Alfa Romeo Giulia Veloce long-term test: report 4

The car Used Alfa Romeo Giulia 2.0 TB 280 Veloce Run by Steve Huntingford, editor

Why it's here We want to see if this executive saloon is as sharp to drive as it is to look at

Needs to Combine fun handling with respectable running costs and good everyday usability

Mileage 14,826 List price when new (2021) £42,575 Price new with options £44,725 Value on arrival £36,310 Test economy 30.4mpg Official economy 31.4mpg

17 January 2023 – A grade on the B roads

Newton’s third law tells us that ‘for every action in nature there is an equal and opposite reaction’, and things work in much the same way in the automotive world.

You see, whenever a manufacturer does something to improve a car, there tends to be a trade-off in another area. Increasing the power and performance, for example, reduces the fuel economy. And making the ride more forgiving leads to sloppier handling.

However, with the Alfa Romeo Giulia, the engineers have found a real sweet spot between comfort and control, without resorting to trick adaptive dampers which offer multiple settings but push up the price.

I was reminded of just how good the Giulia is to drive on a recent trip to Lincolnshire, where the ride always felt wonderfully plush. Even on the bumpiest stretches of B-road, the car’s body rose and fell in a supple yet controlled way, never crashing down or giving the suspension so much to do that it started to tie itself in knots.

The Giulia’s sharp steering and innate balance also make it a joy on such roads. In fact, my only issue was with the engine. Yes, there’s plenty of low-down shove and it sounds pretty sweet for a four-cylinder, but it runs out of puff quite early in the rev range.

The other bit of bad news that I have to report is that my Giulia now has a scuff on the rear bumper after a colleague who borrowed the car had an altercation with a parking bollard.

He was understandably mortified and wasn’t trying to shift the blame. However, when he told me that he was actively looking at the rear-view camera display at the time, I admit I felt a bit of sympathy, because it's off-set, low-definition and has a narrow field of view. Fortunately, you get parking sensors as well; unfortunately, he assumed these were just being overly sensitive.

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