Can The New 2016 Alfa Romeo Giulia Save Alfa Romeo?

Can The New 2016 Alfa Romeo Giulia Save Alfa Romeo?

Few new car models have arrived in recent years bearing more weight of expectation than the 2016 Alfa Romeo Giulia. Billed as nothing less than an immediate competitor to the German, British, American and Asian compact luxury sedans, the Giulia marks the first in an onslaught of new Alfa Romeos meant to catapult the classic but catatonic Italian brand into the top tier of luxury cars.

And while we can tell you lots about the new sedan on paper, headlined by a Ferrari-bred 510-hp engine we can’t answer the most pertinent question: Is it any good?

Designed by a “skunkworks” team of Italian engineers, the new Giulia checks most of the boxes for what a modern compact luxury sports car should do. Available as either rear-wheel or four-wheel-drive, power comes from a turbocharged V-6 whose 510 hp provide a 0-62 mph time of 3.9 seconds in the top-line Quadrifoglio trim, which is right on top of the BMW M3 (There are other models with lesser four-cylinder power that Alfa will reveal at a later date.) The weight is balanced 50-50 for handling prowess, the suspension uses double wishbones up front and a multilink setup in the rear, and there’s active spoilers in the front for better downforce at speed. And while most of the chassis is steel or aluminum, the hood of the Quadrifoglio will be carbon-fiber for weight savings.

Inside, Alfa promises a luxurious leather/wood/carbon-fiber environment, along with the now-required suite of electronics, such as torque vectoring and adjustable driving modes, designed to wring as much performance and comfort as possible from the all-new chassis. Pricing wasn’t announced.

The new Alfa isn’t set to arrive on American shores until 2016, but Fiat Chrysler has grand plans; chief executive Sergio Marchionne sees Alfa selling 400,000 cars a year by 2018, after doing just 74,000 in 2014. And while the Giulia unveiling was held at Alfa’s new Italian museum devoted to its century-long history in racing and beautiful metal, the 21st-century Alfa Romeo is basically starting from scratch. The competition has a massive head start, and the new Giulia will need to be nearly perfect to catch up.