- Doors and Seats
4 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
2.0T, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
206kW, 400Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (95) 6.1L/100KM
- Manufacturer
RWD
- Transmission
Auto
- Warranty
3 Yr, 150000 KMs
- Ancap Safety
5/5 star (2016)
2021 Alfa Romeo Giulia Veloce review
Key updates to safety inclusions and infotainment ensure an already beautiful sedan is now even more appealing, as Trent Nikolic discovers.
- Excellent engine and gearbox combination
- Stunning styling both inside and out
- Sporting performance without any lack of daily usability
- Second row space way too tight
- Warranty needs to be longer
- Servicing costs could be sharper to compete with most affordable in segment
Introduction
With a simple three-model range, Alfa Romeo aims to take on the Jaguar XE, BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and newcomers like the Genesis G70. It’s a crowded segment packed with plenty of quality options.
Starting with the Sport, the recently revised 2021 Alfa Romeo Giulia range also comprises the mid-range Veloce as tested here, and the range-topping Quadrifoglio. Sport starts from $63,950, while Veloce starts from $71,450 and Quadrifoglio from $138,950 – all before on-road costs.
Our tester, resplendent in classy ‘Visconti Green’ is an undoubtedly beautiful sedan. Quite frankly, even some years on from its original launch, the Giulia’s level of street appeal, puts the rest of the segment in the shade.
The dual panoramic sunroof adds $2255 to the cost, while the metallic paint adds another $1355. Beautiful 19-inch rims are standard running staggered tyres front to rear, while adaptive bi-xenon headlights, LED running lights and taillights, gloss black exterior trim and privacy glass are also all standard. The latter covers the rear windscreen as well as the rear side windows.
At a glance | 2021 Alfa Romeo Giulia Veloce |
Price (MSRP) | $71,450 plus on-road costs |
Options | Dual sunroof ($2255), Harman Kardon Audio ($1255), Metallic Paint ($1355) |
Price as tested | $76,315 plus on-road costs |
Colour of test car | Visconti Green |
Rivals | BMW 3 Series | Mercedes-Benz C-Class | Jaguar XE |
Inside
The cabin is genuinely premium and comfortable, so long as you’re not a tall adult spending too long in the second row, but more on that in a minute.
The excellent Harman Kardon audio system adds $1255 to the asking price and is worth the outlay. The big change for 2021 comes in the form of updates to the infotainment system. There’s a new 8.8-inch touchscreen, which works neatly with both Android and Apple phones, and the rotary controller remains should you wish to use that instead.
Leather tops the dash in a premium nod to the expensive Euro brigade, and both front and the two rear outboard seats are heated. We like the start button inside the steering wheel, and the general layout of the switchgear is well organised and easy to work out.
There’s some useful storage, but there could be more, however a bottle holder in front of the shifter that actually holds a decent bottle, is handy.
We also love the shaped receptacle for the key fob – stops it sliding around the console and is something every manufacturer should offer. The door pockets are quite small though, so don’t assume you’ll be able to carry much more than a phone or wallet in there.
It’s fair to say the cabin is driver-focused, in the way that you would expect an Italian sports sedan to be, but the passenger seat up front is also excellent for longer drives. The front seats – we loved the terracotta leather – are near perfectly sculpted, firm while being comfortable and feature the right amount of adjustment.
The second row is tight, but that’s a malaise affecting almost everything in this segment, with tall occupants up front. Take that into account though if you’re a family buyer with teenage kids.
Boot space is useful, without being cavernous, and the same official 480-litre capacity as you'll find in a 3 Series. There’s easily enough room for mum, dad and two kids heading off on a road trip, so long as you’re not all carrying extra-large suitcases.
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At a glance | 2021 Alfa Romeo Giulia Veloce |
Seats | 5 |
Boot volume | 480L |
Length | 4643mm |
Width | 1860mm |
Height | 1436mm |
Wheelbase | 2820mm |
Infotainment and Connectivity
The aforementioned 8.8-inch touchscreen is a good one. On test, it worked faultlessly with both Android and Apple operating systems, as did the wireless charging dock.
The screen was easy to see in any light, which represents a significant improvement over the previously dull and easily washed screen in earlier Giulias, and it was prompt to respond to commands. There’s a simplicity to the major controls and the operating system will be an easy one for first-timers to get to grips with.
Large smartphones sit a little clumsily in the area ahead of the bottle holders under the dash, but the USB port is easy to access unlike some. There’s also a USB port in the second row for charging devices.
There’s proprietary satellite navigation standard, digital radio, and cleverly positioned steering wheel controls that don’t get in the way. On test, voice recognition worked well for us, too.
