Was I Wrong About the Alfa Romeo Giulietta? 

"When Alfa breaks, it is a crap car. When German branded car breaks down, it's a coincidence." This is how majority goes about Alfas. But I prefer it this way. So you can get used Alfas cheaper. My brand of choice. Alfa 🍀

For people who are looking to buy an Alfa you might be interested in another guys channel, Italia Autos. He's worked on them for years and goes through things to look out for and common issues before you buy.

I have always liked the design of Alfa's. They always remind me of picking up the hottest girl in the nightclub and realizing she's on day release from the funny farm. I've always wanted to own one, but could never summon the courage to buy one.

I love my giulietta Quadrigfolio 1.75tbi that will change your mind in them in a second

Alfa once driven you understand the magic. To be fair all the Italian cars we've had were totally reliable. I've had plenty of problems with French and German cars.

I had a 147 for years. I bought it from Kinghams in Croydon as trade in and paid 200 quid for it. I loved it, it was totally reliable and changed my perception of Alfas.

Alfa's infamy is born out of stereotype, when it breaks down, the confirmation bias leads you to believe that they're cheap cars. Once you've owned one, you see them for what they are: sporty cars that are as reliable as anyone else. Besides, Fiat's cars have fantastic diesel engines that most people wouldn't be able to tell from their petrol equivalents, which is to be expected, since Fiat invented Common Rail tech in the '90s.

Ive had 3 Alfas, including a Giulietta. Loved every one of them. They bring a smile to your face in a way that German cars, for instance, just can't do. And yes - ive owned German cars, too!

Wife has a 57 plate 159, no issues in 4 years, and most stylish car on the road still

Thanks for an honest review, Alfas often get an unfair bad press....

An armrest for a T-Rex and a clutch for Darcy Bussel feet! 😂🤣 It's going to take me a long time to get the image of that monster out of my head! Thanks Matt, Quality review.

People just love to slag off Alfa's and they hate to admit they are great cars. I used to be a Vdub fan until they kept breaking down. All manufacturers have issues. I'm on my 7th Alfa since my first 155 in 1997 and now drive a Giulietta. None have been new and none have let me down. Would I recommend an Alfa? No, I prefer to leave them to the people who know a good car when they drive one.

The old Alfa unreliability myth - if they are maintained properly they are certainly no worse than any other car of comparable age. I still run a '99 V6 156 as my daily (now just approaching 170,000km). It's never left me stranded, still looks contemporary, drives superbly and has the brilliant V6 Busso. The only "high cost" items are the cambelt/water pump change every 3 years (AUD$1500), and relatively short life lower front wishbones ($600 every few years). Unlike VW/Audi/Ford owners with similar age vehicles, I've never had any issues with electrics or the transmission. Meanwhile, my '81 Alfetta GTV still runs like a Swiss watch - just need to keep on top of the inevitable '80s creeping tinworm...

Looks of this car have grown on me. It's actually a beautiful design. Driving in Sicily a couple of years ago I saw one approaching in the rear view mirror. Taut bonnet lines glinting in the evening sun. Roared past, looked absolutely brilliant. I will have one when circumstances allow.

