Alfa Romeo Giulietta VS Honda Civic
Alfa Romeo Giulietta
Likes
- Stunning looks
- Great engine
- Big boot
Dislikes
- Poor cabin storage
- Turbo lag
- No reversing camera
Honda Civic
Likes
- Great interior
- Lovely chassis
- Excellent engine
Dislikes
- Missing some safety gear
- Tight access to boot space
- Old media software
Summary
Alfa Romeo Giulietta
Richard Berry road tests and reviews the new Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce hatch with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.
Nobody just buys an Alfa Romeo, in the same way that nobody goes out and just buys a top hat. Yes it's functional and yes you'll looking amazing in it whether you're male or female, and people will pay you compliments - possibly question your judgement, too, but it's not the obvious choice and buying one is a conscious decision. See, you don't even know if I'm talking about the top hat or the Alfa any more.
At backyard barbecues and dinner parties throughout Australia you'll overhear people saying: "My heart says yes but my head says no." They're not discussing robbing the convenience store on the corner after dessert, but they're more likely to be talking about buying an Alfa Romeo. See Alfas are famous for their stunning beauty, their racing pedigree and their performance, but in the past they've been infamous for their reliability issues. You knew that, right?
The top-of-the-range Giulietta Veloce with the dual-clutch auto is the best reference to the brand's performance pedigree. This version has only just arrived on the market, and follows a major styling and technology update to the Giulietta in 2015.
Like most test cars, we lived with it for a week. Is it too small to be a family car? What's wrong with the glovebox? Is it as racy as it looks? What's with all the water? And is it just me or are my hands too small to drive this car? We'll even be able to point you in the right direction for a guide to Giulietta's reliability.
| Safety rating | |
|---|---|
| Engine Type | 1.7L turbo |
| Fuel Type | Premium Unleaded Petrol |
| Fuel Efficiency | 6.8L/100km |
| Seating | 5 seats |
Honda Civic
The Honda Civic's 10th generation is drawing to an end. Well, I say that, but there's still a pretty solid chance that the 11th generation won't quite be here this time next year.
I make the point because we've already seen a "prototype" for series 11 of the Honda Civic Story, but also because we won't actually get the car we've seen – the sedan. Just 20 per cent of Civic sales go to the booted version and then you have to merge that data with the rise of SUVs, both with Honda buyers and the market at large.Â
Things is, I think the sedan is the better of two for a variety of reasons which I will explain below. I also think the Civic, despite its advancing "age" (four years isn't really that long in the current climate) is still a fairly sensible choice among its peers, which include some serious competition.
| Safety rating | |
|---|---|
| Engine Type | 1.5L turbo |
| Fuel Type | Regular Unleaded Petrol |
| Fuel Efficiency | 6L/100km |
| Seating | 5 seats |
Verdict
Alfa Romeo Giulietta6.3/10
So much right and some things not quite right – the Giulietta has the Alfa Romeo mix of highs and lows which the brand is famous for. There’s no mistaking that this is a unique and sexy looking car, with the practicality of a five-door hatch plus impressive handling and performance.  More heart than head decision here though it seems, but romantic Alfa enthusiasts should adore it.
Have you got a 'classic' Alfa Romeo experience, good or bad? Tell us in the comments below.
Click here to see more Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce pricing and spec info.
Honda Civic7.3/10
As a car to drive, the Honda Civic feels great. It had a good start, but the later addition of the turbo 1.5 and the continuous honing of the chassis, steering and driveline – an endearing, unheralded trait that Mazda and Honda do so well – has taken what was a solid car and turned it into one I'd genuinely consider owning, even in this wild orange colour.
What it doesn't have is a full suite of safety systems, which is a real shame, because its main rivals do. Some of us are happy to forego things such as reverse cross-traffic alert and some are not. If you can, the Civic sedan should be in the reckoning. And the clock is ticking.
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Design
Alfa Romeo Giulietta8/10
Alfa Romeo couldn't design a boring car even if it was handed a picture of a Toyota Camry and told to copy it or else. The Giulietta is no exception.
There's the deep 'V' grille shared with the new Giulia sedan and 4C sports cars that make up the current Alfa model line-up. There's the bug-eye headlights with pretty inset LEDs and the chiselled bonnet, a side profile which looks like that of a mini Porsche Cayenne and a cute-but-tough bottom with its elegant taillights and twin exhausts.
