Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint 1.4 MultiAir first drive review

As with the best Alfas, this engine is a bit of a gem. It’s smooth, likes to rev, is fairly lively and issues a subtle background noise that’s genuinely redolent of Giuliettas of the past. 

It doesn’t rev that high, 6500rpm being the faintly strained limit, and there’s a distinct power-step at 2200rpm when the turbo pulls harder - but despite this, the MultiAir is rarely short of useful pull. 

Couple this to a decently accurate gearchange courtesy of the 6-speed manual transmission, and you have a civilised powertrain that encourages you to make good use of it. 

The Giulietta’s suspension is quietly impressive, too. Alfa claims to have made no changes since launch, and there’s none specific to the Sprint, but this car rides with agreeably commotion-free suppleness, only the occasional sharp-edged bumps causing muffled clunks. And this was on the optional 18-inch rims rather than the standard 17-inch units. 

The chassis also delivers decently keen turn-in, plenty of grip and good on-the-limit behavior, the combination of finely tuned ESP and a standard-fit, Q2 electronic differential tightening the car’s line through hard-charged, tight twists without intrusive interventions. It’s far from a riot to drive, but it’s satisfyingly capable. 

The steering is less fulfilling. It’s too heavy when the Alfa’s DNA switch is shifted to Dynamic, usefully enlivening the throttle, but because the modes aren’t individually selectable, you can’t have what Alfa calls ‘natural’ steering without a dulled accelerator. Of the two modes we prefer natural, the steering scoring for its weight and accuracy, if not for its numbed road feel. 

Refinement is fair to good - coarse surfaces fire road noise into the cabin, but wind noise is contained and the engine’s growl calms at a cruise.

The ‘should I buy’ question usually prompts a familiar answer when it to comes to Alfas - which is that if you fancy something slightly different from the ubiquitous mainstream, a car with a bit of character, then it’s worth serious thought if you don’t mind living with a few flaws and a thinner dealer network. 

That broadly holds true here. Except that this 148bhp Sprint is almost certainly the sweet spot of the range. 

It provides a fine balance of abilities, is reasonably well priced and has just enough character to counterbalance the low-grade materials in parts of the cabin and the slightly limited rear room. 

It’s not the best in a class of car increasingly populated by clinically competent models, but it has enough verve - just - that this fact may be worth overlooking.

Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint 1.4 MultiAir

Price £20,490; 0-62mph 8.2 sec; Top speed 130mph; Economy 49.6mpg; CO2 131g/km; Kerb weight 1290kg; Engine 4 cyls, 1368cc, turbocharged, petrol; Power 148bhp at 5500rpm; Torque 184lb ft at 2500rpm; Gearbox 6-speed manual