I owned a flagship QV manual (with the same 1.7 Turbo as the 4C) and it was a really nice overall car honestly. It was quiet, smooth, refined, much better put together turn i would have expected. It accost had a very nice balance between ride and handling - handling was pretty good as long as you didn't push it near its limits, and the body felt tight and well controlled over bumps - firm but never uncomfortable. The motor was very torquey and pulled hard in the midrange. It genuinely did give you a bit of that push on the back feel. Interior was fairly useful overall, with decent rear seat space, decent boot space, and a wide load area that could actually swallow some surprisingly large items when folded. Perhaps most importantly of all, the car gave me a deal sense of pride of ownership. It's a car that i would genuinely look back at every time i left it at a car park and think "damn that's a good looking car". And that's something that few cars I've owned other then Alfas have been able to do to me. My current car is an 8v Audi S3 saloon in a very eyecatching blue with 19" alloys and it still doesn't draw that response out of me like the giulietta did. But it wasn't all perfect. My first problem was that the Giulietta was supposed to be an upgrade from my existing Alfa - a 147 GTA manual. And while the giulietta was infinitely more refined and better built then the 147, the driving experience didn't come close. The 147 GTA with that busso V6 has such an amazing sound and such a responsive and linear torque curve, while the giulietta by composition had a noticably narrow torque band. It had noticable lag below 3000rpm, and pretty much died off after about 5500rpm. The manual shift was very nice, but the clutch was annoyingly oversensitive - and the narrow power band meant you were clutching and changing gears constantly...vs the 147 gta qhich i cpuld just leave in 5th at 1700rpm, put my foot down, and it would just go. So that sas the first issue. Second issue is that the 147 GTA had a Q2 Diff upgrade and excellent tyres on it, and it really handled unbelievably well. Add that to the laser fast steering, and it just felt like a go cart throwing it through chicanes and tight corners. Also high speed corners, it would just hold on and grip. The giulietta handles nicely in 80% of scenarios, but through very tight and fast bends it was noticably less agile/chuckable and just felt like a softer, heavier car. Likewise in high speed tight turns it was a bit soft and sometimes the rear end failed to inspire confidence. But this was all when trying to push pretty hard. Also dissapointing was fhe fuel economy. My 147 GTA had a 3.2L v6 that begged you to thash its nuts off every time you drove it, and yet i would typically average around 12L/100km. That's high, but somewhat expected. The giulietta with its 1.7 turbo in theory should have averaged far less, especially when driven in a laid back way, but that just wasn't the case. Even when i wasn't driving it hard i struggled to get it much below 11L/100km which is a lot for a relatively light front wheel drive 1.7 turbo. My S3 right now easily averages 8.5L/100 and it's significantly heavier and quicker. There's also a somewhat annoying lack of small compartments for storage. I was constantly struggling to find places to put my wallet, phone and other small odds and ends. That wasn't the end of the world, but it was a bit annoying, as I've never really had that issue in other cars I've owned. As for reliability, mine was advising really great. The main stuff was bulletproof and the car didn't cost me a thing in the time i owned it. I did have some annoying things come up that were related to iffy build quality. The handle on the inside of the droevr door vsnapped clean off - apparently common ussue, and is designed in such a way that it can't be easily replaced. The dealer had to replace the smelt door car, which they thankfully did under warranty (apparently it was at around $1500 cost). The only other issue was this weird thing where the duel door would get stuck and would refuse to release. Apparently could be fixed by putting a bit of lubricant on the mechanism, but still very frustrating when it happened while i was at the petrol station, almost on empty, and couldnt get it open. I had to take the car back home and take my second car to work that day. Putney then this little things, the car was flawless - zero issues. Easily one of the most reliable cars I've ever owned.

I have one, a 2011. And bought it bc it's different like you said. Mine has 106000miles. Did 64mpg on a recent run up the motorway. Is quick and handles brilliantly. I've loved mine, the minute I saw it advertised.

Only recently discovered your channel but it's quickly become one of my favourites for car reviews. You deserve a lot more subscribers. I own a GTV 3.0 as my weekend toy, I feel like Alfas get a lot of grief from people who have never actually owned one.

Had my 2010 170 2.0 Giulietta for almost 5 years now. I’ve done almost 50,000 miles with it and only had a few of the common issues. The issue, like you say, is that many garages hate working on them and so charge a lot for small issues or modifications. You are correct about the parts cost. I’m going to spend a fair bit of money on it this year to make it perfect - For the money I don’t see upgrading yet as it still drives good, looks modern and get loads of compliments. Easy to make them look like a 2018+ model with a few changes! A genuinely reliable car.

I'm glad you've made this video, I've got a 2011 1.4 TB with 120,000 miles on it and I love it! Always thought the car got a bad rep due to people never having driven them or used them for a long period of time.

