Overview

For a starting price of $42,000, you would usually go for the Germans with more cabin comfort and high-tech interior. But there’s an Italian too on the list and that is the Giulia. Since it arrived in 2017, Alfa Romeo has been updating the Giulia with all the necessary features every model year to keep up the pace with the Germans. For the 2022 model year, the company decided to replace the Ti Sport trim with Veloce, which will offer race-inspired performance with a rear limited-slip differential, bigger 19-inch wheels, and a few more features. The top-of-the-line Giulia Quadrifoglio gets powered by a Ferrari-derived 2.9-liter V-6 and is one of the fastest in its segment. As for the changelog, the 2022 Giulia gets ADAS tech as standard which includes Blindspot monitoring, active cruise control, and a few other features. The Giulia also gets heated front and rear seats, an air quality system, a navigation system, and wireless charging as standard. All trims except for the Quadrifoglio come with RWD as standard or optional AWD, which will set you back another $2,000.

2022 Alfa Romeo Giulia: Trims and Features

Like the earlier model years, the new 2022 Giulia gets a total of four trims- Sprint, Ti, Veloce, and Quadrifoglio. The Veloce replaces the Ti Sport and just like the Sport and Ti, it gets powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four engine coupled with an eight-speed shiftable automatic transmission and RWD as standard. The range-topping Quadrifoglio gets a 2.9-liter twin-turbo V-6 engine but drives through the rear wheels only. Here is a list of detailed trim prices and features for your convenience.

Sprint.

Price- $42,550.

• Xenon headlights.
• 17-inch alloy wheels.
• Dual-zone automatic climate control.
• Six-way power-adjustable driver and front passenger seats with driver’s seat – memory settings.
• Keyless proximity entry and ignition.
• Leather-wrapped and heated steering wheel.
• Heated leather front and rear seats.
• 7.0-inch TFT driver information display.
• Eight-speaker audio unit.
• Navigation system.
• Aluminum column-mounted paddle shifters.
• Wireless charging pad.
• 8.8-inch touchscreen display.
• Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

A few of the standard safety features are:

• ADAS technology- Active blind-spot assist, active cruise control, lane departure warning, front and rear parking sensors, automatic high beam headlights.
• Forward collision mitigation.

Ti.

Price- $44,900.

• Panoramic sunroof.
• 18-inch alloy wheels.
• trunk-mounted grocery bag hooks and cargo net.

Veloce.

Price- $48,500.

• 19-inch alloy wheels.
• Sport front seats.
• Rear limited-slip differential.
• Adjustable thigh cushions and side bolsters

Quadrifoglio.

Price- $78,650.

• Summer performance tires.
• Upgraded brakes.
• Adaptive suspension dampers.
• Carbon-fiber body panels and interior trims.
• 14-speaker Harman Kardon premium audio unit.
• Torque vectoring differential.

As for the trim selection, most of you guys would settle for the base Sprint trim and that is just more than fine for the level of opulence and standard set of features offered by the company. The Veloce with its limited-slip differential and bigger wheels will unlock better handling capabilities both on the road and track. The Quadrifoglio with its power-packed V-6 engine and other performance bits like the torque-vectoring differential, upgraded brakes, and lighter body panels with carbon-fiber parts, is for enthusiasts who will take its full advantage, but it has a heavier price tag too.

Exterior Design Philosophy

The aging looks of the Giulia are not stepping behind in the competition because its uniqueness is what sets it apart from the German cars. However, Alfa Romeo made sure to keep the exterior updated by bringing minor changes over the years since its 2017 launch. Fast-forward to the 2022 model year, the exterior looks majorly unchanged with the same LED DRLs and xenon headlamps. The signature “Trefoil” grille along with the huge lower grilles make the front fascia look unique and seriously attractive.

The rear looks just as sharp and sporty as the front with LED taillights, dual exhaust tips, blacked-out rear bumper, and rear spoiler. The base Sprint gets 17-inch wheels, unlike the Ti and Veloce which gets 18-inch and 19-inch wheels, respectively. The Veloce and Quadrifoglio get a rear diffuser unlike the fake ones on the other trims and the latter even gets carbon-fiber parts on both the front and rear. The Quadrifoglio also gets quad exhaust tips.

Overall, the 2022 Alfa Romeo Giulia is not that different from the likes of C-Class and 3 Series. The curb weight is measured around 3,521 pounds with the base Sprint trim and that goes all the way to 3,806 pounds with the maxed-out Quadrifoglio. The other dimensions include 182.5 inches of length, a total of 73.7 inches width without mirrors, a height of 56.5 inches, and 111.0 inches of wheelbase. A few of the exterior features of the 2022 Alfa Romeo Giulia are as follows:

• LED DRLs and taillights, xenon headlamps.
• Alfa Romeo’s “Trefoil” grille.
• 17-inch alloy wheel fitted as standard.
• Dual exhaust tips.
• Panoramic sunroof.
• Rear spoiler.

Interior: A True Italian Craftsmanship

Alfa Romeo has implemented newer cabin features and uplifted the quality of the Giulia’s cabin over time, and for the 2022 model year, there are not many updates that are noticeable at the first glance. But, that doesn’t mean Giulia’s cabin is not a good place to be in. To quote it in a few words, the gap between the rivals and the Giulia is coming closer. As a sports sedan, the cabin has cutting-edge luxury materials and other sports goodies to compete in the segment. The dashboard has a beautiful flowing nature and gets sleeker as it reaches the right side. Typical soft-touch materials cover the dashboard, on the door panels, and an aluminum center console comes as standard. However, with the Quadrifoglio, the cabin gets Alcantara on the dash and door panels with carbon fiber and wood on the center console. The Giulia gets a busy center console with a lot of buttons, knobs, and a drive selector, making it look congested.

The leather-wrapped sports steering wheel with heating functions is a standard feature along with a pair of aluminum paddle-shifters. There’s another unique feature which is the heated leather seats for both the front and rear, making the Germans feel inferior in the standard feature listings. Unfortunately, the driver’s display is still a 7.0-inch TFT with two analog meters and an 8.8-inch touchscreen display sits on the middle of the dash and is slightly tilted towards the driver’s side for added convenience.

While the seats offer good cushioning in both rows, the ride comfort is not that great. The front row has ample room for the driver and front passenger, unlike the rear which has only 35.1-inches of legroom. If you have a family of five adults then the Giulia would not be the best in terms of rear row comfort. Let us remind you that the Giulia is a sports sedan, not a $20,000 Japanese sedan. The cargo capacity is not known yet but will be around what the competition is offering which is about 13 cubic feet.

Interior features of the 2022 Alfa Romeo Giulia are:

• Dual-zone automatic climate control.
• Leather-wrapped and heated steering wheel with aluminum paddle-shifters.
• Keyless ignition.
• Interior air filtration.
• Up to 10-way power-adjustable front seats.
• Leather upholstery with multi-level heating functions on both rows.
• Optional sports seats.
• 7.0-inch TFT multi-information display.
• Alcantara, genuine leather, and wooden interior trims. (Quadrifoglio)

Since Alfa Romeo is a part of Stellantis, it should be no surprise that the Uconnect system found its way to the Alfa Romeo Giulia, and with the 8.8-inch touchscreen display, it feels good to toggle through the menus. The jitters and lags are hardly noticeable and the system does support Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as standard. Other features include an eight-speaker audio unit, satellite navigation, a wireless charging pad, and voice recognition. There’s an optional 14-speaker Harman Kardon premium audio unit available to raise the melophile inside you.

Performance and Handling Champ

Powering the 2022 Giulia is a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four engine that is meant to put out an impressive 280 horsepower and 306 pound-feet of maximum torque. This engine is housed inside the Sprint, Ti, and the new Veloce trim. As standard, the Giulia runs through the rear wheels and has an optional AWD but will cost you another $2,000 over the asking price. Gear shifts are taken care of by an eight-speed automatic trnamission which also takes inputs from the steering-mounted aluminum paddle-shifters. The Giulia with the base engine can speed up to 60 mph in just 5.5 seconds, with the standard setup. The AWD pushes the timing to 0.4 seconds less which is quite impressive. When you look at the competition, the BMW 330i does 0-60 in 5.4 seconds, and the Audi A4 does the same in 5.4 seconds. So in real-world performance, the base engine equipped Giulia will not disappoint you in any way.

However, there is another beast of a 2.9-liter, twin-turbocharged, Ferrari-derived V-6 running the show inside the range-topping Quadrifoglio. This engine belts out a whopping 505 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque, which kicks in as early as 2,500 RPM. While the transmission is still an eight-speed automatic, there is no optional AWD, thus it runs through the rear wheels only. That said, the Quadrifoglio sprints up to 60 miles an hour in just 3.8 seconds, as claimed by the company. So to bring a comparison with the rivals, the Mercedes-AMG C63 S with its massive 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 does 60 miles an hour in just 3.7 seconds and the BMW M4 has the same timing as the Alfa with 3.8 seconds. So you can see that there is hardly any difference in the top-of-the-line performance models.

Let’s talk about the handling capabilities in which all the Giulias ace. The steering capabilities are just as fast as any other German performance sedans. There is ample feedback with razor-sharp input but let us remind you that in heavy traffic, the steering might feel a little too sensitive. The standard rear-wheel-drive setup will have oversteer issues if you become very athletic with the throttle paddle. However, the safety systems kick in quite intrusively so there’s nothing to worry about. The Veloce gets a limited-slip differential at the rear that surely comes in handy while oozing out of a corner fast. But the Quadrifoglio gets torque vectoring which even elevates the handling capabilities to another level. The suspension is stiffer than the other sport sedans in the market which surely makes the ride stiffer but getting in and out of corners gets easier with minimal body roll. The Quadrifoglio gets adaptive suspension which the other trims do not get and that changes profile according to the driving modes selected. The braking performance is stellar in the segment, especially the Quadrifoglio which gets a pair of bigger brake rotors.

Fuel Economy

The Giulia will return decent fuel economy with the 2.0-liter engine if you are concerned about fuel expenses. The EPA rated it with a city mileage of 24 miles per gallon, a pretty decent 33 miles per gallon on the highways, and 27 miles per gallon as a combined economy. The Quadrifoglio with its fire-breathing V-6 is meant to consume more gas and gets rated 17/25/20 for city/highway/combined by the EPA. The Mercedes-AMG C63 S has a rating of 18/27/21 for city/highway/combined which is slightly more than the Quadrifoglio. All the Giulias get a 15.3-gallon gas tank which can deliver from 306-413 miles before you pull over for refueling.

Safety Convenience

With the 2022 model year, Alfa Romeo has added ADAS (Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems) technology to the Giulia as standard which unlocks numerous active safety features. A few of them are as follows:

• Active blind-spot assist.
• Active cruise control.
• Lane departure warning.
• Front and rear parking sensors.
• Automatic high beam headlights.
• Blindspot monitoring.
• Forward collision mitigation.

The Giulia is the only car in the segment that is offering ADAS as standard. However, the Giulia gets “Good” ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for the 2021 model year. With the new 2022 model year, we are expecting the “Top Safety Pick+” rating because of the addition of ADAS.

Should You Consider The 2022 Alfa Romeo Giulia Over The Competition?

If you are already a German car fan with a more sophisticated, tech-loaded cabin then you are not going to get impressed by Giulia’s approach. This is no child’s play, the Giulia is a great performance sedan but for a different group of consumers. If you are someone who wants a fast car with different visuals, an opulent interior with an Italian marque of craftsmanship, and breathtaking performance, then the Giulia is the one you should consider.