ALFA ROMEO GIULIA Q4 SPORT SEDAN

The Alfa Romeo Giulia Q4 is one half of a party of two. What party is that, you ask? It’s the only vehicle in its class that is built in Italy. It joins its big brother, the Alfa Romeo Stelvio SUV, which is a standout in that category, in boasting of its Italiano roots. In business now for over 100 years, the brand offers a blend of performance and passion. Once a regular sight on American roads, they retreated for a while. They now return for a more proper go, this time with the backing of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.

Napleton.news had a chance to cruise the “pretend Autostradas” around South Florida to test out this sexy Italian. What did we think? Read on to find out.

WHAT IS THE ALFA ROMEO GIULIA Q4?

A lush-looking Italian sport sedan, the Alfa Romeo Giulia is a four-door, five four-passenger sport-touring sedan. Priced below the Mercedes C-Class and BMW 3 Series, it is loaded with a style that is not easily attained in this segment of personal sedans.

The Giulia, as we tested it, is powered by a standard 280 horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder engine. That’s a mouthful, but wait, there’s more! It produces 306 lb-ft of torque, that’s fed into an 8-speed automatic transmission. From there, the power is sent to all four wheels of the Q4 all-wheel-drive system. While possessing a rear-wheel bias, torque can be shifted forward to a 60:40 bias, as necessary.

The Giulia Q4 features a drive mode DNA selector. That’s for Dynamic, Natural and Advanced Efficiency. They allow you to vary the Giulia’s handling, engine mapping, and more, to tailor the car’s efficiency and a variety of levels. Natural presents a balanced experience; Advanced Efficiency deactivates cylinders for enhanced fuel savings. Finally, Dynamic offers a sportier feel, with a firmer suspension and more responsiveness from the throttle.

But if all this excitement is still not enough, Alfa Romeo has your number, in the form of the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio. This track-ready rocket features a Ferrari-derived 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 that produces 505 horsepower and achieves a 0-60 mph time of 3.8 seconds and a top speed of 191 mph.

HOW DOES THE ALFA ROMEO GIULIA Q4 LOOK?

Think of the front of the Alfa Giulia as being a bit bashful and understated. Based on a modified “three-box” design, it is smoother and sexier than many other competitors in the segment. While most of the other vehicles in the class have huge gaping bass-like or superhero shield intakes, this Alfa Romeo uses a “Scudetto,” which is Italian for “little shield. The front continues with a pair of cat eyes masquerading as headlights.

On the side panels, interesting “streaks” help to extend the overall length of the vehicle. Nineteen-inch Pirelli Cinturato sport tires wrap the Alfa Romeo gunmetal alloy wheels for a dynamic look, even while standing still. The entire package is set off with blackened logos on the rear decklid. It’s a great look.

A LOOK INSIDE

The first thing we noticed when sitting in this Q4 Giulia is that something was missing. Yes, we could not locate the starter button, regardless of where we looked. We looked on the dashboard, the side of the steering column and even along the center console. Frustrated, we exhaled as we leaned back into the Giulia’s sports seats. Then, looking down, we found it. The starter button is located on the lower bout of the steering wheel. It’s not the most logical or common placement, but it is located directly in your line of sight as long as you are looking for it. The other thing we noticed while looking at the wheel was the huge magnesium alloy paddle-shift levers. So big, even a person with small hands could reach them.

Other items refreshed for 2020 now include, as standard, an 8.8-inch infotainment display.

BEHIND THE WHEEL OF THE GIULIA

The Alfa Romeo Giulia is a proper, purpose-built vehicle that puts the “sports” back into Sports Sedan. After we buckled in, all it took was a push of the starter button to get the heart of this little Italian beating. Hearing this Ferrari-designed engine roar to life is different than any other vehicle in the segment.

There’s no shift-it-yourself function happening here. Instead, you can set the eight-speed automatic and forget it, or you can take matters into your own hands literally, by shifting through the gears via the twin paddle-shift levers.

Acceleration comes quickly with this 280 horsepower dynamo under the hood. Turbo-lag is kept well in check and the manumatic gearbox slices and dices through the cogs. The suspension is well-sorted in a balanced kind of way, and you get the feeling if this car could talk, it would be saying, “Take me to the track.”

This Alfa Romeo Giulia thinks it’s a Formula 1 car. Please don’t burst its bubble.

ALFA ROMEO GIULIA Q4 SPECIFICATIONS

Type	Four-door sports sedan
Passengers	5
Engine	2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder
Horsepower	280 HP
Torque	306 lb-ft
Transmission	8-speed Automatic
Drive	AWD
Suspension Front	Double Wishbone
Suspension Rear	Alfa Romeo Multi-link design
Brakes	Brembo Four-Piston Calipers
Wheelbase	111.0 inches
Overall Length	182.6 inches
Width	73.7 inches
Height	56.5 inches
0-60 MPH	5.1 Seconds
Top Speed	149 MPH
EPA Mileage	24 city/33 highway/27 combined