The highly anticipated Alfa Romeo Giulia goes on sale in the UK, with order books now being opened.

Alfa Romeo’s all-new 3-Series rival is available in five trim levels –Giulia, Super, Technica, Speciale and the range-topping Quadrifoglio. Customers will be able to initially choose between two petrol and two diesel engines, all of them exclusively paired to an eight-speed automatic gearbox.

Apart from the fire-breathing 503hp 3.0-litre V6 found in the Quadrifoglio, there’s a 197hp 2.0-litre petrol and two 2.2-litre diesel units with 148hp and 178hp outputs.

“The all-new Alfa Romeo Giulia is a true driver’s car, offering beautiful Italian styling and stunning performance, and so we’re delighted to see strong early interest in the car,” said Damien Dally, Country Manager at Alfa Romeo UK. “Passion and practicality combine in the Alfa Romeo Giulia; there’s never been more temptation to own an Alfa Romeo.”

Alfa Romeo offers a range of active safety systems as standard in the new Giulia, including Forward Collision Warning with Autonomous Emergency Brake with pedestrian recognition, Integrated Brake System, and Lane Departure Warning. In addition the all-new Giulia scored five stars in the Euro NCAP crash tests, with 98 percent protection result for adult occupants, making the highest score achieved by a car in 2015.

Pricing commences at £29,180 for the 197hp turbo petrol Giulia, with the 148hp diesel starting at £30,750. As for the Quadrifoglio range-topper, Alfa Romeo UK asks from £59,000.

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