| First Drive | Balocco, Italy | Alfa Romeo Giulietta QV |
Key Facts
Model tested: Alfa Romeo Giulietta QV TCT
Pricing: from £28,120 for QV; limited run of 999 Launch Edition models from £30,280
Engine: 1.75-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol
Transmission: six-speed dual-clutch automatic, front-wheel drive
Body style: five-door hatchback
Rivals: Mégane Renaultsport 265, SEAT Leon Cupra, Volkswagen Golf GTI
CO2 emissions: 162g/km
Combined economy: 40.4mpg
Top speed: 152mph
0-62mph: 6.0 seconds
Power: 240hp at 5,750rpm
Torque: 300Nm at 1,850rpm (340Nm at 2,000rpm in Dynamic mode)
In the Metal: 
We've already had a Giulietta Cloverleaf model with similar performance figures, but the Italian 'Quadrifoglio Verde' name is to be adopted worldwide going forward, leaving us with this 'new' Giulietta QV. It is a very smart hot hatch, especially in Launch Edition format. Just 999 of these will be made, in a tactic similar to one last employed with the Alfa 4C, and they sport carbon fibre exterior trinkets - the door mirrors, rear spoiler, side skirts, front bumper and rear diffuser - as well as 18-inch five-hole 'Teledial'-esque alloys, plus a numbered plaque inside. The matte Magnesio Grey finish will be offered and in that colour a Launch Edition QV is an arresting sight. Of the 999 built, around 100 are expected to come to the UK.
It's not a bad looking car otherwise, however, with 'normal' QVs identifiable not just by the big, triangular badge on the tops of the front wings but also via the gloss black detailing in the lower front area and on the door mirrors and handles, as well as twin, spaced exhausts at the back and either 17- or 18-inch wheels. It's a restrained, wingless way to go about business.
The interior is reasonably easy on the eye, although there are one or two plastics and surfaces that are hard and scratchy, something that's a rarity these days. If Alfa is serious about becoming properly premium and challenging the established Germans, it's going to have to cut this sort of stuff out. The Uconnect screen is a standard five inches, which is fiddly, but the Launch Edition gets a 6.5-inch item with standard navigation that is better. The upholstery is leather and Alcantara, with sporty bucket-like seats in the front, while there are plenty of QV and cloverleaf logos, paddle shifts for the TCT dual-clutch automated manual gearbox and bespoke dials for the QV. The same stupidly big steering wheel is present, though.
Driving it:
Of the two new QVs launched by Alfa in the wake of the 4C, it's the Giulietta that comes across as the better resolved package. While we'd hardly say the SEAT Leon Cupra or Renaultsport Mégane will be sweating at the thought of thoroughbred Italian competition, the QV is competent enough that you could well imagine people who like to be different opting to buy one. The engine note, which we were told Alfa had paid particular attention to, is one key factor, sounding suitably sporty for a large chunk of the midrange and delivering smooth, impressive power out to the redline. For a four-cylinder forced induction motor, it has a great song - possibly not as good as the Volkswagen Group's EA888 in all its multifarious incarnations, but still appealing. Throttle response is also sharp, even in 'Normal' mode on the DNA switch, but in 'Dynamic' it's wonderful and crisp.
The steering is not so good, however, although it offers marginally more feel than its MiTo brother, possibly due to the wider rubber on the larger wheels as fitted to our test car. The Brembo brakes, 320mm in diameter and with four-pot callipers at the front, are hampered by the same poor pedal feel as experienced in the MiTo QV, but again, they ultimately have plenty of bite. What is pleasing is the ride/handling compromise, the Giulietta never uncouth yet retaining a high level of body control; it's not flawless on the latter score, as there is some roll into corners in Dynamic mode, but it is capable enough.
The only slight quibble we'd have is with the 0-62mph time, which looks a little, ah... bullish. It's definitely a quick car - it hauls into the 100mph-plus zone in a disarmingly easy manner - but even using the TCT's Launch Control function, the QV felt more like a high-6s sort of car and not something that would worry a SEAT Leon Cupra 280. The TCT transmission, by the way, felt quicker and more pleasing to use in the more powerful Giulietta QV than it did in the MiTo QV, thus making the lack of a manual option less of an issue.
What you get for your Money:
The real 'gulp' moment comes when you look at the Launch Edition QVs, which will command in excess of £30,000 when they go on sale. That's... brave of Alfa, to say the least. Thoughts immediately turn to Volkswagen's crushingly capable Golf GTI, which undercuts that by some margin, no matter if it is less powerful. Even the standard QV, at £28,120, is pretty steep - and it's a price that no amount of embroidered, four-leafed flora sprinkled about the cabin can justify. This high figure required for the hot Giulietta is likely to be its biggest stumbling block in finding a new, appreciative audience in the UK.
Worth Noting
We were given the opportunity to test the QV on Alfa's Balocco test track and the car performed well for something of this class, probably because it weighs a reasonably lithe 1,320kg. The multilink rear of the Giulietta wanted to play a part in proceedings during weight transfer on turn-in, although the gearbox was caught out for optimum ratios on occasion. However, there was a lot of mechanical grip and a pleasant neutrality about the QV's demeanour that made lapping Balocco in the Giulietta a bit of a lark.
Summary
The Giulietta QV works pretty well as a concept, with the running gear from the 4C Coupé blessing the car with some seriously impressive acceleration stats and a soundtrack that gets close to replicating the 1960s 'Twink' warble Alfas were once so renowned for. It also possesses a dynamic set-up that blends a healthy slug of comfort with acceptable handling verve in a package that is aesthetically pleasing - a few interior materials notwithstanding. Sadly, the large hot hatch sector is packed with some ferocious talent right now, many of which leave the Alfa looking a bit 2007, and the Italians' wildly optimistic pricing strategy could shove the QV into obsolescence before it has ever left the showroom.
However, alongside the 4C and as an indicator of where Alfa is trying to go in the years to come, the Giulietta QV is a reasonable starting point. If the company can improve on the few areas it needs to - steering feel, interior quality and brake pedal travel - it could deliver a performance sub-brand in the future that is truly befitting of the marque's legendary status. Here's hoping.
