Compare the2023 Volkswagen GTIVS 2023 Alfa Romeo Giulia

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Volkswagen GTI have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Alfa Romeo Giulia doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Volkswagen GTI are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Alfa Romeo Giulia doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

The GTI’s standard pretensioning seatbelts also sense rear collisions and remove slack from the seatbelts to help protect the occupants from whiplash and other injuries. The Giulia doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The GTI has a standard Automatic Post-Collision Braking System, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Giulia doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The GTI has standard Maneuver Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Giulia doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

Both the GTI and the Giulia have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras and rear cross-path warning.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its available headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the GTI the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2022, a rating granted to only 158 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Giulia has not been fully tested, yet.

The GTI’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Giulia’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Volkswagen pays for scheduled maintenance on the GTI for 2 years and 20,000 miles. Volkswagen will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Alfa Romeo only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Giulia.

There are almost 5 times as many Volkswagen dealers as there are Alfa Romeo dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the GTI’s warranty.

The Volkswagen GTI’s engine uses a cast iron block for durability, while the Giulia’s engine uses an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the GTI has a standard 680-amp battery. The Giulia’s 525-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the GTI’s reliability 12 points higher than the Giulia.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Volkswagen vehicles are more reliable than Alfa Romeo With 28 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Volkswagen higher than Alfa Romeo.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Volkswagen vehicles are more reliable than Alfa Romeo vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Volkswagen 5 places higher in reliability than Alfa Romeo.

As tested in Car and Driver the Volkswagen GTI is faster than the Alfa Romeo Giulia (automatics tested):

On the EPA test cycle the GTI gets better mileage than the Giulia:

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the GTI’s fuel efficiency. The Giulia doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

The GTI offers a manual transmission for better acceleration, control and sportiness. The Giulia doesn’t offer a manual transmission.

The GTI offers an optional sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The Giulia doesn’t offer an SMG.

The GTI Automatic’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The Giulia doesn’t offer launch control.

For better stopping power the GTI’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Giulia:

The GTI’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Giulia are solid, not vented.

The GTI stops much shorter than the Giulia:

For better traction, the GTI Autobahn’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Giulia (235/35R19 vs. 225/40R19).

The GTI’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Giulia’s standard 50 series tires. The GTI Autobahn’s tires have a lower 35 series profile than the Giulia’s optional 40 series front tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the GTI has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Giulia.

The GTI has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Giulia; it requires you to depend on its run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed.

The GTI Autobahn handles at .98 G’s, while the Giulia Ti Q4 pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The GTI executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.1 seconds quicker than the Giulia Ti (25 seconds @ .74 average G’s vs. 27.1 seconds @ .66 average G’s).

The Volkswagen GTI may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 400 to 450 pounds less than the Alfa Romeo Giulia.

The GTI is 1 foot, 2 inches shorter than the Giulia, making the GTI easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

As tested by Car and Driver while at idle, the interior of the GTI is quieter than the Giulia Ti (40 vs. 41 dB).

The GTI has .5 inches more rear headroom and .3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Giulia.

The GTI’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Giulia does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The GTI Autobahn has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Giulia doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the GTI has a standard rear wiper. The Giulia doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

When the GTI with available tilt-down mirrors is put in reverse, the passenger rearview mirror tilts from its original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirror into its original position. The Giulia’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the GTI (except S) keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Giulia doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The GTI Autobahn’s Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Giulia doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

The GTI was chosen as one of Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 16 of the last 16 years. The Giulia hasn’t been picked since 2018.

The GTI was chosen as one of Automobile Magazine’s “All Stars” for 5 of the last 15 years. The Giulia has never been an “All Star.”

The Volkswagen Golf/GTI outsold the Alfa Romeo Giulia by 53% during the 2021 model year.