New Alfa Romeo Giulia is a driver’s dream, not backseat bliss

The 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia premium midsize sedan is the latest arrival in the Italian automaker’s return to the U.S. market.

There are three versions, listed here in descending order by horsepower and price: The Giulia Quadrifoglio, with 505 horsepower and a 0-to-60 mph time of 3.8 seconds; the Giulia Ti; and the base model Giulia. The last two have an all-new, all-aluminum turbo engine producing 280 horsepower and a 0-to-60 mph time of 5.1 seconds.

My tester was a Giulia Ti with all-wheel drive and a baseline price tag of $42,990 plus a $995 destination charge and a lavish $6,350 in optional features, arriving at a total cost just under the $50,000 wire.

With its eight-speed automatic transmission partner, the turbo engine provides a gratifying 306 lb-ft of torque that I put to good use during the test week. Because that week fell within the longest number of consecutive rainless days in Seattle’s recorded weather history, the Giulia Ti’s all-wheel drive system didn’t get the chance to prove itself on slippery streets, but I think we could all comfortably assume that an AWD Alfa Romeo wouldn’t do badly.

The tester’s city/highway/combined fuel economy rating is 23/31/26 mpg. A Giulia without AWD fares a bit higher, of course: 24/33/27 mpg. The AWD is optional, by the way.

The Giulia Ti’s lovely interior is marred slightly by the weak feel of its infotainment system’s rotary control, which is positioned within the center console. It isn’t flimsy, mind you, it just lacks the brawniness of the best ones among other premium cars.

And, well, there’s one other thing about the Giulia’s interior. Rear-seat leg room doesn’t look designed to accommodate adult passengers. It does, however, result in an enormous amount of space being available for the driver and front passenger, the only two seats likely to be occupied about 95 percent of the time in this car built specifically for driving enthusiasts.

The Giulia Ti’s lovely interior is enhanced greatly by the intuitiveness of its infotainment system, and in the case of the tester, an optional ($900) Harman Kardon premium audio system.

2017 ALFA ROMEO GIULIA Ti AWD

Base price, including destination charge: $43,985

Price as driven: $49,340

Mary Lowry is an independent automotive writer who lives in Snohomish County. She is a member of the Motor Press Guild, and a member and past president of the Northwest Automotive Press Association. Vehicles are provided by the manufacturers as a one-week loan for review purposes only. In no way do the manufacturers control the content of the reviews.