2025 Alfa Romeo Giulia

Let's get the reliability part out of the way first. Anecdotally, yes, you can find some horror stories about the Giulia ownership experience if you poke around. But consider Edmunds' Giulia consumer reviews from earlier in this generation, which shed light on how these cars have been holding up in the real world. From the lofty overall rating to the enthusiastic praise found in many of the reviews, a picture emerges that's decidedly at odds with the Giulia's reputation. Buying a car is always a gamble, but there's enough data out there to suggest that the Giulia may not be an ownership nightmare after all.

On the performance front, the Giulia feels alive in a way that cars generally don't anymore. It's got a palpable sense of urgency — time to go, right now — and the tight steering and athletic chassis are happy to facilitate. The eight-speed ZF automatic that seems to be in most fine European machines these days is on its toes for Alfa duty, ripping off sophisticated shifts that'll quell any urges you might have had to seek a manual transmission elsewhere. And there's plenty of push from the pumped-up turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which makes considerably more power than rival 2.0T motors and puts the Giulia at the front of its class acceleration-wise.

The only thing that gives us pause from behind the wheel is the engine's bizarrely low redline of 5,500 rpm. You just don't see gasoline engines limited to that level these days, let alone sport-tuned Italian ones. Go a little lower and you're getting into diesel territory. But the Alfa's 2.0T is starting to gasp for air by the time redline arrives, so we suppose it's just as well you can't rev it higher. Ride the righteous wave of midrange torque and everything's gonna be alright.

Is the 2025 Alfa Romeo Giulia a Good Car?

"It's not the most sensible choice, but the Giulia just might steal your heart. While we don't recommend paying Alfa's asking price for one of these, we might be tempted by a hefty discount. The Giulia feels more alive the harder you push it — there's some real sport-sedan magic in this platform and powertrain. If driving were all that mattered, the Alfa and the 3 Series would be duking it out for top honors. Pretty, too, isn't it?"—Ranked #6 out of 8 Compact Luxury Sedans