The all-new Giulia premium saloon is the model Alfa Romeo’s future largely depends upon, so getting it right and pleasing US customers is of uttermost importance.
Mother company FCA recently announced that its launch will be delayed by another six months, to the second quarter of 2016. Taking our time, are we, Mr. Marchionne?
Anyway, the rear-wheel drive saloon that’s based on the new Giorgio platform that’s been developed with Ferrari’s help has, so far, been shown around the globe since fall 2014 solely in the range-topping Quadrifoglio Verde version.
While we were anticipating lesser versions to be revealed next year at the Geneva Auto Show, Alfa Romeo chose to announce them in LA. All of them will be powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter four cylinder with 276 HP. It features direct fuel injection and the MultiAir2 variable valve control system, plus internal exhaust gas recirculation for lower fuel consumption.
The four-cylinder Giulia will initially be available next summer with rear-wheel drive and will be joined by all-wheel drive variants right after its launch.
The Italian automaker also announced that the Quadrifoglio Verde will be priced at “around US$70,000” in the US. Not exactly affordable, is it?
Then again, it’s considerably cheaper than in Europe, where it starts at €79,000 (US$84,000). Your money gets you a 505 HP (510 PS) 3.0-liter twin-turbo that, combined with the “lower than 3 kg/HP” weight-to-power ratio, completes the 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) sprint in a mere 3.9 seconds.
The chassis uses a double wishbone front and multilink rear suspension and the power is transmitted to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox. The limited slip differential incorporates a dual-clutch Torque Vectoring System to maximize grip, brakes come courtesy of Brembo and the, now familiar, DNA driving mode selector comes with an extra setting called Racing.
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