I’ve been trying to come up with an excuse to write about Alfa Romeo and I though of the perfect column to write. Which is better, the 2022 Alfa Romeo Giulia or the 2022 Mercedes C300?
I’ll start off with the Mercedes.
In terms of price, the four–door sports sedan sits in a medium spectrum of $55,000 to $68,015. And the last price is fully loaded.
For that price, Mercedes packs 255 horses inside the engine bay which allows a 0-60 time of 5.9 seconds.
I am very impressed with the tech. Mercedes does a really great job at putting tech in their cars. Most of what they put in the E-Class later finds it’s way into the economy car market, at some point being adopted by many companies like Ford, Honda, Mazda, and Chrysler.
You can have Apple Car Play, Android Auto and COMAND Navigation which is voice control-activated cabin commands like heated seats and such.
Something interesting I picked out as well, it has better fuel economy in the city than on the highway … for some reason. And at the time I though, “Have I read that wrong?” Indeed, I had not.
The interior style is … a bit odd really. It’s not bad by any means, especially if you get one of few coloured leather options. What I really dislike about the interior are the circular vents. They feel much too industrial for the softer tone in the vehicle. I’m also not a huge fan of the digital speedo and rev counter either, but hey, whatever drives your car.
Inside you’ll find three drive modes – classic, sport and progressive. Classic is just a good old regular ride, Sport is as I’m sure you’ve guessed — better throttle response, tighter handling, and firmer suspension. The progressive option allows the driver to customize the driving profile so suit their preference. The car also offers all the usual stuff like, heated seats and heated steering wheel, all-wheel drive, and active brake assist, which is automated braking.
Attention assist is a new one. It knows if you’re getting tired and tells you to take a break. Adaptive cruise control allows you to follow a car in front of you without adjusting the cruise control every three seconds because the car does it automatically.
The exterior style lends itself very well to a city atmosphere. The lines look very minimalistic and careful. Almost soft, but very clean. This makes the car look very futuristic.
The Alfa Romeo Giulia, on the other hand.
Coming in between $53,090 to $64,280 Alfa offers 280 horsepower and boasts a 0-60 in 5.1 seconds. All for a lower base price than the Mercedes.
Now I will say, the Alfa is smaller than the Mercedes by a small margin, about 200mm in width and give or take 100mm in height.
In terms of tech the Alfa trails slightly behind the Mercedes with an 8.8-inch middle display, Harman Kardon speakers, wireless charging, a collision warning system and mitigating braking, lane assist, blind spot assist, driver attention alert, adaptive cruise control. Twelve-way heated seats are one of the things the Mercedes doesn’t have. So, if you’re into tech on cars, the Alfa might not be what your looking for.
But if you’re into style though, the Alfa will make you feel at home. With it’s bold “V” faced front grill, tailored Italian leather seats, creative colour palette and wide rear stance, the Alfa Romeo Giulia offers some of the best styling in a luxury car.
See, I think having a car is about how it describes you, how it makes you feel. Does it describe traversing the rolling gravel road in perfectly crafted comfort? How about pushing the engine to the max in deep muddy trails? What about showing up to the office in a perfectly fitted, brightly coloured bold suit? Does it exemplify and drive your ambition?
A recent transplant to Thompson, Jay Hurley is a freelance columnist with a focus on cars, lifestyle and culinary arts. He is from Ontario and studied broadcast and contemporary media.