The latest update brought a honeycomb mesh grille and a slightly different design to the headlight and LED foglight surrounds. The tail pipes were also given a styling tweak, so too were the alloy wheels.
The cabin saw new materials and finishes added. The Veloce had the Alfa Romeo logo stitched into the integrated headrests, shiny sports pedals, and lashings of faux carbon fibre trim on the doors and dash.
You can tell a Veloce from the outside by the red Brembo brake calipers behind the front wheels, 18-inch alloys, its chunkier exhaust tips poking out of the diffuser, red pin-striping to the front and rear bumpers, and the black window surrounds.
Okay, how big or small is it? Here's some dimensions for you. The Guilietta is 4351mm long, 1798mm wide, 1465mm tall and the Veloce with its sports suspension is 9mm lower than the others with 102mm of ground clearance.
Compared to say a Mazda3 hatch the Giulietta is 109mm shorter end-to-end and only 3mm wider. But if you're considering an Giulietta why are you looking at the Mazda3 anyway? That would be sensible - Like comparing Cancer Council hats to top hats.
Honda Civic
Making fun of the Civic's over-supply of angles and lines is really very easy, so for once I'll refrain. Partly because the sedan is better than the hatch in this respect and also because – somehow – I have become quite fond of its wacky face. The sedan's profile is also more flowing and, with all the RS piano black and extra aggro (which ironically means yet more lines and angles), it sat much more happily in my camera lens than before. I wonder if the Civic's controversial looks have aged well in the same way Chris Bangle BMWs have? Because we're all suddenly pretty fond of those now, aren't we?
My changed opinion is bound to infuriate Honda's designers who have cleaned up the Civic for its next version. At this point I should mention that the sedan is on its last legs here in Australia – we won't be getting the next one.
The interior is as good-looking as it is practical. I still don't like the angles of the gauges in the left and right sections of the dash, but the central digital dash section is really good and easy on the eye. The RS picks up some subtle features like the strip of chequered flag fabric on the seats. It's a nice, clean look and I like the use of metallic materials on the climate controls and the stereo. It's a very calm interior, quite a contrast to the exterior.
Practicality
Alfa Romeo Giulietta5/10
Beautiful things tend to favour form over function. The Giuletta tries to do both and succeeds…but also fails in places.
Successes first: despite its coupe looks it's actually a five-door hatch with ‘hidden' handles for the rear doors placed up at window level near the C-pillar. So good is the two-door disguise that our photographer climbed into the back seat through the front door.
Rear legroom is a bit tight back there and at 191cm I can sit behind my driving position but I'd hate for me to be sitting behind me because my knees are digging hard into the seat back.
Headroom isn't much chop either and I literally can't sit in the back seat and hold my head high – a combination of that sloping roofline and the optional double sunroof reduces the head space.
A major practicality fail is the lack of storage throughout the cabin.
My wife's phone kept mysteriously appearing in the footwell every time we left it in the glove box, like there was a tear in the time-space fabric, but then we realised it was slipping through a gap.
There's no centre armrest storage bin in the front – actually there's no centre armrest. There is a pop-up hidey-hole on the dash but with only enough room for a pair of sunglasses.
The two cup holders in the front are small. It's safe to say that unless you have somebody with hands at the ready, ordering drive-thru is possibly out of the question.
Or if you have long arms and can reach the fold down armrest in the back there are two decent sized cup holders along with a small storage space. There are no bottle holders any of the doors, but there is fortunately room for a phone and wallet because there isn't space for them anywhere else.
But wait, the Giulietta is saved from a total storage fail by a large-for-the-class 350-litre boot. That's 70 litres bigger than a Toyota Corolla's and only 14 litres less than the Mazda3.  We could fit the pram, the shopping and the rest of the gear which goes with a military operation such as a trip to the park with a toddler in there.
Honda Civic
The Civic's cabin is swimming in space and and filled with comfortable seats and lots of storage.
The back seat is super-spacious as it has been forever. Having driven the i30 Sedan last week, I'm having difficulty splitting the two for legroom and lounging space. Where the Civic loses out – and it's close – is in rear headroom.
There are four cupholders and bottle holders and a massive central bin between the front seats, big enough to conceal the massive new PlayStation 5 (okay, maybe not that big, but it it certainly looks big enough).
