If nothing derails Alfa Romeo's reentry into the U.S. market, it will bring two small cars, the highly regarded MiTo three-door hatchback and a five-door hatch that will be introduced at the Geneva Auto Show next March. According to a Fiat Group* announcement yesterday , the five-door, based on the MiTo platform, has been named Giulietta.
Giulietta, which means "little Julia" in Italian and pronounced Julie-etta, is a storied name in Alfa Romeo history, the first popularly-priced sedan in Alfa history. Debuting in 1954, it spawned other versions, including a favorite of popularly-priced Italian sports car enthusiasts, the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider, and a delightful coupe as well.
Not surprisingly, the new Giulietta shares the current Alfa Romeo styling themes, with what Alfa calls a "trilobe shape" for the front end, with what we think is a successful updating of the classic Alfa "shield" grille that clearly identifies the car as an Alfa.
The front-drive Alfa Romeo Giulietta, which measures 171.3 inches long on a 103.5 inch wheelbase (width is 70.9 inches and height is 57.5 inches), will be available with four engines when it goes on sale in Europe next spring, including two 1.4-liter gas engines, at 120 and 170 horsepower, the latter with the Fiat/Alfa MultiAir variable valve timing system. Two diesels are also planned, a 1.6-liter at 105 hp, and a 2.0-liter at 170 hp.
Most in keeping with the fancies of American Alfisti is the Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1750 TBi, with a 1.8-liter turbocharged direct injection four producing 235 horsepower. A Quadrifoglio Verde version, a reference to Alfa's green four-leaf clover racing insignia, will be available later according to the announcement.
All Alfa-Romeo Giulietta models will be equipped with stability control, DST (Dynamic Steering Torque--electric power steering integrated into the stability control system), Q2 electronic differential (splits torque between the two front wheels according to driving conditions and road surfaces) and Alfa Romeo DNA selector.
In this case, DNA stands for Dynamic, Normal and All Weather and lets the driver change between those three modes to, as Alfa puts it, "enhance driving pleasure and comfort." The system modifies operating parameters of the engine, steering, the Q2 electronic differential and fine-tuning, per Alfa, the stability control system.
If all goes according to plan, the first Alfa Romeos--other than the 8C Competizione supercar--will begin arriving in the U.S. in 2011.
* Alfa Romeo is a part of the Fiat Group.
Illustration: Alfa Romeo Giulietta. Credit: Fiat Group
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Comments
The new models look great. I got to rent a MiTo in Italy this past summer and it was just plain cool to drive. A friend who also was in Italy during the same time asked me to keep him informed if I should hear of U.S. availability, seems he was very interested in being able to buy one here at home. I'll go for the slightly larger new Giulietta, a Verdi of course. Alfa Romeos are not just cars, their special, their a religion.
Cool looking car. In the captions you say "no doorhandle" on rear door. It's there for sure - if you look hard. Clue: it's black. A styling trick that makes the car look much cleaner.
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