Alfa Romeo Giulia vs BMW 2 Series

What's the difference?

The Giulia is a love letter to the increasingly lost art of the sporty executive sedan. As refined as it is beautiful and oh-so elegant to drive, it’s a reminder of why we always love Alfa Romeo, even when the odds are against it.

Emotional cars like this are hard to come by and they will soon be gone, replaced by something new. The future is not necessarily worse, but it will be different, so if a sporty European sedan with a combustion engine is calling out to you don’t miss your opportunity to drive the Giulia while it still exists in this form.

The sleek 2 Series Gran Coupe has injected some life into the sedan segment and adds another dimension to BMW’s line-up.

After spending a week with the 118i hatch and another week with the 218i Gran Coupe, I would pick the hatch because it suits my needs better and has a more understated design, at least from the A-pillar back.

But there is little to fault in the 218i, aside from the obviously higher price compared with a mainstream sedan like a Mazda3. But, as with the hatch, if you want something a little more premium and a little more special, then this funky sedan is well worth considering.

Like any good Alfa Romeo should be, the Giulia is a work of art. It’s sleek, sharp, and immaculately proportioned.

This most recent update has artfully refined a formula too good-looking to mess with. The increasingly dorky headlamps from the previous car have been swapped out for a more contemporary all-LED set, with a three-bar DRL pattern.

The grille has also been tweaked for this update for a more modern style, and the Veloce is now graced with the iconic and more aggressive sport two-tone alloy wheels in the traditional five-hole 'tele-dial' style.

It’s effortlessly attractive, and instantly recognisable as an Alfa on the road. I can’t think of a better way to stand out in today’s executive sedan landscape.

The interior has received less of an upgrade for the 2024 model year, with the same core parts. The major change is the old-school analogue instrument cluster being swapped out for a slick 12.3-inch digital unit.

The puzzling thing about this is the 8.8-inch central multimedia screen hasn’t been upgraded in-kind, making a strange contrast between the sharp and fast digital instruments, and the laggy and dull multimedia panel.

At least it effortlessly sits behind the curvaceous design of the dash as to not interrupt a good shape.

There are of course plenty of other touches which I love. The leather seats look and feel the part, as do the real metal paddle shifters which float behind the simple yet refined and sporty steering wheel.

The push-to-start button on the wheel is reminiscent of other Italian sports machines, while the tasteful smattering of leather, gloss plastic, and textured surfaces keep the premium feel on-track.

Some areas I’m not so keen about: Some of the interior plastics, particularly for buttons and toggles, feel cheaper than they should, and the door cards are oddly basic considering how much attention has been given to every other part of this car’s look and feel.

From the front, the 2 Series Gran Coupe carries the same face as the handsome 1 Series hatchback. But from the A-pillar back, it’s a completely different look. 

BMW’s ‘Gran Coupe’ series of models - 2, 4 and 8 Series - are not just regular sedans. They are sleeker, with a coupe-like sloping roofline and a more squat stance. It’s BMW’s way of making sedans sexy. And it has worked on each of those models.

The 218i’s boot sits up high and the rear treatment with the wide slimline tail-lights and integrated boot lip spoiler make the car visually appealing. I prefer the look of the 1 Series hatch, but appreciate the sleek sedan.

As with the hatch, the 218i’s interior is a modern take on the unmistakable BMW cabin, and for the most part it’s a successful design.

The Giulia is an old-school low-slung sports sedan. Many will prefer the SUV sensibilities of the Stelvio, with its bigger hatch-opening boot, and its higher ride height can better accommodate less mobile passengers, and makes it easier to fit child seats and the like.

For those willing to trade those things away for a superior drive experience, the Giulia is still solid to live with every day, but has a few drawbacks.

For example, those strangely basic door cards offer only a tiny map pocket with a nook I’d hardly describe as a bottle holder.

The centre console offers two larger bottle holders with variable edges, but there’s also not much else in the way of storage in the cabin aside from a smaller-than-average glove box and armrest console box.

The big win for me is the physical dial set and shortcut buttons for all the key climate functions, making it easy to operate while you’re concentrating on driving.

At least the seats are well bolstered, and front passengers are treated to plenty of adjustability. Visibility is okay, and it was easy for me to find a comfortable driving position at 182cm tall.

The rear seat is a similar story. It’s tighter, and you have to duck down below the roofline to get into it.

Once inside, I was pleasantly surprised to find enough room for my knees and somewhere for my feet to slide behind my own driving position, although the centre position is all but useless thanks to an enormous raise for the driveshaft.

Headroom is passable, but you wouldn’t want to be much taller than me. 

There are, again, tiny bottle holders in the doors, and a further two in the drop-down armrest. Rear seat passengers get dual adjustable air vents on the back of the centre console, one USB 2.0 outlet, and elastic nets on the backs of the front seats.

