Road test: Alfa Romeo Giulietta QV

Despite Alfa Romeo’s glorious racing heritage, its Focus-sized Giulietta saloon has always been a bit of a charisma-free zone. Not vastly different from the humdrum Fiat on which it is based, a good dollop of power seemed just what was needed.

Enter the new hotter Quadrifoglio Verde (Green Cloverleaf) version with an impressive 240hp from the 1,750cc engine it shares with the sparkling Alfa 4C. It’s 22kg lighter than before, boasts 340Nm of torque and has promisingly huge twin tailpipes. There’s even launch control for the speediest possible getaways.

Performance is reasonably lusty and the car rides and steers quite well but this recipe isn’t quite as tasty as it looks. Alfa makes much of the work it has done to improve the sound of the car, but to avoid falling foul of noise regulations the noise is fed into the cabin through a sound tube in the engine bay, and from the outside it doesn’t sound particularly interesting, despite its large tailpipes.

As you drive the Giulietta QV the numbers that enter your head are not the 11 Mille Miglias or 10 Targa Florios which Alfa won in the distant past. It is the £28,120 you need to buy this car. There are a limited number of Launch Edition models, which do seem more plush, but they cost £30,280. Against such brilliant cars as the Golf GTI (£26,785) and Renaultsport 235 (£26,930), the Giulietta QV is going to struggle.

Alfa Romeo Giulietta
1750 240hp TCT QV
Top speed: 149mph;
Combined MPG: 40.4;
Emissions: 162g/km;
Price: from £28,120