Safety & Technology
Regardless of segment, safety is an area that needs to be well specified now for any new vehicle, and the Giulia doesn’t miss out. It’s gets a full five-star ANCAP rating, has six airbags, autonomous emergency braking, front and rear parking sensors, active cruise control, lane keep assist, intelligent speed control, driver behaviour warning, traffic sign recognition, highway and traffic jam assist, a rear-view camera with dynamic guidelines, and tyre pressure monitoring.
Crucially, the systems that the Giulia does have, all work without being obtrusive. There’s none of the constant chiming and warnings you get with some vehicles, indicating that they are all working away in the background without annoying the driver. The safety you do use daily like the parking sensors and the rear-view camera is excellent.
At a glance | 2021 Alfa Romeo Giulia Veloce |
ANCAP rating | 5 stars (tested 2016) |
Safety report | Link to ANCAP |
Value for Money
Alfa Romeo claims 6.1L/100km on the combined cycle, and during our testing period, largely around town, we saw an indicated claim of 9.4L/100km. Fair to say then that it’s thirstier than the claim, but the live reading did drop under the 6.1L/100km mark on our highway run.
The Giulia gets a three-year/150,000km warranty, with services required every 15,000km. Over the first three years, up to 45,000km, those services will cost $345, $645 and $465 respectively.
At a glance | 2021 Alfa Romeo Giulia Veloce |
Warranty | Three year / 150,000km |
Service intervals | 12 months / 15,000km |
Servicing costs | $1455 3yr |
Driving
Aside from the styling, the pleasure in any Alfa Romeo always promises to be in the driving, and the Giulia Veloce doesn’t disappoint. Not the most potent model grade, the 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder still generates an easy 206kW at 5250rpm and 400Nm at 2250rpm.
The four-cylinder engine is mated to an eight-speed ZF automatic and rear-wheel drive, with the 0-100km/h run taking just 5.7 seconds. It’s punchy too, with peak torque available nice and low in the rev range, and it feels fast if you do nail the throttle off the mark. It won’t feel fast if you back to back it with the twin-turbo V6 Giulia Quadrifoglio, but it’s a pacey sedan for what is the middle of the Giulia range.
Driving the Veloce is nothing if not smooth. The ZF is a fantastic conventional automatic as we know, and it works beautifully with the power and torque delivery of the engine. There’s no hint of the need for a sharper dual-clutch automatic and you can either cruise or punch the Giulia harder, and it does both with ease. The stop-start system does rock the car a little when it starts back up, but you do get used to that, even though we’d like it to be a little bit smoother.
We loved the sharp and precise steering, the relationship of what the front axle was doing in response to the driver input, and the way the chassis seems to always be beautifully balanced. There’s no doubt this is a fun sedan to drive at pace, and it does that job easily, but it’s also comfortable and practical.
While the ride does err on the sporty side of firm, it doesn’t bang and crash through potholes and road imperfections. Rather, you just notice them beneath you. Even so, the cabin always remains insulated and calm. You’d expect big 19-inch rims and low-profile rubber to be firm (indeed firmer than it is), but the active suspension smooths things out nicely, no matter the surface.
Being rear-wheel drive with a limited-slip differential, there’s a sharpness and precision to the way the Giulia Veloce takes to the road when you do get into it a bit more. It feels alive, light on its feet and balanced, no matter how hard you’re pushing or how bumpy the road. It’s a properly sorted chassis that responds the way we’d expect a sporty sedan to without any twitchiness or fear factor.
Key details | 2021 Alfa Romeo Giulia Veloce |
Engine | 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged petrol |
Power | 206kW @ 5250rpm |
Torque | 400Nm @ 2250rpm |
Weight (tare) | 1490kg |
Drive type | Rear-wheel drive (LSD) |
Transmission | Eight-speed automatic |
Power to weight ratio | 138.3kW/t |
Turning circle | 10.9m |
At a glance | 2021 Alfa Romeo Giulia Veloce |
Fuel cons. (claimed) | 6.1L/100km |
Fuel cons. (on test) | 9.4L/100km |
Fuel type | 95 RON |
Fuel tank size | 58L |
Conclusion
Choosing to buy an Alfa Romeo is always a choice to be different and to position style up on par with substance. While the fact remains that the warranty and servicing costs won’t satisfy those who buy a car based on the spreadsheet, the styling and drive experience sit the Veloce right up at the head of the class.
It’s a beautiful car to look at and an engaging sedan to drive. If I was looking at a medium sedan, it’s the one I’d buy, and with the updates that, according to Alfa Romeo, show the brand has been listening to feedback, it’s an even more attractive proposition than it was before.