Alfa Romeo Giulia interior

Style

Getting into the Giulia is like slipping behind the steering wheel of a sports car. Everywhere you look there are design cues to the company’s racing heritage (it raced in F1 up until 1988) such as the hooded dials, circular air vents and controls that point right at the driver.

The three-spoke steering wheel looks brilliant and has racy touches of its own such as the race-car style starter button. For an extra £275 you can equip the eight-speed automatic gearbox with solid aluminium paddles behind the steering. They look like they belong in a Ferrari and that’s exactly who Alfa Romeo has copied them from.

You could be forgiven for thinking (famously-flaky) Ferrari signed off the Giulia’s interior plastics, fit and finish. Some parts of the interior feel cheap – such as the plastics covering the gear shifter – and the gaps between trims on the centre console are inconsistent. By comparison, an Audi A4’s interior seems to have been constructed using laser precision.

Basic models come with cloth seats and black plastics that don’t really do the interior justice. Better to go for mid-range Super trim, which buys you half-leather seats and the option to specify an eye-catching, two-tone dashboard.

Speciale cars up Alfa’s game with aluminium trim pieces, aluminium pedals and leather upholstery, and sportier Veloce models get all that and the metal paddle gear shifters as standard, but they’re a little bit pricy.

Various packs mean you can fine-tune the Alfa to your tastes, although most of them aren’t available on the basic car. The £2,750 Lusso Pack is offered on Super models, though, and is good value way of adding lots of extra kit. It includes leather seats and lets you choose from Silverwood or Walnut trim pieces. It also adds kit such as eight-way adjustable, heated front seats and a heated steering wheel.

The Giulia's available with the same gearshift paddles you get in a Ferrari – £275 has never been better spent!