July 7, 2010. Copyright 2010, Graphic News. All rights reserved Giulietta -- another make or break car from Alfa Romeo By Neil Winton LONDON, July 7, Graphic News: The new Alfa Romeo Giulietta looks pretty, drives well, and the most expensive one makes an awesome noise. So far, so standard, for new Alfa Romeos. Unfortunately over the years, "standard" for Alfa has also meant unreliability, poor quality, and plunging second hand values. At Alfa new car launches over the years, the assembled media has been told that, sure, this time things are different, we've changed our ways, while at the same time even the models specially selected for the press have often been unreliable or flawed. The stakes are much higher now. Alfa Romeo owner Fiat of Italy also controls Chrysler, which was rescued from bankruptcy by the U.S. government. Fiat owns 20 percent of Chrysler which will gradually rise to 35 percent, and eventually majority control. Fiat's business plan for Chrysler is based on adapting small, fuel-efficient Italian cars and making them acceptable to the American public. Some Chryslers, like the stylish but huge 300C and the massive Voyager minivan, will be making the opposite journey, to be sold in Europe as Lancias, Fiat's more upmarket brand. The new Alfa Giulietta is crucial to this plan, and its basic engineering -- engines, transmission, suspension, components -- will also be used to produce Chrysler vehicles, including a compact SUV. Fiat's plan also calls for Alfa Romeo to return to the U.S. market, which it left in the mid-1990s. Fiat's targets for Alfa are very ambitious, some say impossible. There had been speculation that Fiat would kill Alfa because it had lost between 220 million euros and 430 million euros a year for the last 10 years. But the storied company is now charged with increasing sales to 500,000 by 2014, with 85,000 in America. This from a base of a total of 120,000 this year. So is the Giulietta, which replaces the 147, up to scratch? The five-door hatchback certainly looks the part. It's a bit like a coupe from the side, with the hidden rear-door handles. The front styling with the familiar trademark triangular grille is pure Alfa. The interior is stylish. The choice of two diesels and three petrol engines are all turbo-charged, with capacity from 1.4 to 2.0 litres. All versions have six speed manual gearboxes. Prices start at 17,000 pounds / 20,000 euros. The range topping petrol engine is a four-cylinder 1.75 litre motor which produces a huge, 235hp using direct injection, variable valve timing, a turbocharger and a "revolutionary scavenging control system that nullifies any turbo lag". It sounds much nicer than a vuvuzela. "The resulting performance is comparable to -- or better than -- many 3 litre engines, while still delivering fuel consumption typical of a compact four-cylinder unit," Alfa says. Perhaps one indication that things have changed for the better is a statement the company released recently headed "Alfa Romeo Giulietta -- the safest compact ever", following its award of a Euro NCAP five-star rating. This must be the first time the Italian maker of exciting but often flawed machines has ever bragged about anything as dull as safety. /ENDS Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1750 TBi Engine -- 1.75 litre, 4-cylinder petrol Power -- 232hp @ 5,500 Torque -- 340 Nm @ 1,900 Drive -- front-wheels Gearbox -- six-speed manual Acceleration -- 0-62mph-100km/h 6.8 seconds Top Speed -- 150mph-242km/h Fuel consumption -- claimed combined -- 37.2 mpg-7.6 l/100km C02 -- 177g/km Emissions class -- EU5 Length -- 4,350mm Width -- 1,800mm Height -- 1,460mm Wheel-base -- 2,630mm Weight -- 1,320kg Boot capacity -- 350 litres Competition -- VW Golf, Ford Focus, Mazda3, Audi A3, BMW 1 Series, Vauxhall/Opel Astra, Proton GEN-2, Peugeot 308, Renault Megane, Toyota Auris, Honda Civic, Nissan Note, Nissan Qashqai, Citroen C4, Kia Ceed, Hyundai i30, Chevrolet Lacetti, Fiat Brava, Skoda Octavia, Mitsubishi Lancer, SEAT Leon, Suzuki Liana, Volvo C30 Price -- 24,500 pounds - 29,300 euros on sale now across Europe