The boot measures 480 litres which is up there with a lot of mid-size SUVs, but because it’s a sedan, access is more limited, and it won’t accommodate as many awkwardly-shaped objects.

The main key difference between the 1 and 2 Series is the boot capacity. But in terms of interior appointments, not much separates the two.

Our 218i test car was optioned with black ‘Dakota’ leather trim, which does not look or feel particularly premium. The blue pattern trim in the 118i hatch was much more visually appealing, helping to break up the dark greys of the cabin. But in the 218i, it just makes everything look rather dark and gloomy.

As with the 118i, the BMW 'iDrive' controller and multimedia touchscreen are top notch, all controls come to hand easily, and the dash is angled to the driver. For more details on the interior, check out my 118i review.

The bigger differences are in the second row. The Gran Coupe has less headroom compared with the hatch, due to the sloping roofline and the optional sunroof.

Both body styles share the same 2670mm wheelbase, which should mean legroom is the same. For some reason the 218i feels ever so slightly tighter in the rear, but we are splitting hairs here.

Rear-seat occupants have access to two USB-C ports, map pockets and, unlike the hatchback, the Gran Coupe has a central fold-down armrest with two cupholders. Tall bottles will fit in the door storage compartment. Sadly the 218i lacks any rear air vents.

The doors also have a smaller aperture, so it’s not as easy to get in and out of compared to the hatch.

The rear seats fold 60/40 via levers in boot. Speaking of which, the boot can swallow 430 litres of cargo, which easily exceeds the 380L capacity of the 118i hatch. It also matches the boot space in the Mercedes-Benz A180 sedan and is just five litres bigger than the Audi A3 35 TFSI sedan.

Determining whether the BMW 218i Gran Coupe represents good value is tricky. Because you can get any number of small sedans from mainstream brands - like the Mazda3, Toyota Corolla, Subaru Impreza and more - for much less money, but with similar, or in some cases, more kit.

But if you’ve been 'glamoured' by the BMW badge and couldn’t possibly buy something non-European, the good news is the Bavarian brand is much better at including standard features than it used to be.

Could there be more standard gear for the price in this car? Absolutely. But, it’s not a slim features list either.

The 218i kicks off the 2 Series Gran Coupe line-up from $56,900, before on-road costs. From there you can step up into the 220i ($59,900) which gets a little more power and torque, and then there’s the sporty M235i xDrive Gran Coupe in Pure ($74,900) and regular guise ($79,900).

The price difference between the 218i sedan and the 118i hatchback I reviewed recently, is $7000. That is a massive uptick in price for a vehicle that, underneath, is identical. Essentially you’re paying for the boot.

It’s especially surprising when you consider the price gap between the hatch and sedan versions of its chief rival - the Mercedes-Benz A-Class A180 - is just $1700. While the Audi A3 35 TFSI sedan is only $2500 more than the Sportback hatch.

A lot of mainstream brands don’t charge any extra for a sedan body style over the hatch model in the small segment. Take a bow Mazda3, Kia Cerato and Toyota Corolla.

The Veloce might not pack a Ferrari-derived six-cylinder engine like the Quadrofoglio, but its smaller 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine hardly wants for power.

Packing 206kW/400Nm it outpunches six cylinders of old easily, and is still capable of sprinting to 100km/h in a hot-hatch baiting 5.7 seconds to a Vmax of 240km/h.

It even sounds fantastic, as it flies up the rev-range living up to every bit of the Alfa promise. Peak power arrives at 5250rpm, but peak torque hits at 2250rpm.

Smooth shifts are provided courtesy of an eight-speed traditional torque converter automatic transmission.

Mirroring the 118i, the 218i uses BMW’s three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, with power and torque outputs of 103kW and 220Nm, respectively. This compares to 110kW/250Nm for the base Audi A3 and 100kW/200Nm for the Mercedes-Benz A-Class.

The 218i uses a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission driving the front wheels only.

According to BMW, the 218i can complete the 0-100km/h dash in 8.7 seconds - 0.2sec slower than the hatch.

The 2.0L turbocharged engine has an official combined cycle fuel consumption figure of just 6.1L/100km, although I saw 9.0L/100km in my time with it.

I’ll admit it was being enthusiastically driven, and treated to lots of urban commuting.

The Giulia has a 58-litre fuel tank and requires mid-shelf 95 RON premium unleaded fuel. Its approximate range on a full tank at the official consumption is 951km.

On the official combined fuel cycle, the 218i uses 5.9 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres - the same as the 118i hatch. After a week of mixed driving, I recorded a figure of 9.1L/100km, which is quite a bit more than that official figure.

In terms of CO2 the official emissions figure is 135g/km and the 218i requires 95 RON premium fuel for its 50-litre fuel tank.

