Alfa launches the 3 Series fighter
Alfa’s New Weapon?
Get ready Alfa lovers, the battle is about to heat up between BMW & Alfa. Alfa has announced that it will launching its 3 Series fighter in November with prices starting from £29,180.
The much 3 Series beater ‘Giulia’ has opened its order books for first entrant in the compact saloon market segment since the 159. Some lucky folk may be able to drive their Giulias by Christmas.
Standard Model
The starting price will get you the entry level trim with a 2.0 litre turbocharged petrol. It also gets 16-inch alloy wheels, climate control, cruise control, automatic wipers, rear parking sensors and a 6.5-inch touchscreen infotainment system.
Although this basic model is few thousand pounds more than the BMW 3 Series or Jaguar XE, but Giulia gives you a more powerful engine and much more safety equipment which includes lane-departure warning and autonomous city braking.
Trim Levels
Trim levels run up from the base model through Super, Tecnica and Speciale before the top-of-the-range Quadrifoglio version. Buyers who pay the extra £1,700 for Super Spec will be treated to larger alloy wheels and an 8.8-inch touchscreen and part-leather seats. Spend £115 more and you get a rear reversing camera, privacy glass and extra chrome on the outside a part of Tecnica trim.
The Speciale Version
Alfa Romeo’s Giulia also comes in ‘Higher still’ which is the Speciale version, which starts from £34,150 and comes with upgrades such as bi-xenon headlights and a sports body kit, heated front seats and 18-inch alloy wheels. But the insane 503bhp Quadrifoglio model still sits at the top of the range at £59,000.
Giulia Engines
The Giulia engine choices include the above mentioned 2.0 litre 197bhp petrol and the only other petrol choice is the V6 3.0-litre Quadrifoglio model. The diesel engine choices are 2.2 litre churns out 148bhp and 178bhp respectively. All engines are mated to an automatic gearbox.
Is Quadrifoglio Nordschleife Beater?
Alfa claims that it can lap the Nurburgring’s much feared Nordschleife in just 7.39 seconds, a new record for a saloon car. How can it get there? Well it is powered by a bonkers 503bhp turbocharged 2.9-litre V6 and can hit 0-62mph in just 3.9 seconds, in part thanks to 600Nm of torque.
The top speed is 190mph, and not to forget its carbon fibre active aero splitter which will generate an impressive 100kg of downforce at top speed.
Alfa claims says it’s more efficient than its competitors, with emissions of 198g/km in the manual model.
Alfa has used carbon fibre in the car’s construction with aluminium and plastic used as well to keep the weight of the car down to 1,374kg.
Tech Savy Alfa
The 8.8-inch display screen is controlled by a dial, which can connect to both Android and both Apple devices for music streaming and mobile devices.
The Giulia is fitted with a Harman Kardon 14-speaker stereo system with autonomous emergency braking. Pedestrian detection will also be available on the car, alongside a collision warning, blind spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control and lane departure warning.
Optional Equipment
Alfas’s optional gear includes, bi-xenon headlights, heated steering wheel, leather seats, gear-shift paddles. It also gets keyless go, parking sensors, limited-slip differential and powered heated front seats.