I've had my 2010 Giulietta 1750 TBi for 18 months now and I love it, maybe too much. I went from a 147 that was cost me £10k keeping it together for 3+ years to barely any issues at all, but the driving experience kept me paying the bills and has totally converted me... I can't now see myself in anything but an Alfa. I really miss the steering in the 147, it handles like a dream even with older traction control. I had some problems when I bought the Giulietta, the guy tried to pull a fast one and it ended up needing a new radiator, clutch and the turbo went within a couple of weeks. It's on 105k miles atm, so no spring chiken. So it seemed like it was a nightmare purchase a few weeks in, scrambling to borrow cars, but the dealer covered most of the cost (I paid extra to have some of the work done by the dealer). It has had issues with wiring (this quite common) where you'll get a random fault that goes away after you jiggle some wires or re-seat a connector. Luckily I have MultiECUScan (Fiat group specific) that can do pretty much anything you need programming wise (like your flashing obometer, which means an important ECU is missing or has been swapped without a PROXI allignment being done FYI). This I had from the 147 too, Airbag errors don't auto clear but if you know it's just wiring then you reseat and clear the error, hope it doesn't come back! I've discovered that this car 100% (particularly my varient, as it is even less common than others) needs to go to the dealer for just about everything. I tried letting mechanics do 1 or 2 little jobs and they either brake other things in the process or don't understand the complexities that give a poor driving experience. I echo what people have said before, don't cheap out owning an Alfa because you'll pay for it later. Keep it well, check all the fluids, change things when they're meant to be changed and try to use a dealer. Annoyingly my Bristol dealer closed at christmas so I now have to drive 30 miles each way to the next closest, but still worth making sure you have that assurance that a trained technician with the full service manual access is working on the car. The only big thing was the throttle body failed, car idle was really rough and it would stall or put me in limp mode. This car could blow up in my face and I'm pretty sure I'd still love it, you feel so much more alive when you drive it. German cars are fast but they lack that feeling. Ford get pretty close, but they just don't feel as special as Alfa.

Excellent video, articulate and witty, and very helpful. Going to test drive the last 2021 Giulietta that will be imported into my area before the model is changed. I am dithering, due to all the harsh reviews, despite owning a GTV and a 156 in the past. I still miss my lovely old 156, though she bled my bank account dry at the time. Went like a rocket. I always promised myself a new Giulietta and this is the last chance saloon. Your video has persuaded me, even though that was the pre-2016 model you were driving.

My father had one for 4 years, no major issues, drove like a champ.

I have recently about 3 weeks bought a giullieta based on this video in white and it stands out everywhere I go, very confortable and just fast enough, also very cheap to run and plenty of head room if you are over 6’1 like me !

I owned 2 Alfa’s and never had any ‘major’ problems. Owned BMW’s en Audi’s too and they gave me nothing but headaches. Don’t understand all the complaints about Alfa’s, because the germans aren’t any better. Drive Lexus now and the reliability is simply amazing.

I've had a few Alfas, spider, gtv6, 75, 156. Loved them all. The gtv6 had a few problems but I did 150k miles in the 75 and never had a single problem! Amazing.

I've rented many different cars and the Giulietta was my favourite of all to drive. I frequently found myself speeding as I didn't realise the speed I was doing - it was so poised and quiet on fast roads.

My 2010 TBi Cloverleaf is still going strong, 50k miles so far. It's "bianco pastello" with the 18" "phone dial" wheels. Mine has a K&N air filter but no more mods than that, very quick car and a joy to drive always. Love looking at it even years later, timeless design.

Your reviews are just so honest. Its much appreciated by me as someone who has to buy old cheap cars. When I was 20 i went out with a girl whose whole family owned alfas. She used to drive me in convertible cant remember model. Sounded and looked gorgeous circa 1970 car. She later had a wedge shaped gtv. Most beautiful looking cars and sounded so rorty.

