Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1750 Tbi Quadrifoglio verde/ Veloce

Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1750 Tbi 

I'm struggling to recall if I've seen a hatchback with a more beautiful front end than the Giulietta in the last 20 years. Whatever your opinion on the Giulietta may be—and looks are always subjective—almost everyone has to admit that the sight of its grille and hood stirs that famous Italian emotion, whether they like it or not. Alessandro Maccolini did a more than brilliant job here, proving that the inhabitants of the Apennine Peninsula have had art and beauty in their genes since time immemorial. The design was handled in-house by Centro Stile Alfa under the leadership of Lorenzo Ramaciotti.

You don't encounter the Giulietta on our roads very often, but when you do, you can't miss it. Whenever I'm navigating through traffic, whether in a city jam or on the highway, I become completely oblivious to the flood of stylistic bizarre shapes that modern car design has succumbed to. Catching a glimpse of the Giulietta's unmistakable silhouette is like a ray of sunshine breaking through a grey sky.

A powerful design element is the massive scudetto grille—in later versions filled with a black honeycomb mesh that offers a much sportier look than the classic chrome horizontal slats, though that's a matter of perspective. The car's profile is equally elegant, with the hidden rear door handles (pioneered by the Alfa 156) completing the look. Personally, I prefer the post-facelift version; the sporty rear diffuser with its colored accent managed to break up and visually slim down the plastic lower bumper, drawing attention to the dual round exhaust tips.

I've always loved the Alfa Romeo Giulietta so much that I decided to buy one, and we spent a year together. My insights aren't gathered from a two-hour press loan, but from the perspective of an owner looking back. The fact that we only spent a year together will be explained shortly. The reason for such a brief stint was disappointment. Yes, I never thought I'd admit it, but as is often the case when you dream of something, you only see the positives. When reality finally hits, disappointment often follows. And that was my case. Unfortunately, my expectations simply outpaced the reality.

When choosing the car, I didn't give the engine a second thought—there was only one real choice: the 1750 TBi. Though many might disagree, to me, Alfa Romeo is a sports brand, and I just can't picture a diesel under the hood, even if I'd never go as far as criticizing it. But just as a garish yellow paint job doesn't suit an S-Class Mercedes, a diesel in an Alfa feels… well… how should I put it politely—less than appropriate.

Speaking of the engine, I'd venture to say that the same rule applies here as with the Alfa GT 3.2 V6: the engine and the design are the car's best assets. The 1750 TBi delivers an impressive specific output of 100 kW per litre (1742 cc producing 173 to 177 kW). If I compare it, for instance, to the 1.8-litre VW EA888 engine I had for four years in a Polo GTI, that unit produced 141 kW (192 hp). That's a significant gap—about 43 to 48 horsepower difference.

So, there's plenty of power on tap. The same goes for the torque: 300 Nm, peaking at 340 Nm with overboost.

And now for the disappointments. The sound. The exhaust tips generate a fairly meaty note, but it's missing something. Plus, very little of it reaches the cabin. You're sitting in the flagship model with the Quadrifoglio Verde clovers on the wings, yet inside, you'd never know it. You just wouldn't. The Italians didn't bother distinguishing the hot version from the lesser trims. The seats lack side bolstering or any sporty profiling of the cushions and bolsters—no QV embroidery or anything to tug at your heartstrings. You could only spec Pieno Fiore leather in black or red; otherwise, you had to settle for the standard leather and microfibre combo. Things finally moved in the right direction with the 2014 facelift, when the Giulietta finally got the seats it deserved. The integrated headrests and aluminum inserts with the Giulietta script are, by contrast, absolutely stunning.

