The big differentiator for the Giulia when it comes to the competition from BMW and Audi is that the Alfa is Italian and this not a boring German choice in luxury four-doors. But Alfas are also supposed to be fun to drive. The Giulia Quadrifoglio certainly was. How about the less powerful version?
With, say, a BMW, I typically encounter a rising curve of impressive-ness behind the wheel. The 3-Series is the Giulia's natural foe, and from the base machines all the way up to the mighty M3, you're rewarded with more of simply everything behind the wheel.
The four-cylinder Giulia offers something different. The car feels feathery, light, quick on its feet. And it is quick, with that five-secondish o-60 mph time. The "Dynamic" DNA setting gives you good snap from the throttle and tight inputs from the steering. Find some curves and hurl the Giulia into them. But use the suspension and the crisp traction to sling yourself out, rather than hammering through as you might with the Quadrifoglio.
In "Normal" mode, you can tool around town in quiet, stylish comfort. The "Adaptive" mode makes the best use of the all-wheel-drive system — and I did, in a freak pre-Thanksgiving blizzard on the East Coast! The Giulia was very, very reassuring in some nasty conditions.
Safety and driver-assist features are what you'd expect from a modern luxury sedan, from blind-spot detection to lane-departure and forward-collision warnings (all in all, about $2,000 extra for everything).
The bottom line is that I actively fantasized about owning the Giulia, while I was driving it. It suited my moods. And at $52,000, my well-equipped tester offers a lot for the price, and who knows, you might be able to talk up some deals, given Alfa's new-ness in the US market.
The big caveat is that Alfa hasn't exactly minted a sterling reputation for quality, thus far. However, the Giulia comes with a 4-year/50,000-mile warranty covering car and powertrain, so you can expect the company to fix any immediate problems.
The Alfa Romeo non-Quadrifoglio Giulia is appealing because it offers something appealing that isn't German, while matching and in some ways surpassing Mercedes, BMW, and Audi. It's worth a look.