Put simply: The Giulia is a celebration of Alfa Romeo. Yes. Even with a humble 2.0-litre turbocharged engine and an automatic transmission, this is a deeply emotional car. A riveting experience from behind the wheel.

Fly round corners, your eyes wide, exclaiming ‘magnifico!’ as the Giulia gracefully leans in, the rear LSD, sporty tyres, and wonderfully tight steering working together in harmony as you eke out just a smidge of tyre roar.

Laugh out loud to yourself, as you plant the accelerator, hear the muted rumble of the surprisingly angry little engine, and feel the turbocharger kick in half a second later as you power out.

‘Eccezionale!’ You’ll think, as you feel the click of the immensely satisfying metal paddle-shifters, and the transmission responds in-kind, the engine roaring up the revolutions with enthusiasm.

Sure, the Veloce grade is not as raw, or as wild, or near as fast as the top-grade Quadrofoglio, but all of the exciting spirit of  that car is still here, and at a little over half the price, too. The Veloce is an absolute delight to drive.

It has such poise, makes such a fine sound, and does it all so gracefully. This is how you make a car feel as one with the driver.

Even the ride is deeply impressive. It’s not too harsh or noisy, while gifting the chassis just the right amount of lean in the corners and allowing enough play for it to remain controlled over bumps.

Not only does it work well when you’re driving as it's clearly intended to be driven, but around town it’s quiet and refined inside, living up to the promise of a luxury sedan.

The seats and bolstering are great, the visibility isn’t too bad, and while I’ll complain about the slightly laggy software on the multimedia screen, the digital dash is responsive and the physical climate controls are welcome.

It’s not all perfect. If it were, I think it might cease to be an Alfa Romeo and start sprouting BMW badges.

For example, our test car, with less than 2000km on the odometer, had various inconsistent rattles emanating from the plastic garnish around the digital dash, and somewhere behind the back seat.

Regardless, driving this car has made me a little sad Alfa will be putting this wonderful platform behind it in pursuit of more electrified goals.

I can only hope wherever the Giulia nameplate goes next, it retains the spirit of this version.

If you love the look of the 2 Series Gran Coupe but are after an extra dollop of performance, the all-wheel drive 225kW/450Nm M235i xDrive is the pick of the range.

But don’t think the 218i is a lazy performer - it’s far from it.

The 218i’s acceleration is responsive, even quick, and it offers more than enough straight-line performance to satisfy most drivers. 

On take-off there is some turbo lag, which isn’t helped by the fuel-saving idle-stop system, however that can be switched off, which we did every time we got behind the wheel.

Momentum was a little blunted by a steep hill, but other than that, no complaints about the sweet engine.

Steering is weighted on the heavier side but it is sharp.

As is expected of a BMW sedan, the 218i is engineered for engaging handling, and the balanced chassis and well-tuned suspension set-up encourage enthusiastic driving.  

Excellent road-holding and grip ensured it did not come unstuck on uneven roads and overall the 218i feels really solid. Those front-wheel drive naysayers have officially been put in their place!

'Sport' mode livens things up with a noticeable improvement to throttle response.

The ride seems more supple at speed, but can feel on the firmer side in urban driving. But nothing that would strike it from your shopping list.

The 2 Series Gran Coupe carries over the maximum five-star ANCAP crash safety rating awarded to the mechanically related 1 Series hatch. The test was conducted in 2019.

Standard safety equipment includes low-speed auto emergency braking, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, rear cross-traffic alert, driver attention alert, front and rear parking sensors, reversing camera, cruise control, and six airbags - although it doesn’t include a front centre airbag.

Alfa finally updated its warranty to a more industry-standard five-years and unlimited kilometres in 2022.

Service intervals occur at 12 monthly or 15,000km intervals for the 2.0-litre turbocharged variants. Pricing was not available for the model year 2024 version yet in the brand’s online calculator, but to give you an idea for the pre-facelift version, pricing came in between $345 and $1065 per visit, averaging $573 per year for the first five years of ownership. Not cheap, but not as expensive to run as you might expect.

One thing you might want to keep in mind is depreciation. Boring, I know, but even late model examples of the Giulia and Stelvio have been hit particularly hard by the depreciation stick according to residual values we searched up on Autotrader.

For reference, the Genesis G70 and BMW 3 Series have both fared much better in equivalent 2.0-litre turbo forms.

The 218i comes with BMW’s three-year/unlimited kilometre warranty - a term that is well behind the majority of its competitors that offer five-year/unlimited kilometre cover. 

Rather than an annual service schedule, BMW uses ‘condition-based servicing’, which essentially means that the vehicle’s computer will inform you when the car needs a service.

BMW’s 'Service Inclusive' pre-paid plan covers owners for five years or 80,000km for the 2 Series, and involves a $1700 up-front payment. It averages out to $340 per service, which is actually pretty reasonable for a high-end brand.