My QV was the 2nd most reliable car Ive owned! Few niggles but ive spent so much more on my nissans and toyotas! Miss you my Bella

Good positive vid. Owned a new 2018 Giulietta Super Sport jtdm2 in Misano Blue. It was absolutely fab. What a great looking car. Real fun to drive. After 22k and 13 months of faultless driving I was confident enough to get a new (2019) Giulia 200bhp Super Sport in Vulcano Black, red leather interior, 18" dark Dynamic alloys with red Alfa callipers, privacy glass and dark window surrounds. 1 year of faultless driving and 20k later... What a machine. Stunning to look at from every angle, presence, quick, phenomenal road holding, comfortable, incredible "turn in", flappy paddle gearbox makes you grin madly on both ups and downs, lots of good spec and rare. Yeah the reversing camera's a bit rubbish and the entertainment system is just ok/good. But just take a Giulietta or Giulia for a drive and surprise yourself - in a world of beige don't be afraid of colour and dynamism. Let your inner Alfisti out!!

Watch alot of car content online mate, you're up the where the best. Love your content

Totally spot on review. We have two guilietta's, and both have been reliable, with one hitting a high mileage. Love them both. They redeemed my faith in Alfa having had a miserable and costly experience with a Brera, which IMHO had absolutely no ability beyond a beautiful shell.

I have owned several Alfas, 2 156 models and a 145 cloverleaf. The first 156 was a 2.4 diesel and I drove that car 45000 miles in 2 years and it was a fantastic drivers car. The second one was a 2 litre JTS and that engine was a really amazing piece of work. The 145 was a GTI basher and was an utter joy to drive, a bit hard on the ride but that twin cam, twin spark engine was super reliable and sounded wonderful at high revs. Sure they cost a few quid to run but I paid the bill and 2 miles down the road I forgot about the cost and was enjoying having the car back and driving it. You either love them or hate them. The only way to find out about them is to drive one for a hundred miles and then think about it.

Looking forward to your ‘I was wrong about rainy Tuesday’s in Stockport’ video after recent weather! Costa del Stockport

Had my Guilia 2 years and apart form regular maintenance has been great, drives great, good power, the car is solid and has some emotion you don't get in other makes of car. I recently has a Guilietta loan car when mine was being serviced and although its not got the same poise as the larger Guilia(as you would expect) I enjoyed it and it felt it was solid and easily quick enough, I would own one no problem, full of character.

I've got an alfa romeo gulietta had it for 3 years now never missed a beat had no issues what so ever. I get people asking me about mine and saying how good looking the car is.Nice to see it getting some credit where it's due.

I purchased a 2012 Giulietta 1750QV back in 2012, I still have it, It is really an individualists car with the looks to go. So many people check it out when driving and when I use it to see clients I get so many comments and we go off on a tangent talking about Alfa Romeo. I appreciate my Giulietta now more than ever, and with production of the Giulietta ceasing this year, you'd best get one now or forever be wanting .

That is a great engine ' fiat Jtd ' Great handling I'm an Alfa nut ' Kudos for doing a u turn ' Find a specialist many around ' and sensible ..

Nice looking car...….very honest review considering the bad past experience, Good on you.

Great review! Quite like the look of these Alfa’s. Would love to see you review the BMW 1 series and see what you think of it

I think so many reviewers are quick to use stereotypes when driving Alfa’s which has contributed to its brand health challenges in recent years its only longer term owners or reviewers who take the time to really get to know these cars that learn how unique and special they are - thanks for the review and being bold enough to have a new point of view!

I don't understand the "unreliable" part. We bought a second hand Giulietta at 91k kms which is our first family car. I learned driving in her and daily drove it to my school for 4 months which meant like 90-100kms per week. She runs perfectly, no problems with the transmission or the engine hell we took her out for a 1000km roadtrip and she got better. 2 weeks ago we took her to the periodic service and it was cheap af too. Only bad thing about this car is the fact that they used fiat parts in it. You are right about the looks the car is looking better than other cars in your daily traffic. I sometimes watch the ads before taking her to a joyride to feel like Lightning McQueen at the start of the Cars. "She's not just a car, she got a soul." kinda motivation always works

A very excellent and fair review - i'd agree with most of the points you made (especially the clutch/pedal layout/armrest). I bought a 2010 2.0 JTDM-2 (170HP) with 100k on the clock over 2 years ago, specifically because i wanted something sensible and didn't want to be another Focus/Golf/1 Series on the road... since then i've put 40k on, and aside from the usual servicing/tyres etc, it's cost me a gear position sensor (£70) and one bad glow plug (£40 for a set of 4). Provided you don't mind getting your hands dirty they are great cars and mine has been no less reliable than any other car. There's also a really nice family-like community of guilietta owners on facebook who are always happy to provide advice and tips to any enthusiast.

