to the less powerful petrol version of the range.

The top is the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio , with a V6 biturbo of 2.9 liters and Ferrari origin that delivers nothing less than 510 hp . All this cavalry is transmitted to the asphalt exclusively with the rear wheels, there being no option to a system of integral traction. We better leave it for another day ...

2.0 Turbo 200 CV with 8-speed automatic transmission

Our test unit has been under its belt for many months, so it is a version Euro 6 and not the recently arrived variant that already exceeds the Euro 6d regulations. The Alfa Giulia, with this motorization and the automatic change by type converter of torque homologaba a mixed consumption of 5.9 l/100 km -finish-, as well as a CO2 emissions of 138 g/km .

According to the card, it is capable of covering 0 to 100 km/h in 6.6 seconds and reaching a top speed of 235 km/h.

Among the mechanical features of its four-cylinder turbocharged engine we find a power of 200 hp at 5,000 rpm , plus a maximum torque of 330 Nm from only 1,750 turns .Reinvent or die The Giorgio platform and the Alfa Romeo Giulia show us the great work carried out by the company, noticing in the beautiful exterior design, but also in the dynamic behavior and the great sensations that is capable of transmitting this saloon for segment D.

We already tested it with the 180 hp diesel engine, leaving us with a great taste in the mouth. It has always been said that gasoline is more linked to sportsmanship, right? For that reason, on this occasion, we put ourselves at the controls of the Giulia with the most accessible gasoline engine . Although the word accessible sounds a bit bad, we are talking about a 2.0 Turbo with 200 HP and 330 Nm that can exceed 230 km/h . Now it sounds much more interesting, right?

The Alfa Romeo Giulia differs markedly in its behavior of almost all the models of the segment D. The one that most resembles it by dynamism is the BMW 3 Series , although the Italian transmits a more passionate behavior . This is due to its low center of gravity, its lightness, to which we are sitting close to the ground and, of course, to the touch of driving. In addition, it also has rear propulsion , which is always more emotional than the front-wheel drive.

For me, the key details that make Alfa Giulia such a fun car to drive are your driving position, the few inclinations of the body and, above all, the configuration of your steering . It is a very precise and, above all, fast direction - so much that it took us a few kilometers to adapt to it. With little steering angle, the car is already turning a lot, which is very helpful on winding roads because it makes it very reactive.

The suspension filters the irregularities correctly, Not as good as a Mercedes C-Class, but it did satisfactorily. We must also bear in mind that we have run flat tires and a very low profile, which are not usually comfort friends. The good thing is that barely gives way to inclinations when we shoot at a high pace. His aplomb at high speed, thanks to the low center of gravity, is very good. The lateral grip is very, very high.

If we look for fun, the Giulia 2.0 Turbo 200 HP will be enough to draw a smile. We have chassis to spare, a lot of grip on both the front and rear, a direct steering and a great feeling with the asphalt .

200-hp engine, despite not being crazy about the declared figure, pushes with great vigor from well below. From just 2,000 laps we already have a good response and, although the red zone of the tachometer starts at 5,500, it stretches to 6,000 revolutions per minute. In addition, at high speed its sound is pretty nice , without becoming sporty.

Personally I think that if the rear wheels were no more wide than the front ones , as in the case of the unit tested, its behavior would still be more rewarding for the purists. With this greater width in the rear train we can not round both the track with the accelerator when leaving curves, receiving a sporty behavior but more neutral

The gearbox type converter with 8 speeds prefixed I found it very correct at all times, being soft in the city and at very low speed.In mode "A", the most efficient, has a mode of operation "sailing" when we lift the foot of the gas, which helps save a few tenths of fuel.

Personally I really like the bet of this model, as in the Stelvio and the Quadrifoglio, to introduce some large fixed metal cams ; very Ferrari style. Its touch is exquisite, and the box responds quickly when we ask to change gears manually. The best thing that they are fixed and large is that we have them located at all times. Aesthetically they are spectacular.

Where less comfortable is shown in the city and when maneuvering in narrow areas or in parking lots. The rear visibility is not very good for its exterior design, the rims are large and with low profile tires that we seem to scratch on each curb and the reversing camera is small and of poor quality . Due to its steering geometry, when we turn at the top and move at a very low speed, the front wheels transmit unpleasant sideways movements to the interior.

Consumptions Alfa Romeo Giulia 2.0 Turbo 200 HP

Now it's time to talk about consumption. We are facing a saloon with a 200 hp gasoline engine . In motorways and highways , at legal maximums, we will be between 6.2 and 6.5 liters , which I think are correct data for the type of car and motorization. The problem comes if we abuse the right foot, if we usually select the dynamic driving mode and if we start playing with the cams; something that we have repeated many times during this week. And this Giulia invites you to play.

Our final mixed consumption , after more than 600 kilometers traveled has been 8.5 liters each 100 kilometers traveled. Considering the sporty driving style that we have practiced during part of our journeys, looking for some other mountain pass like the one you see in some of the images, it does not seem like a high data.

Conclusions

Drawing conclusions from Alfa Romeo Giulia is very simple. It is a sedan that, without being in front of a sports version, invites you to practice driving dynamically . Without a doubt, you will have fun. For me, at a dynamic level it is the best in its category. On the opposite side, it is true that is not the most practical in terms of space, especially in the rear seats, and comfort when entering and leaving the car. The trunk is also not the best in the segment.

Probably this variant of 200 HP with automatic transmission is the most interesting for most of the customers for its great balance. Its engine is willing from the bottom up, it allows you to go very fast and the recoveries are good, the consumption is not far-fetched and the automatic change works perfectly, being quite intelligent.

The diesel version of 180 HP that we tested in 2017 also pushed hard, but it was much louder and transmitted some vibrations.