Should you buy one?

Alfa Romeo has built a fabulous executive saloon. It looks good, drives superbly, and should prove economical to run. Considering the strength of its rivals, this is quite an achievement.

While the German opposition is certainly more polished in terms of interior material quality and infotainment tech on offer, the Alfa more than makes up for it with the way it drives, and ultimately the way it looks. It’s certainly an appealing alternative to one of the more obvious (German) rivals assuming low CO2 ratings aren’t important.

In short, it’s a heart versus head decision, which means objectivity can go out of the window. But if you can overcome your emotions, we’d say you’d be better off buying a BMW 3 Series.

What we like

Cars from 2021 and on are much improved over older models in the interior department, and offer a now competitive level of driver assistance. Despite the fast steering and uncanny ability to resist bodyroll, the Giulia rides nicely even on broken and potholed UK roads.

What we don’t like

It has a dated-feeling infotainment system and there’s questions about the level of service from the dealer network. It’s also a shame that the diesel model has been dropped, especially if you like a long driving range and relaxed motorway performance.