As for the steering wheel? I can't help myself, but this is simply not how a steering wheel in a sports model should look. A massive rim and a bulky boss with a slab of plastic. The pre-facelift was bad; the facelift slightly less so. Where are the days when every 156 and 147 had a beautiful sports wheel? The Giulietta would have suited the Giulia's steering wheel so much better…

I have to linger in the interior a bit longer. The dashboard design is 'fine'—it won't offend, but it won't thrill either. But we buy an Alfa to be thrilled, so for me, it's no triumph. And the gauges? The instrument cluster is something your eyes are on constantly, and I believe in a sports model, they shouldn't just serve as data displays. They should have flair, energy, and interesting graphics—again, distinct from a 1.6 JTDm. Once more, nothing. It's the same design language as the 159, Brera, or MiTo… if it's on the shelf, we'll put it in everything. Why could the 156/147 GTA have a 300 km/h speedometer to visually set the dials apart, while here there's no change? What also displeased me was the finish quality of the plastics on the buttons and door cards. Despite buying a used car, it was well-maintained, and it was clear the previous owner had treated the interior with respect. Yet, the door pulls were scuffed, and the soft-touch coating was peeling. It looked very unsightly. Alfas at the turn of the millennium had similar issues—why hadn't anyone addressed this years later? These are such easy points for Alfa to lose in the eyes of owners. Why does everything in a Golf look the same after years, while the plastics here degrade like this? This is what always saddens me about Alfa: great engines, unrivaled design, and then the whole result is let down by 'pennies-worth' trivialities, while the competition nails these details and bags the easy wins.

Alfa had a great head start with the Giulietta but ended up cutting corners in all the wrong places. Back then, you could forgive such flaws in Korean brands that were still finding—or rather, establishing—their place on the market. But for a car that started at over 30.000 Euros in 2010? That's a shame.

I'll have to bite my tongue here, as I'm usually no fan of facelifts (whether it was the 156 or the 166), but in this case, it truly benefited the car. Thank God no one thought of messing with the styling or changing the headlight clusters. The QV received redesigned front and rear bumpers, along with that aforementioned honeycomb mesh in the scudetto, and all these tweaks worked in its favor.

If there's one thing that can transform the Giulietta's appearance like a chameleon, it's the choice of colour. In white or black, you'd barely notice the QV. But if a customer ordered, say, Rosso Etna (Micalizzato—'mica' for its flake) or, better yet, Rosso Competizione (the triple-layer paint originally meant for the Alfa 8C!), or perhaps Blu Cobalto or Blu Misano, they must have felt they were looking at a completely different car. These shades are so breathtaking that they squeeze an extra 20% of emotion out of an already stunning design. Paired with the anthracite-finished Teledial wheels in the Brunito shade, the competition simply becomes irrelevant :-). The car in the photos wears the Rosso Micalizzato (aka Etna) paint, and I couldn't take my eyes off it—bright as pomegranate seeds in the sun, dark as a glass of Chianti in the shade. Simply magnificent.

Enough talk about static looks; let's get to the driving experience. My apologies in advance, as I'm about to be full of complaints again. Ultimately, it comes down to what you expect from the car and your intended purpose. Based on that, it will either exceed your expectations or leave you wanting. If you're buying a Giulietta for its looks and its rarity—knowing you won't see another one in the mall car park—and you want a brisk drive with overtaking reserves and a pleasant four-door interior, you'll be thrilled. The Giulietta does all this very well. But if you're like me and want an Alfa that first delights you with its beauty as you climb in, and then leaves you with sweaty palms and a damp patch on your back as you get out, you won't quite get that. Over time, the looks just won't be enough.

If you really want to 'give it some' on a backroad, expecting crisp feedback through the wheel, a solid dose of grip, lightning-fast shifts, and a clear power build-up that makes you constantly chase the redline, you'll be disappointed. It's not that the Giulietta can't be fast—it can. Mostly in a straight line. For me, the steering lacked genuine feedback; it felt vague around the dead centre. As soon as the tarmac isn't glass-smooth (which is basically every road in Central Bohemia), the car feels nervous, and the rear end tends to hop. That's not necessarily a problem if you know it's meant to be that way—like in a Mégane RS Cup, where the rear steps out to actually help you rotate. In the Giulietta, it hops, and you're left a bit terrified of what's coming next.

