Introduced in 2010, the Alfa Romeo Giulietta is very long in the tooth as of 2019, but this isn't stopping the Italian firm from keeping the hatchback in production with mild upgrades. Following a small facelift in 2016, the Giulietta shows off a new update at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show. Unfortunately, it's far from impressive.

The 2020 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Features Minor Updates Inside and Out

The highlights of this upgrade are a new exterior color called Visconti Green, a new design for the optional 18-inch alloy wheels, and a "special upholstery" we don't know much about because Alfa didn't really bother to tell us. But three of the existing five trims also have some new features worth mentioning.

The Giulietta Super, for instance, now features silver trim around the front bumper and rear diffuser, as well as 17-inch turbine-style alloy wheels. Interior upgrades include a new upholstery design with grey stitching and mocha, black, and red leather now available as options. Like the rest of the lineup, the Super now comes standard with cruise control, dual-zone air conditioning, and rear parking sensors.

Replacing the previous Sport model, the Giuletta Speciale comes with 17-inch five-hole wheels in a dark finish and black trim on the V-shaped grille, door handles, mirror caps, and foglamp surrounds. The accents on the bumpers, body-colored side skirts, bigger exhaust pipes, and tinted windows complete the look. Inside the cabin, you'll find aluminum kick plates and pedals, Alcantara and fabric sports seats with red stitching, and similar thread on the flat-bottom steering wheel.

Moving over to the range-topping Giulietta Veloce, it features everything you get with the Speciale, but it adds bigger 18-inch wheels, sporty bumpers with yellow accents, and twin exhaust pipes. The sports Alcantara seats and the flat-bottom steering wheel have yellow stitching and the pedals and kick plates are made from aluminum. Additional standard equipment includes front and rear parking sensors, electrochromic rearview mirror, electrically folding wing mirrors, and Uconnect 6.5-inch with navigation. If you don't like the yellow accents, you can replace them with red by choosing the Veloce Rosso package.

The 2020 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce is Now Available with a Diesel Engine

While the engines aren't new, they now comply with the Euro 6d-TEMP standard. As before, you can pick between a 1.4-liter turbocharged gasoline engine and a 1.6-liter diesel mill, both rated at 120 horsepower. The Giulietta Veloce, on the other hand, ditched the 1.75-liter turbo-four shared with the 4C in favor of a 2.0-liter diesel unit. Yes, that's not a mistake, the performance-oriented Veloce is now a diesel car.

The bad news here is that the Veloce doesn't perform as good following the update. While the 1.75-liter engine was rated at 240 horsepower and 250 pound-feet of torque, the 2.0-liter turbodiesel generates only 170 horses and 260 pound-feet. So while it gained ten pound-feet, it lost a whopping 70 horsepower. Not much of an upgrade, huh?

Unlike all the other trims, which can be had with either a manual or automatic transmission, the Veloce is restricted to the TCT automatic with paddle shifters, so no three-pedal fun either.

Further reading

Read our full review on the 2014 Alfa Romeo Giulietta.