I have a 2011 giulietta 2.0 JTDM the 170 bhp goes like a train and keeps up with my mate golf GT diesel easy. Love it 👍🏻

My Veloce has been splendid! Had a change from Pirelli P7 to Michelin PS4 and it got even better.

I've got a 2014 Giulietta Sportiva - but it's the 1.4 turbo petrol - and I've never had the handbrake issue. In fact I've had zero issues in so far 4 years of ownership. I think the trouble with some reviews of this type is they give the impression that downsides are a shared issue across the board rather than perhaps just being bad luck and specific to that particular car. I'd imagine the clutch isn't so nice/less forgiving in the diesel just due to diesels generally being easier to stall from my experience driving a few. I find the clutch fine in my car. Anyway - a nice review and I'm glad driving this car improved your opinion of the brand and the Giulietta. There aren't enough Giulietta videos on RU-vid (in my biased opinion) and it's time this Alfa received more love and appreciation - maybe when it eventually goes out of production it will gain some of the cult status it deserves!

Thank you for being so honest :-) I have a high mileage Giulietta with the same engine as the one you drove. I admit I do not have lots of experience of other competing hatchbacks etc, but I just love the car for reasons that defy logic and are entirely emotional. It just pleases me because of what it is. It is beautiful (in my opinion), lovely to be in and to drive (you absolutely got it about the torque and the feeling of urge when you select "D"). I don't mind the Fiat connection at all; I am very fond of Fiats.

Cracking attempt at the Italian accent at the end there, for a split second I thought you were about to break in to a rendition of Joe Dolce "shaddap you face" haha! Quality video as always 👍

In a world of mundane Alfa stands out like a beacon. I know they share parts with FIAT and some other cars, I know they aren't perfect, but as others have said they do put a smile on your face. The all weather mode got me off Dartmoor once when others couldn't get up a hill. I worked in a facility on Dartmoor and the following day my colleagues couldn't understand what I was doing and how I managed it. It also got me back to relatives I was visiting in Lincolnshire one Christmas when ice and snow struck one night. The M180 was closed and the A15 was treacherous. Best drive in dynamic has been driving back to the South West form taking a friend to Heathrow. The A 303 past Stonehenge goes from duel to single in places and back again, through villages and has speed cameras here and there. Its also windy and perfect for trying out the Dynamic mode. I had just got the car about eight years ago and the traffic was unbelievably light. She flew, hugged the bends and handled like it was on rails. In the late autumn sun Stonehenge came into view as I drove over the brow of a hill and the feel on the road was just right. Sadly I have never being able to completely duplicate that ride as there is always too much traffic. Yes, I thought dynamic was a gimmick but not now.

I love my Guilietta. Looks a treat in black and gets plenty of admiring glances. It’s the second time that the company used the name Guilietta. This year likely marks the end of the run for this model which had been a big commercial success. The company plans to introduce the Tonale at the end of 2021 this will be a stylish hybrid. Check out the Guilia and Stelvio models by Alfa exciting designs and great reviews.

I owned a 159 for two years and it didn’t miss a beat and wow what a beautiful car, the only negative thing I have to say about mine was it was a 1.9 JTd with 170 bhp but it never really seemed that quick, but Alfa have definitely upped their reliability so don’t be afraid to buy one

I have driven 80.000 km with a 2018 Giulietta 170 HP. Not once have I had to visit the Garage for a Defect. Only for normal service. I am very impressed.

I was in the "sticks" (out major metro areas) and stopped to let one of these cars go before me. Beautiful women in there, beautiful looking car and it sounded great too.

It’s always amazing when you put a red Alfa next to any other colour. Can you imagine if an Italian designer went to work in Japan. Oh and get the guy in the small claims court.

Thank you for your honest review. It's really helpful.

