Is Alfa Romeo Entering The Philippine Market? We Drive The Giulia 2.0 T RWD

Go Flat Out has been given exclusive access to the behind the scenes look of the first ever Alfa Romeo Giulia here in the Philippines, courtesy of Alfa Romeo Philippines.

While a dealership inauguration is still a couple of months away, managed by the same team behind Abarth Philippines, they are indeed dead serious in making the two high performance Italian brands have a foothold here in the Philippines. In a sea of BMWs, Audis, and Chedengs plying our financial districts, will we soon see Alfa Romeos also dwelling on our streets?

That depends of course on a couple of key factors, one of which is the company’s after sales service. Dennis Dee and Allen Ong are currently in the works on the construction of its dealership to be located at Connecticut Street corner Ortigas Avenue in San Juan. While the team are still not considered the official distributor of Abarth and Alfa Romeo in the Philippines, they will nevertheless be supported by the company through the supply of cars, spare parts, and even warranty. Even in the dealer’s design stage, the plans were coordinated with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) in order for the dealer to meet the design standards of Abarth and Alfa Romeo.

Of course, the other factor would be the products itself, and that’s what we’re about to find out. Join us as we take the first ever Alfa Romeo Giulia in the Philippines for a spin.

On the outside, there’s little that separates this 2.0 T RWD variant from the high performance Quadrifoglio. It still has the same overall design, featuring the brand’s signature “trilobe” triangular grille, placed over a vehicle proportion that screams dynamism. The long hood and short overhangs, coupled with the cab rearward design, emphasizes the Giulia’s rear wheel driven dynamics. At the back, sharp LED tail lights give a distinctive look at night, while a single large exhaust is further indication that this isn’t the Quadrifoglio model.

Nevertheless, revving its 2.0-liter engine produces a very snarly growl unlike any other four banger out there. Even if this is the base petrol engine, it produces a healthy 197 hp @ 5,000 rpm and 330 Nm of torque @ 1,750 rpm, enough for a 0-100 kph sprint of 6.6 seconds. These figures put the Giulia squarely at the BMW 330i.

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Inside, the Alfa Romeo Giulia has a high quality interior that features a mainly horizontal dash layout. A neat detail is the car’s engine starter button, which is located in the steering wheel, which is a page taken out of Ferrari’s design book. It’s no coincidence though, since the two brands are related with each other. There’s ample space for both the front and rear occupants, though a large central transmission tunnel reduces legroom for the middle occupants.

With a perfect 50-50 weight distribution, the Giulia is a true sports sedan from the ground up. As a matter of fact, when Alfa Romeo was developing the Giulia, it was the high performance Quadifoglio model that spawned first, whereas with other manufacturers, it would be the standard models first, with the high performance models a couple of years after.

First impressions are very good for the Alfa Romeo Giulia. When the BMW 3 Series’ dynamic capabilities are slowly starting to be diluted, the Giulia offers a breath of fresh air. The steering is supremely crisp and responsive, and we think it’s now the class benchmark in terms of steering responsiveness and feel. The car’s handling is also very good upon first impressions. Driving it around for a short distance, the Giulia remained stable and planted through the corners. We’re excited to take the Giulia further through a more thorough set of tests, but as it is, the BMW 3 Series should start doing its homework, as the Giulia might truly dethrone it as being the luxury sports sedan king.

While no official pricing has been release, Alfa Romeo Philippines pegs the price of this Giulia 2.0 T RWD to be around P4,000,000, which puts it on par with the BMW 328i Sport Line.

With the Alfa Romeo and Abarth brands now in full swing in establishing its foothold here in the Philippines, we are indeed amazed with the passion that Allen Ong ang Dennis Dee against all odds in bringing these two high performance Italian brands to the Philippines.

Photos by Isaac Atienza and Boy Eusebio