Alfa Romeo Giulietta QV 2015 Car Auto Review

When the Alfa Romeo Giulietta was first launched back in 2010 it offered buyers a fashionable alternative to the Audi A3 and BMW 1 Series. Its classic Alfa grille, offset number-plate and LED rear lights certainly help it stand out from the crowd. This Quadrofoglio Verde Launch Edition has even more arresting looks thanks to its carbon fiber exterior trim and five-hole alloy wheels, surely making it the most exotic family hatchback on sale. You may remember this matte Magnesio paint from the MiTo we tested last week, and it looks even more menacing here. The Giulietta range starts from around £18,000. Step inside and the sporting theme continues, with a characterful painted dashboard, racey dials and this flat-bottomed steering wheel fitted in the QV.

It looks great in here and the uConnect system offers plenty of options to connect your smartphone or MP3 player. Some of the plastics don’t, however, feel quite as high-end as you’ll find in an A3 or Golf. While the front seating are feels nicely low-slung and spacious, there’s also less knee-room in the back than you’ll find in the five-door A3 Sportback, while there’s similar space to the BMW 1 Series back here. You can rest assured it’s safe in here though, with front and side airbags and a five-star crash safety score from Euro NCAP with an impressive 97 per cent for adult occupant protection. The boot is neatly accessed by pushing the Alfa badge and holds 350 liters, making it just ten liters smaller than the 1 Series. Like the MiTo, however, it has quite a tall boot lip to lift heavy items over.

The Giulietta is available with a 1.4-liter turbocharged petrol with 120, 150 or 170bhp, a 1.6-liter diesel with 105bhp and a 2.0-litre diesel with 150 or 175bhp. That’s unless you go for this QV model, fitted with the same 240bhp 1.75-liter petrol and TCT dual-clutch automatic fitted in the beautiful Alfa 4C sports car. Despite a modest power increase, the faster new gearbox and a new launch control mode, means the QV can sprint to 62mph in 6 seconds, almost a second faster than the Cloverleaf version it replaces and matching the Golf GTI performance pack. It sounds rather tasty too, with more induction noise in the cabin. Push the DNA selector forward so the QV engages Dynamic mode and the throttle sharpens, the steering gets meatier and Alfa’s Q2 differential engages. This acts on the front wheels to limit under-steer and improve traction out of corners. There’s no denying the Giuiletta is fast, but it can feel a bit skittish on rough roads, which we unfortunately have a lot of.

If you think a BMW 1 Series is too subtle and a Golf GTI too common, the Giulietta should certainly appeal. Its individuality and great looks certainly help its case, as does its safety credentials. The Quadrifoglio Verde is quick too, but doesn’t feel as polished as the finest hot hatches over a bucking road. But, what do you think of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta?