Fun, Fast & Fashionably Italian
The Alfa Romeo Guilietta was first launched in 1954 at the Turin autoshow. The first model was a coupé, labeled “Sprint”, followed by a sedan in 1955 and an open two-seat Spider, by Pininfarina. In 1957 the most powerful version, TI was presented with minor modifications.
But that was many decades ago, and I’m not here to talk about history. We are here to lay it all out, the good, the bad and the ugly.
First impressions are important; from the moment you get into the cockpit, you know you’re driving an Italian. The driver seat is comfy, with a minor sporty feel. The back seat however is slightly tight for a big guy like me, but then again, it’s what you might expect from a conventional compact.
We had the chance to try out the TCT transmission; we took the car for a spin around town, and the results were far from dull. In traffic, the automatic mode is smooth with instant response. Try the sequential mode, and that’s where the fun begins.
The only slight downfall is getting used to the double clutch when parked on a hill, the transmission acts exactly like a manual with a few multi-seconds gap to sync in with the clutch, it feels weird in the beginning and you start asking yourself where is the clutch pedal and where do we put our left leg, but eventually you’ll get used to the reliability of the new dual clutch tranny.
In the mountainside, this urban compact gives you great driving pleasure, with its 1,4 turbo engine, delivering 170 HP, this is not a boring ride.
Next to the shifter, lies a small knob with the 3 letter D – N – A. Drive it in N for “Normal” , “A” for all weather, and D for Dynamic, if you feel like giving the Giulietta a shot of steroids. You’ll immediately feel the difference. The display changes on the dash to a set of bars, indicating the length of the turbo Rev, the hiss of the turbine gets louder, the gearbox responses much quicker, and the engine provides a faster acceleration.
Alfa Romeo did a great job in delivering a “beyond expectations” daily drive.
Verdict: Practical, fun daily drive, TCT works well especially in dynamic mode.
By: Patrick Karam
Special Thanks to Bassoul Heneine