Compare the2024 Volkswagen Golf RVS 2024 Alfa Romeo Giulia

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Volkswagen Golf R 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 Golf R 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 Golf R’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 Golf R 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 Golf R has standard Maneuver Braking that use rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. The Giulia doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Golf R. But it costs extra on the Giulia.

Both the Golf R and Giulia have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Golf R has Rear Traffic Alert (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Giulia’s Rear Cross-Path Detection doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the Golf R 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 standard headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Golf R its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 128 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Giulia has not been fully tested, yet.

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

Volkswagen pays for scheduled maintenance on the Golf R for 2 years and 20,000 miles. Volkswagen will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, 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 Golf R’s warranty.

The Volkswagen Golf R’s engines use 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.

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.

The Golf R Manual’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 35 more horsepower (315 vs. 280) than the Giulia’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The Golf R DSG’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 35 more horsepower (315 vs. 280) than the Giulia’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Golf R DSG is faster than the Alfa Romeo Giulia (automatics tested):

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

The Golf R offers an available 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 Golf R 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 Golf R’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Giulia:

The Golf R’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 Golf R stops much shorter than the Giulia:

For better traction, the Golf R has larger tires than the Giulia (235/35R19 vs. 225/50R17). The Golf R’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Giulia (235/35R19 vs. 225/40R19).

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

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Golf R has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Giulia.

The Golf R 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 Golf R handles at .99 G’s, while the Giulia Ti Q4 pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Golf R executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.2 seconds quicker than the Giulia Ti (24.9 seconds @ .77 average G’s vs. 27.1 seconds @ .66 average G’s).

The Golf R is 1 foot, 1.9 inches shorter than the Giulia, making the Golf R easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Golf R is quieter than the Giulia Ti:

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

The Golf R’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 Golf R 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 Golf R has a standard rear wiper. The Giulia doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

When the Golf R 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.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Golf R 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 Golf R’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.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Golf R second among compact cars in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Giulia isn’t in the top three.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Golf as the 2015 North American Car of the Year. The Giulia has never been chosen.

The Volkswagen Golf/GTI outsold the Alfa Romeo Giulia by 65% during 2022.