2018 Alfa Romeo Giulia TI Sedan

Story and photos by Sean Smith

Like Goldilocks—some things are just too hot, some too cold. Some too hard, some too soft.

Is it the same way with Alfa Romeo?

After driving the fire-breathing Quadrifoglio, I didn’t come away with any of those impressions; instead I came away with a feeling of… well, awe. This was a supercar with four doors—a way to get the kids to soccer practice in zero seconds flat.

But can you live with it on a daily basis? It has a trunk, four doors, and it’s luxurious. It’s a joy behind the wheel and there’s no third pedal, so anyone can drive it. But if you want to keep your license and not be on a first-name basis with the judge in your local traffic court, this might be a bit more than you need.

Then there’s the Alfa 4C we reported on last week. This Alfa is a sports car in the truest sense of the word. It’s small—just enough room for two. If you’re going anywhere, all your belongings better fit in one small bag. It makes nice sounds and it’s hard to get in and out of; your rearward visibility is on the limited side and it handles beautifully—so it’s a blast to drive, but there is not much practicality.

SO WHAT? Is that why you buy an Alfa? Well, it can be… and it can be just right.

That is, if you decide to put yourself in a Giulia TI. You might not get the mind-melting horsepower and speed of the Quadrifoglio, but you also won’t be tickling the close-to-6-figure price tag. You will get close to the laser-sharp handling of the 4C, with a bit more room.

So if you throw down something close to 50K, you’ll be picking up a very sweet ride.
For that money you get a turbo-charged 2.0 liter, inline, direct injected four that is putting out 280HP. Not a big number in today’s world of stratospheric power, but it gets the job done in a very satisfying way.

Focus your attention on the center console for a moment. Set the Alfa’s DNA driving mode knob to D for dynamic, then pull the shift lever to drive, then flick it to the left. Now pay full attention to the rather large paddle shifters and have at it! You will be glad you did! Power comes on with liquid rapidity. The one thing you are left wishing for is a better sound track. A sexy car needs a sexy growl—but, è la vita!

If the engine’s aria doesn’t grab you, just crank up the Harmon Kardon audio system and choose your own. While you’re at it, enjoy your surroundings. 8-way adjustable seats, leather dash and door tops and a beautifully integrated infotainment system that on those German cars with the 3 initials look like an afterthought. The whole interior is just more inviting than its Germanic counterparts. It’s clean and simple, but still retains an Italian flair. If it’s cold out, let your parte inferiore be warmed by the cozy heated, leather-wrapped seats. As the driver your hands can be treated to that same warmth at the touch of a button.

And you have a back seat to let others share the Giulia joy.

You have all the mod cons without a dizzying array of buttons and switches. There are those electronic minders to keep you in line, but they don’t seem to be as crazy intrusive as others I’ve experienced. If this was to be your year-round ride for wintery climbs, I’d consider adding the Q4 all-wheel drive to the mix—or at the least a set of really good snow tires, because rear wheel drive and all-season tires don’t play well with even the smallest amounts of the white stuff.

When the roads are clear and you get a chance, it’s made clear very quickly that the Giulia TI is fantastically well balanced. The handling is as light and sweet as gelato and the stability control doesn’t smack you upside the head if you get a little daring. The brakes have been called wooden by some, but with a little time they feel proper under your foot and do a very good job of bringing you down to zero. All this makes you think up excuses to take the long winding road home. With great turn in and a responsive ZF transmission you can be forgiven that you forget you are in a sedan—but that doesn’t matter, because the sex appeal is still there, even with the 2 extra doors.

With more than a 20-year absence from these shores, Alfa had to return to the US in a big way. Buyers in this class have become complacent. They stick with their ubiquitous Mercedes, BMWs, Audis, and Lexus. They all seem to blur into a uniform haze. Alfa had to come with exotic allure, but if they wanted to grab a share of the market, it couldn’t be with just a niche sports car (4C) and it couldn’t be with a hell raiser sedan (Quadrifoglio). They had to take aim at the C Class MB, the 340i BMW, The Audi A4, and the Lexus GS 300.

They have done that with the just-right Giulia TI. It breaks out of the mold with a front end that makes you well aware of its DNA. The profile might start to give you the feeling of status quo, but its stance saves it. At the rear, Alfa is somehow able to finish with a flair the others seem to forget about.

The TI just has more charm, more life and much more passion than its competitors. You could say it’s the very “Italian-ness” of the Alfa that sets it apart. There’s no questioning its heritage; it’s a great Alfa in all the myriad ways you want an Alfa to be great: It’s a joy to drive, it makes you grin from ear to ear, and it’s enough to the left of center in the car world to draw the true enthusiast to it.

The only thing against it at the moment is it doesn’t have a track record. We don’t know what a long relationship with a Giulia TI will bring.

But it is said you can’t really call yourself a Gearhead until you’ve owned an Alfa. It’s also just plain cool to say it:

I drive an Alfa.

These cars always find a way to make up for any of their shortcomings. This new selection is bound to keep Gearheads and the newly born “Alfisti” happy for the foreseeable future.