You learn a lot of things about your companion when you undertake a lengthy road trip: from political views, musical preferences and the throw-away comments that can bring forth an argument that would make Jerry Springer blush… it’s a voyage of discovery. So, how was our long-term Giulietta going to acquit itself on a near-1 000 km round-trip up the West Coast?
Thus far, the Giulietta had proved itself a refined town-goer with a pleasant punch and head-turning looks – the only chinks in its armour were a noticeable amount of turbo lag and increasing trim creak/shudder that emanated from an as-yet indeterminable source when driving on choppy surfaces. On the open road the car continued to exhibit a pliant ride and composed road manners, but a good deal of tyre roar did permeate the cabin at speeds above 100 km/h, necessitating the odd utterance of “pardon?” and cranking the admittedly slick Bose sound system up a notch or two.
Thanks to the 173 kW served up by the Giulietta’s turbocharged 1,75-litre engine, the usual scourge of long-distance drives – articulated lorries with an aversion to crawler lanes – were hastily dealt with. In these situations, nudging the DNA drive selector into ‘dynamic’ was especially pleasing – being accompanied by a palpable change in engine note and a brief forward surge as the overboost kicked in. That additional bit of oomph is always welcome when dealing with slower traffic, but bear in mind that the DNA system won’t engage at speeds above 100 km/h (an understandable safety net that prevents all havoc potentially breaking loose with accidental deployment in extremis). This sometimes necessitates backing off the throttle when approaching slower traffic so as to bring the car down to a DNA-friendly speed before surging past.
Brisk overtaking manoeuvres also uncovered another quirk that can catch the weary traveller unawares – the Alfa’s steering has a strong self-centering action at high speeds that can induce some unexpected lurch when changing direction.
These quirks aside, the Alfa proved itself to be a consummate long-distance driver. The boot swallowed a weekend’s worth of clothes/food/beach accouterments and a couple of cases of wine purchased during an impromptu stop in Klawer. Fuel consumption was pretty respectable too, at an average of 9,72 L/100 km.
Thus far:
Likes: Punchy engine, comfortable ride, surprisingly spacious.
Dislikes: Tyre noise at speed, lurch-steer when overtaking
Fuel economy (l/100km): 9,6
Mileage (km): 15 019
