The Giulietta name has had a pretty bumpy history. Originally used between 1965 and 1965, the name was discontinued until 1977. This Giulietta, dubbed Type 116, was produced from 1977 to 1985 at which point the name was once again discontinued. Alfa Romeo->ke1386 revised the name for the third time in 2010 for the Type 940 Giulietta, which is still produced today and received a facelift for the 2016 model year. It became blatantly obvious that Alfa Romeo is still struggling as a brand, as the face life to the Giulietta was so mild that it’s outright disturbing. Exterior updates we limited to a new grille mesh, new Alfa Romeo shield, a revamped badge, and minor changes to the rear fascia to go with a new set of alloy rims. The engine lineup for the Giulietta didn’t change much for 2016, but there is a new 1.6-liter unit, and inside changes were limited to an updated infotainment system.

It comes off very boring and lazy, indeed. In fact, you might as well save money and buy an older model, or wait for the next-gen model that should be arriving sometime in 2018. It’s a little surprising, however, considering the Giulietta competes against the likes of the Ford Focus->ke440 and Volkswagen Golf->ke164. For a company that really wants to turn itself around, it’s not working very hard at bringing fresh products to market. The Giulia was delayed, as was the brand's first SUV->ke145. Add this excessively boring facelift to the mix, and you’ve got a company that might not survive if it doesn’t pick up the pace.

With that said, check out our full review below to learn about all the little things that came as a result of the 2016 facelift.

Continue reading to learn more about the 2016 Alfa Romeo Giulietta.

2016 Alfa Romeo Giulietta

Specifications
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  • Model: 2016 Alfa Romeo Giulietta
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Pros
Cons

Exterior

Styling-wise, the facelift didn't bring many new features to the Giulietta. Up front there's a new Alfa Romeo shield with a honeycomb grille instead of the horizontal-slat layout, and a revamped badge. The same honeycomb grille can be seen in the bumper, which also received black inserts for a sportier character. Around back, the hatch is identical to the previous model, save for the mild changes in the bumper and the oblique tailpipes. As with most facelifts, the Giulietta received new alloy rims.

Other upgrades include red front bumper inserts, carbon looking headlamps, and glossy anthracite accents on the mirror caps, handles, and the foglamp surrounds, but these features are only offered on the Veloce trim level. Everything else was carried over from last year's model, which is a bit disappointing to be honest. Granted, I didn't expect the Giulietta to get Alfa Romeo's new design language so soon, but this update is below par in the current market.

Interior

Things don't get better inside, where the only noticeable upgrade is a revised Uconnect infotainment system. Available with either a five- or 6.5-inch touchscreen, it comes with Bluetooth connectivity for hand-free and audio streaming, and the new Uconnect LIVE services. The app offers music streaming with Deezer and TuneIn, news with Reuters, and navigation with TomTom LIVE. Also new is the Alfa Performance service, specifically created to measure the car's performance by using special timers.

Other than that, the Giulietta gets minor nips and tucks such as revised leather and Alcantara sports seats with red stitching, carbon looking dashboard surround and door panels in the Veloce trim, and a unique matte black dashboard in the base and Super versions. The latter also features grey and black fabric "cannelloni" seats. The Lusso pack adds height-adjustable leather seats and armrests, and an aluminum kick plate. Far from impressive really...

Drivetrain

Not surprisingly, the engine lineup was carried over from the 2015 model year, albeit with minor improvements in power and fuel economy, as well as slight reductions in the emissions department. There is a new 1.6-liter JTDm unit worth mentioning. The diesel-fed four-banger cranks out 120 PS (118 horsepower) and 320 Nm (236 pound-feet) of torque and mates to Alfa's TCT transmission. Sprinting from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) takes 10.2 seconds in this model, while top speed is rated at 195 km/h (121 mph). Alfa says the engine needs only 3.8 liters of fuel for each 100 km and emits only 99 grams of CO2 per km.

More power comes from the larger, 2.0-liter JTDm turbodiesel available with either 150 or 175 PS (148 or 173 horsepower).

On the gasoline front, there's the 1.4-liter Turbo Petrol with 120 PS (118 horsepower,) the 1.4-liter Turbo Multiair with 150 or 170 PS (148 or 168 horsepower), and the range-topping 1.75-liter Turbo Petrol with 240 PS (237 horses).

Finally, the Giulietta is also available with the bi-fuel (LPG and gasoline), 1.4-liter TB rated at 120 PS (118 horsepower).

Prices

Pricing for the refreshed Giulietta is unchanged compared to the previous model and starts from £18,450 (about $25,760) in the United Kingdom.

Competition

Volkswagen Golf

One of the Giulietta's biggest drawback is that it has to compete against the Volkswagen Golf, arguably the leader of the compact hatchback segment in Europe. Much like the Alfa, the Golf is sold with a wide choice of engines, ranging from 1.0-liter three-cylinder units to 2.0-liter four-bangers. For gasoline models, output ranges between 84 horses in the entry-level model and 148 horsepower in the GT and R Line trims. Moving over to diesels, there are 1.6- and 2.0-liter four-pots that generate up to 181 horses and 280 pound-feet in the GTD version. U.K. prices start from £17,595 (about $24,570) and go all the way up to £30,820 (around $43,050) for the high-performance models.

Find out more about the Volkswagen Golf here.

Ford Focus

Redesigned in 2010 and updated for 2015, the Ford Focus is yet another popular choice among European buyers. Engine options are vary and include 1.0-, 1.5-, and 2.0-liter EcoBoost units, as well as a 1.6-liter Duratec. Output ranges between 84 and 246 horsepower. Ford also offers three diesel four-bangers, displacing 1.5-, 1.6-, and 2.0-liters respectively. The generate between 94 horsepower and 170 pound-feet and 183 horses and 295 pound-feet of torque. The Focus retails from £15,995 (about $22,340) in the U.K., while the ST and RS fetch £22,495 (around $31,420) and £28,940 (about $40,420) before options, respectively.

Read more about the Ford Focus here.

Conclusion

The modern-day Giulietta has never been a big success compared to its competitors and European sales have been dramatically dropping since 2011. Having moved nearly 80,000 units in its first full year on the market, the Giulietta only managed to sell a little over 41,000 examples in 2015. By comparison, Volkswagen sold more than 500,000 Golfs, while Ford delivered more 220,000 Focuses. Sure, Alfa can't compete with giants such as VW or Ford just yet, but an overhaul might just make the Giulietta a better competitor in this crowded segment. Unfortunately, the redesign is still some three years away and this facelift doesn't bring major improvements to the hatch. It seems to me that Alfa Romeo doesn't care much about the current Giulietta and didn't spend much time on this facelift. Hopefully, the Italians will make up for it with a significantly improved next-generation model with styling cues borrowed from the bold Giulia. All told, this is one of the poorest facelifts we've seen in a long time and an uninspired decision in a segment packed with better propositions.