The front end is predictable enough, provided you don't demand rapid changes of direction or weight transfers. Once you give it time to settle into a corner and load up the outside tyre, it works quite nicely. The electronic e-Q2 'diff' substitute helps pull you out by braking the inside wheel, and the overall impression is decent. But it's missing that 'little something extra' where you're simultaneously a bit scared and excited. Here, you're going fast, the car is holding its own, but I personally lost interest in pushing it quite quickly. Of course, it depends on the condition of the chassis—a car with 50,000 km will behave differently than one with 250,000 km on the clock. Tyres are crucial, too. Perhaps my disappointment stemmed from the fact that I was swapping between the Giulietta and a Mégane, which is razor-sharp and precise. Even so, I'd venture to say that the Giulietta's chassis simply can't keep up with its engine."

The engine, on the other hand, is a pleasant grunt. It pulls from down low, right where the 2.0 TCe in the Mégane RS still feels a bit doughy. The Giulietta's power delivery is actually somewhat linear, almost like a naturally aspirated engine. However, it lacks those distinct power peaks you find yourself chasing through the rev range. Unlike the Busso V6, which clearly 'comes alive' at 4,000 or 5,000 rpm to show you that the real climax is at the redline, here it happens much more subtly. Overall, in my view, the engine and chassis fit the 'warm hatch' brief—a brisk, capable car that can still do family duty. But I expected that little bit more. The sound, the sporty interior, a top-end rush, a planted chassis, and… a sporty gear change. That's the final point I'll mention. The gear knob fits the hand nicely, but it's plastic and feels light. You don't get that sense of mechanical heft. I know a metal knob is freezing in winter and leather scuffs, but I'd take either over this in a heartbeat. The throw is fairly precise but feels rubbery; I missed that mechanical 'snick' and the sensation of quick, well-defined shifts. Here, it's on par with the Mégane, though I think the Alfa actually feels slightly better.

Returning to the engine, which I consider the best part of the car: it's important to distinguish between the pre-facelift (up to 2013) and post-facelift versions. They are essentially two different animals. Although a 5 hp difference seems negligible, the new engine differs more than you'd think. The major change was swapping the heavy cast-iron block for an aluminium one, saving a staggering 22 kg! In the original iron block, the cylinders were bored directly into the material; in the later version, cast-iron liners were pressed into the aluminium block. The 177 kW unit is lifted straight from the purist Alfa 4C and underwent numerous changes to both intake and exhaust. The newer engine uses advanced scavenging technology to improve gas flow, eliminate turbo lag, and enhance the engine note. Both are direct-injection, but the 177 kW version has revised mapping. When paired with the TCT dual-clutch transmission, it features Launch Control, slashing the 0-60 time by a significant 0.8 seconds. While the older engine is more robust due to its construction, if I had to choose, I'd take the lighter, more modern unit. I drove the 173 kW version.

Summing it up: the Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1750 TBi QV is a fascinating car. Even after 15 years on the market, its design remains unsurpassed—a beacon of style in today's flood of bland anonymity. If you're looking for a pleasant, stylish daily driver, you're in the right place. But if you're serious about driving, you'll be a bit disappointed. Or, you'll have to start modding. And here, the Giulietta has serious potential. I can imagine that a full stainless exhaust, a mechanical limited-slip diff (LSD), proper rubber like Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s, coilovers, stiffer springs, and polybushes (PU) would turn this into a very serious machine. If you're considering tuning, go for the pre-facelift—its iron block is incredibly stout and can handle high boost. With the right pistons and forged rods, you can crank up the turbo without fearing a cracked block. Plus, the 6-speed manual can handle a lot more torque than the TCT.

The stock internals and turbo on both blocks can handle around 300 hp. With stock injectors, you won't get past 350 hp. However, if you go for forged pistons and rods, a hybrid turbo, and high-pressure injectors, pushing past 400 hp is realistic! But the engine struggles with heat soak, so you'll need a beefy intercooler and a high-capacity oil cooler. Either way, power is only half the story—especially for a front-wheel-drive car. To get that power down, a mechanical LSD is a must. For a compromise between reliability and usable potential, a sweet spot of 300–350 hp is generally recommended.

Photo: Filip Hron 2026