Thank you, I’ve got the qv version and it is a very underrated car.

Informative as always mate!

I’m on my second Giulietta and loved both of them

Some good points. Own a Giulietta QV in Manual. Absolutely love it as a daily,. My third Alfa. The company has certainly come a long way .....even though I still enjoyed my 156 and Brera.

As a 7 year owner of an 11 year old giulietta I can say the the car has a lot of minor flaws which can all be repaired with little cost or at home by getting the right spare parts. These range from the gear knob corroding (can be replaced with 10EUR), suspension squeaks (needs silicon lubricant), flimsy lock on the dashboard tray (2 screws to put in a new one), fragile fuel door hinge (less than 10EUR repair) and not much more. In general mechanically it's a pretty solid car, if you get a used one, check that the trunk wire connections are working properly, that the air recycle function of the air con works, anything else is a pretty easy and cheap to fix. Door handles are in plastic, some more savage owners manage to snap them easily on older models. The car shown in the video is a 2015 or 2016 MY, not a 2011, though even a 2010 MY spec can be upgraded to have the same front grill and steering wheel as the more recent models. Just the infotainment is hard to replace

We do like the Alfa.My late brother had a couple of suds and GTV6 back in the day loved em.

I have a 2014 mito twin air, in red ( got to be red) absolutely love it, touch wood never had any problems with it in the 2 years I’ve had it! Only problem I’m finding is what to replace it with next year, as both the mito and Giulietta are getting a bit old, and can’t afford the newer Giulia or stelvio, wish Alfa would return to small and medium sized cars!

Such a beautiful car. Great video 👍

I got the MiTo Veloce from 2009. She’s 11 years old now and the MOT history is insane. There 2 fails and that’s nothing to do with the engine. Mostly wipers and lights. It is a top spec Veloce with red leather seats. Never let me down and I don’t want to ever sell it. Absolutely beautiful car. So underrated

Great review, a lot of professional reviewers could learn from this chap

Thanks for doing this! If only they sold these in the U.S., it would be a perfect companion to my Giulia. Speaking of which - I'd love to see you review a Giulia since you're not the biggest Alfa fan. The Giulia's the best car I've ever driven, and I'm sure they make a used car bargain I (if well maintained). After 55K miles, I've not had any problems with mine.

Very good review. Have a soft spot on Alfas and Lancias myself. I have owned 75, 164, GTV, then 166 (all manuals but that's because in those days auto was hard to find and them salespeed boxes were crap anyway), and at some point I was the only guy in Ireland with Lancia Kappa. Apart from 75, all the other ones have been no less reliable than the wet dreams of all culchies VW or Audi. I do agree on pedals, yes, they are too close together (not sure why, perhaps because Italian man are so tiny with their tiny feet) and clutch was strange indeed. Apart from that everything was excellent. GTV and 166 had a 3l petrol and to date I haven't seen a more beautiful engine within the class. Lancia Kappa had the nicest 5-zylinder 20v turbo petrol with really lovely sound. Nowadays Alfas look even more stunning but they cost the money that make no sense for me to pay so I chose Mercedes.

Well Done Matt, Great video, what a lovely little car.

Excellent review Matt - but even Basil Fawlty knew not to mention the war!

If you like the Giulietta, wait until you try the Giulia. It's far better to drive than a 3 series in my opinion and it's gorgeous.

I’ve got a QV TCT and it’s amazing

I have a 1.6 giulietta myself and absolutely love it, hoping to get a 1750 within the next year or 2

Owned a 145 Cloverleaf back in 1995. Totally reliable, gorgeous engine and a true Petrol Head car. Would never buy a new car as depreciation is a nightmare.

Not many people have the character to admit that they were possibly mistaken about their opinion. Love this channel and really look forward to new vids. You should have a paypal link to help cover your production costs.

Great video as usual ! My wife has a giullieta . All that you say about it is true.😀 Nice to drive , handles well , stupid arm rest😂😂😂 looks great even after all these years. Thank you for your real world videos!!

