Alfa Romeo Giulia Veloce Fast Fleet test – living with the sharp Italian saloon

There’s a surprising amount of tech in the Giulia, some of it hidden. One example is Forward Collision Warning, which I discovered when it gave me a bit of a fright, sounding an alarm, flashing a message and braking the car. In that instant I had no idea what was happening. I’d been wafting along, catching up to a car that was turning off and which I’d easily clear, when it triggered. A delve into the settings showed that, as with many of these systems, you can choose the sensitivity or turn it off entirely.

I wish it gave that degree of choice for the stability and traction control but you’ll search in vain for the off button. This feels at odds with the sporty image that Alfa cultivates and also means that although the Giulia is a rear-drive car with 50:50 weight distribution, its handling is prescriptive. I discovered it couldn’t be turned off when we were shooting the 458 Speciale at Black Rock Sands for evo 315. What better place for some playful wheelspin than this vast, smooth Welsh beach? It would have been fun there but, more pertinently, on the road a bit of rear slip can help the balance, help pivot the car, but the Giulia is stuck with the safest balance, which means mild understeer. Hmmm.

> Alfa Romeo Giulia 2025 review – get one while you still can

Despite this, I’m well into the groove with the Alfa now. It’s a well-sorted car with an effective if uncharismatic in-line four that’s got plenty of go when you need it and is hooked up to a smooth and efficient eight-speed auto. Soft-pedal it and you can see up to 40mpg and a range of 500 miles from a tank, which is useful. Twist the mode selector to Dynamic and it’s a sportier drivetrain without being over-keen, and the attendant uplift in steering weight is beautifully judged, so at a brisk pace the car feels quietly confident, and so do you. Though I say again, being denied the option to unshackle the rear tyres even a little seems like a curious decision.

Assisting progress on these dark nights are excellent headlights which, unexpectedly, come with automatic main-beam management, the sort that cleverly blanks out parts of the beam for oncoming traffic and the like. It’s quite subtle in its operation, fading sections gently, so I initially thought it wasn’t working and kept trying to hit dip for oncoming traffic, but I now realise it’s both effective and accurate.

There are a few niggles, though. The buzz from the instrument binnacle on bumpy roads has got gradually more persistent, to the point where there’s now a folded-up till receipt wedged between the inner and outer parts of the instrument surround and no rattle. Another minor annoyance is the electric handbrake, which sometimes releases automatically and sometimes doesn’t, which makes you feel a bit clumsy. And the other day, with the temperature set the same for the left and right sides of the car, the centre vent was blowing cold air from the right and hot air from the left.

The Giulia is now heading to Dickie Meaden. I’m going to miss it. At heart it’s a sound, capable car with an admirable dash of styling flair. If it had an engine with a bit more old-school Alfa brio and a little dynamic freedom I reckon it would be a compelling alternative to the German rivals.

This story was first featured in evo issue 317.