The boot holds a gigantic-for-a-small sedan 519 litres with the seats in place. Honda doesn't supply a total figure with the seats down, but it will be a lot. The opening for the bootlid is a little tight, so don't get too excited at Ikea.
Price and features
Alfa Romeo Giulietta5/10
The 2016 update saw the Giulietta variants renamed. There's the entry grade $29,990 Super Manual which has a six-speed manual gearbox, then buyers can step up to the Super TCT with a six-speed dual clutch automatic transmission for $34,900 and then there's our test car – the Veloce for $41,990. There's 10 paint colours at your disposal from the colour of our car (Alfa Red) to Perla Moonlight. Only Alfa White comes at no extra cost, the rest are a $500 option.
The Veloce collects the same features as the Super TCT such as a 6.5-inch touch screen, with sat nav, front and rear parking sensors, three drive modes and then adds bi-xenon headlights, 18-inch alloys, leather and Alcantara seats, a flat-bottomed steering wheel, the big exhaust tips and the sports diffuser, tinted rear glass and then less cosmetic features such as sports suspension and launch control.
There's no reversing camera which is disappointing, considering they come standard on some cars half the price.
At this price you'd shop the Veloce against a BMW 120i hatch for $41,900, a Volkswagen Golf GTI for $43,490 or possibly a high-end Mazda3 SP 25 Astina for $37,040.
Honda Civic
The Civic RS price has slowly crept north, along with the prices of its mostly Korean rivals, now at $34,090. It's a fair bit more than the Ford Focus ST-Line, but you can't get a sedan version of that and infuriatingly neither can you get the wagon.
The RS has 18-inch alloys, a 10-speaker stereo, faux leather seats (nothing wrong with that), auto LED headlights and DRLs, dual-zone climate control, reversing camera, front and rear parking sensors, keyless entry and start, electric driver's seat, auto headlights and wipers and a space-saver spare.
The 7.0-inch matte-finished touchscreen runs Honda's homage-to-the-80s software package that is bolstered by the presence of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It also has DAB, which is a nice touch, but it is missing built-in sat nav, which most of its rivals have.
Under the bonnet
Alfa Romeo Giulietta7/10
The Giulietta Veloce has a 1.75-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine which produce 177kW of power and 340Nm of torque. It's a great engine that lets loose a wonderful scream when pushed hard and the little grunts it makes when it changes gear when driving around normally sound like a giant enjoying his food.
The transmission is a dual-clutch auto which Alfa calls a TCT or twin-clutch transmission. I'm not a fan of them regardless of the brand of car they're in but the Alfa version is better than most of the others in its smoothness at lower speeds and decisiveness.
What about the Giulietta's reliability over time? This version of the car is less than two months old so we can only comment on what it offers as a brand-new vehicle, but you'll find good context in our used review of the earlier 2011-2014 Giulietta.
Honda Civic
The 1.5-litre four-cylinder has a light pressure turbo bolted in to produce 127kW at 5500rpm and 220Nm between 1700-5500rpm. Those numbers are 23kW and 46Nm up on the 1.8-litre, which goes without the turbo.
You can let the continuously variable transmission (CVT) look after the turning of the front wheels or if you're feeling sporty – not an unreasonable expectation if you've picked the RS – you can use the paddle shifters which tell the computer to put some fake gears into the box for you to shift up and down.
Efficiency
Alfa Romeo Giulietta7/10
Alfa Romeo says you should see your Veloce drink at a rate of 6.8L/100km during combined driving, but the dash showed more than double that during mainly urban driving while channelling  Enzo Ferrari.
Honda Civic
Honda's official testing suggets a combined cycle figure of 6.3L/100km which is lower than the 1.8-litre, a nice bonus when you have all that extra power to play with. My week with the Civic was mostly suburb-bound and I scored a respectable (indicated) 8.2L/100km.
Driving
Alfa Romeo Giulietta6/10
There's so much potential here for a great driving experience such as the accurate and direct steering and great suspension which provides a comfortable ride and great handling, only for all to be let down by turbo lag which kills the responsiveness in the car.
Of the three steering modes: Dynamic, Natural and All Weather, the Dynamic setting was kept on almost always with the other two just feeling too lethargic.