This was a great review! Past week I've been binge watching all your videos, especially the ones of the cars me or my mates have had past years have been the most interesting. I was also wondering, have you driven/sold mk9 Honda Civic's (hatchback)? In my opinion the mk9 Civic felt a lot better than the Golf or Focus from the same year 🤔 (Also in Finland all of the three are in the same price category also)

I’ve had one for 5 years now , not very reliable , but I love this car to death . I have the early ones , they were called QV . storage is not that good , acceleration is great , driving is great , interior quality is medium . But where ever you take this car , it’s always a conversation starter for people who are into or not into cars . Makes you feel you’re driving something different you know

Some fine examples worth including in the Big Book Of Road Test Similes. Nice job!

Owned quite a few..145 Cl / GT./ 156 ..currently Gullieta Sportiva and Brera ..Extremely happy with both

Miss my Giulietta 2.0 TDM 175BHP was much more reliable than the Golf I had. That's when i realized not to listen to what people tell you! It was a blast to drive. Beautiful, definitely a head-turner, people stopped to look at it and came talk to me.... Main dealers ripped me off. Maybe a Giulia or Stelvio, hmmm....... Tempting!

I am a bloke from Leicester originally but now live in Huntington Beach, CA. These videos are wonderful and informative, I often laugh thinking of Americans who watch these and wonder what the hell you are talking about with your quirky very funny one liners. Keep up the great work!

Great review 👍

We had a 2016 Giulietta 1.75 TBi QV that went back last year to the lease company at 3 yrs old with just shy of 90k on the clock. It was full of character and great fun to drive plus bloody quick being the 240hp version (0 to 62 6.0 secs). However it did kind of live up to Alfa's rep for reliability, over the 3 years we had...the rear view mirror and assembly it's attached to came off in my hand and dangled there with a wire! The dealer said it hadn't been affixed properly at the factory. The dual clutch auto transmission (TCT) overheated once reversing up a particularly steep drive at a rented cottage, as the car got older it would also occasionally not engage reverse gear first time, revving as if a clutch was slipping. It needed a new radiator at about 18 mths old, the first warning was steam rising from the bonnet but no warning lights and the temp gauge stayed at half. The dealer never explained what happened, it was just replaced under warranty. It needed a new driveshaft at about 2 years old, symptom being a grinding noise from the front like a wheel bearing had gone. We had to replace the nsf shock absorber which on a car under 3 yrs old i was surprised about and lastly for a while we had very squeaky brakes that the dealer could never sort. However, it sounded great, apart from the mirror the interior trim build quality was good, no squeaks or rattles, it had a decent spec level and the stereo sounded good (crisp, bassy and good volume), once warmed up so it wasn't too jerky (which it was when cold) the TCT box was very quick to change and smooth, the 1.75 TBi is a great engine with loads of low down torque, revvy, and never feels out of it's power band. Was a great car for overtaking in, just squeeze the throttle and you go. The steering was pretty communicative for electric steering and as he said the DNA modes make a huge difference, in Dynamic ours did what this vid said plus firmed up the brakes and set up the lsd to be more aggressive. Ultimate handling was ok but beyond say 8 tenths it got a bit ragged and could struggle to put the power down round corners, and it leaned too much for my liking. I used to have a Mazda3 MPS and that handled better, my current M140i is way better on handling. Interior space was OK, I wouldn't say anything other than just about average for the class but then externally I think they might be a bit below class average size, especially in width which has it's benefits when parking. Ours was Alfa Red and looked the absolute nuts, regularly getting comments. Despite the problems I'd have another Alfa without a question, they're a characterful drivers car for petrol heads. I've had 3 and i love them.😀

I HAVE A 1.6JTDM 2017 GUILIETTA AND CANT FAULT IT . DONE 88OOO MILES . HAD IT SINCE MARCH 2018.

Only when you drive or own an Alfa Romeo you will understand, they are addictive. Yes there can be drama put it does reward with enjoyment and passion. My feet have an angle from driving many Alfa Romeo and Fiat. Have we s new Alfisti? Great video and review as always. A fair review.

