The six-year old Alfa Romeo Giulietta is getting a minor facelift in time for the Geneva show.
Eagle-eyed observers will notice the hatchback receives honeycomb inserts in the grille and in the lower bumper, new alloy wheel designs, and a handful of additional paint colors. Out back, the “Giulietta” emblem on the hatch is written in bigger letters, a styling cue borrowed from the upcoming 2017 Giulia sedan.
Inside, the revisions are equally minor and largely limited to the latest generation of Fiat-Chrysler’s touch screen-based UConnect infotainment system, and a handful of redesigned trim pieces on the dashboard. An Alfa Performance menu lets the driver use his or her smartphone to time runs on the track, access vital information about what’s going on under the hood, and get real-time driving tips.
Mechanically, the Golf-sized Giulietta is offered with an array of gasoline- and diesel-burning four-cylinder engines ranging from a 1.4-liter turbo four that makes 120 horsepower to a 1.4-liter MultiAir mill rated at 170 ponies. The facelifted model gains a 1.6-liter JTDm turbodiesel that sends 120 horsepower to the front wheels via a six-speed dual-clutch transmission.
Positioned at the top of the Giulietta lineup, the Veloce model uses an evolution of the 4C’s 1.7-liter turbo four that produces 240 horsepower and 221 lb-ft. of torque, though an overboost function bumps torque up to 250 lb-ft. for short bursts of time. It hits 62 mph from a stop in six seconds flat and keeps on accelerating until it reaches 151 mph. The Veloce model gets discreet red accents on both ends, blacked-out headlights, new emblems on the fenders, 17-inch alloys, and a big air diffuser out back.
The 2016 Alfa Romeo Giulietta will land in European showrooms in the next few months. In Italy, it carries a base price of €22,200, a sum that converts to about $25,000.
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