The Giulietta is front-wheel drive and there's a lot of torque being sent to those wheels, but unlike a stack of Alfas in the past there's next to no torque steer. That said, our hill start test on a wet night saw those front wheels scrambling for traction as it accelerated up the slope. Cornering grip from the tyres is excellent, however.
There's some Alfa Romeo ergonomic issues in the cabin we've gotten used to over the years, but just because you're accustomed to something doesn't mean it's okay. For example, the cramped driver's footwell with the brake and accelerator pedals so close that it's easy to hit both at the same time.
The indicator and wiper stalks are also so far from the steering wheel rim that they're almost out of reach – I don't think I have small hands, nobody's ever pointed them out or laughed at them.
And speaking of wipers, the Giulietta is obsessed with keeping itself clean. Pull the wiper stalk towards you to clean the windows and such is the intensity of the spray from both the window washer and the headlight washers it's like you're captaining a fishing trawler that's hit a massive wave at sea. Put the car into reverse and the rear wiper starts squirting and washing.
For Christmas I want Alfa to upgrade their media unit or bin it – the UConnect system disconnected my phone without prompting and isn't intuitive to use.
Honda Civic
This iteration of the Civic has been with us for a while now. I wasn't absolutely sure about it when I first drove it – that was partly down to the less-than-stellar 1.8 and an at-times doughy CVT.
Over the years I've been very lucky to drop my posterior into two, three or even four Civics per year. During that time I have noted some subtle changes, such as the CVT's more attentive nature and the progressive improvement of the ride on particularly bumpy surfaces, such as Sydney's concreted arterial roads.
The RS itself is no different mechanically to the other 1.5-litre turbo-engined cars in the range (it's an entire engine's worth of power short of the madcap Type R) but over the years, that has meant good things. I've always liked the low-set driving position, it's lower than many hot hatches. You sit in and down in the Civic and it feels quite sporty.
Turn the wheel and it's all very positive, with a very pleasant ride and handling balance. The CVT is still a CVT but, especially in the turbo, it has more grab off the line and doesn't indulge in flaring as you'd find in a Subaru, turbo or not. It's actually fun to drive, especially if you draft in the paddles to do some work.
But it's also a car you need never provoke to enjoy driving. The comfortable ride and secure handling make it the kind of car anyone can like. The steering wheel is just right, the controls all feel really nice to use and touch. There's nothing particularly flashy about the Civic apart from its looks, but it's such a comfortable car with a super-solid feel to its engineering.
The main advantage of the turbo engine is that it doesn't have to work as hard as the 1.8 to keep the Civic moving. The extra torque is always there and makes it a much more relaxed car around town than the 1.8-powered Civics, while giving you the extra grunt to push out into traffic, or pull off a tricky overtake.
Safety
Alfa Romeo Giulietta6/10
The Alfa Romeo Giulietta has been given the maximum five-star ANCAP rating. It doesn't have the advanced safety technology such as AEB and lane keeping assistance which is now standard on any small hatches for a lot less money.
For child and baby seats there's two top tether and two ISIOFIX points in the back seat.
Honda Civic
All Civics come with six airbags, ABS, stability and traction controls.
The Honda Sense package adds forward collision warning, forward AEB (high and low speed), lane departure warning and lane keep assist.
One of my favourite Honda quirks is LaneWatch. Flick the indicator for a left-hand turn and the media screen displays the output of a camera pointed down the left-hand side of the car. It's still too bright at night, but you can disable it or tap the button on the end of the indicator stalk to cancel it.
You also get two ISOFIX anchors and three top-tether points.
The Civic sedan was last assessed by ANCAP in April 2017 and scored five stars.
Ownership
Alfa Romeo Giulietta6/10
The Giulietta is covered by Alfa Romeo's three year/150,000km warranty. Servicing is recommended at 12month/15,000km intervals with a major service every two years. Alfa Romeo doesn't have capped price servicing but there is Mopar Vehicle Protection which customers can purchase with the vehicle for $1995.
Honda Civic
Hondas ship with a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, which is competitive as more and more manufacturers consider this a minimum.Â
The "Tailored Servicing" program caps nine of the first 10 services at $281, with just one service jumping to $310. That's reasonable value for a turbo engine, except servicing is every 12 months or 10,000km. That means more than one trip per year to the dealer if you drive more than 10,000km per year.