Say Hello To The Alfa Romeo Giulia: RWD, Saucy Curves And Up To 500bhp

This is it: the most important car for Alfa Romeo in years, the Giulia saloon. It’s just been revealed in Milan, and my word, is it pretty.

Unlike the last Alfa saloon, the also rather dapper 159, there’s a hell of a lot more substance going on under the skin. The platform is mostly new and shares elements of its underbody gubbins with the Maserati Ghibli. Oh, and that platform is rear-wheel drive, with four-wheel drive as an option on some models.

The news keeps on getting better, as the range-topping Quadrifoglio Verde model - pictured here - will have a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 “inspired by Ferrari technologies” that packs 503bhp. Yep, Alfa doesn’t just want to gun for BMW’s 3-series, it’s going for the M3’s jugular.

The QV will weigh around 1500kg, thanks in part to its roof, bonnet and prop shaft being made from carbonfibre. It’ll do 0-62mph in just 3.9 seconds, have a 50/50 weight distribution, and feature snazzy technical bits to improve the handling like torque vectoring and an ‘Active Aero Splitter’.

There’s currently no official word on what engines will power the less bonkers versions of the Giulia, or when the car will go on sale, but word from the launch event in Milan suggests order books will open Spring 2016.

What do you think of Alfa’s new saloon?