I agree with you on the clutch. Not sure what happened to Alfa clutches! My 156 V6 clutch was perfect. I had it replaced at 120K miles and it was still like new at 180K miles when I sold the car. My GT 3.2 clutch was a nightmare and was replaced three times by three different garages including an Alfa main dealer. I've looked at the Giulietta and the clutch on that feels the same as the GT. In general though, I'm a big Alfa fan.

I've had 2 Alfas. Very rarely did I manage to get home from work without a crisis. I think the RAC man thought I was stalking him.

"...it´s alright if you are a T-Rex" brilliant.

I currently have 60 plate jtdm2 gulietta and I love it yeah it's expensive to fix but it's the knowing of owning such a beautiful car they are always a head turner getting another one after this ones time has come

I have had a Giulietta Sportiva 1.4TB Multiair Nav since 2017. Mileage in my ownership 20k and the car has now done 42k from new. The complicated name means its the Sportiva Nav spec - top of the range with the UConnect audio/media Satnav system which is very good. I had a critical update done which has improved it further. The engine is the 1.4 Turbo petrol unit giving 170 bhp in Dynamic mode. It also has the excellent 6 speed TCT (twin clutch) automatic. It has the optional Brembo big disc brakes which are awesome. All in all it is a very good car. Nothing has gone wrong. Everything works and I get an average 42mpg overall, 0-62mph in under 8 seconds and just £30 a year Road Tax. I had the cam belt & water pump changed at 5 years. My only adverse comment is that the suspension is a bit harsh over uneven surfaces, which when you are tired can be a bit irritating. As for servicing I go to one of several Alfa specialists - a much better idea than a main dealer, particularly as clean oil is critical to the correct operation of the 1.4 Multiair engine so I have it changed at no more than 8k to 9k miles not the higher figure claimed by Alfa. I hope this is interesting for you.

Oh no, I’m getting that never far from the surface Alfa itch again. great review as always. Nice watch 👍

I have a 2003 156 Sportwagon as my first car ever (owned it for a year now). Nothing major going on in almost 25k kilometers on the 1.8 TS petrol. It looks stunning, beautiful silver with a sparkle in it, blue 'velours' seats, no rust. It's a base spec with 16 inch wheels of a 916 Spider (no idea how it got those) and with climate control. Granted, the previous owner took care of it. Going to invest in a nice suspension upgrade (no real lowering, just a stock replacement). Planning to drive this for a long time, it's a fantastic car. On topic: My little brother has a Giulietta (same one you are driving, but white). Got the Alfa virus off of me lol. Also loves it, no issues. The + side of this bad reputation is the price (as you say). Alfa's (in particular the older models) are really cheap and if you look carefully, you get a lot of car for the money. My next one will definetely be a V6 Busso. Greats from NL.

Another excellent review.

Another good car review. Thanks.

I just bought a 2012 Lusso with 170hp a few weeks ago. It was that, or a 2012 Focus. It was a long debate, but eventually chose the Alfa because it just looked different to a plain Focus you see every day. It's a nice looking car, plus, its quicker and more economic than the Focus. Really nice to drive, really happy with my choice.

Love my 2012 Giulietta 1.4 170hp version, last owner updated the exteriors to the latest facelift. Engine gasket blew after 200.000km and we replaced that and just finished the engine overhaul hopefully it can go for another 100.000 km. Love it

I had a 2012 Giulietta Sportiva JTD-M 2.0. It was a pretty car, but being a series 0 it lacked a half decent infotainment system. The Series 1 seem to nicely refine the car, things like nicer seats, better boot carpet and the uconnect system. In the time I owned it critical items like the engine mounts and clutch (TCT) failed, both before 100,000 kms. The diesel is very harsh on the engine mounts and gearbox. Changing the engine mounts made it feel like a new car, but I didn't keep it long enough to see what a difference a new clutch would have made. I would agree with pretty much everything in this video.

Well done ... a true face saving revue! Forget the repentance and three Hail Marys you were given and continue with the entertaining revues. 😊

What an excellent review!

Lovely Jubbly, they may be slightly poorer built than a VW group car, but they are a very pretty car, and as you say, you could never accuse a VW golf of being that.